Contracts are the connective tissue of B2B relationships: they govern revenue, renewals, vendor risk, and compliance. Yet many teams still juggle PDFs, email threads, and spreadsheets—slowing sales cycles, creating audit headaches, and leaving money on the table at renewal. The new generation of B2B SaaS contract management software (often called CLM—Contract Lifecycle Management) fixes this with cloud-native workflows, AI-assisted authoring and review, automated approvals, clause governance, and deep integrations with the rest of your stack.
Below you’ll find our 2026 guide to the best CLM platforms for B2B organizations. We focused on usability for non-legal stakeholders, end-to-end lifecycle coverage (from intake and authoring to execution and renewal), enterprise-grade security, AI features that actually save time, and integrations with CRM, CPQ, ERP, e-signature, and procurement tools.
How We Chose These Platforms (and What to Expect)
We evaluated platforms on five practical criteria:
1. Adoption and usability: clear intake, templated playbooks, and role-based dashboards so Sales, Legal, Finance, and Procurement actually use the system.
2. AI that matters: draft-assist, clause suggestions, risk/obligation extraction, and smart search—without creating governance risks.
3. Workflow depth: configurable approvals, version control, redlining, audit logs, and obligation tracking post-signature.
4. Data and integrations: native connectors for Salesforce/HubSpot, CPQ, ERP, e-signature; robust APIs and data export to avoid lock-in.
5. Governance and security: clause libraries, rules, SOC 2/ISO 27001, SSO/SCIM, and granular permissions across entities or regions.
The Best B2B SaaS Contract Management Software for 2026
1) Ironclad
Ironclad is widely known for its business-friendly UX and strong collaboration features. Legal teams can build playbooks and clause libraries, while Sales and CS can self-serve standard agreements through guided workflows. Redlining in the browser, version history, and dynamic approvals keep momentum without sacrificing control. Its AI capabilities accelerate review with suggested clauses and risk flags, and analytics reveal cycle times, bottlenecks, and negotiated terms across your portfolio.
What sets Ironclad apart is how quickly cross-functional teams adopt it. Intake forms, dynamic fallback language, and click-through NDAs remove friction, while advanced users can orchestrate complex approvals for MSAs and SOWs. The ecosystem includes deep integrations with Salesforce and major e-signature tools, and the platform’s extensibility allows you to treat contracts like structured data—powerful for reporting on obligations, renewals, and revenue-impacting terms.
2) DocuSign CLM
DocuSign CLM extends the familiar e-signature leader into full lifecycle management. Templates, clause governance, and automated workflows standardize authoring; in-app collaboration and comparison reduce time spent stitching together versions from email. For companies already using DocuSign eSignature, CLM centralizes the journey from draft to signature with minimal change management.
The platform’s strength lies in execution at scale: robust admin controls, audit trails, and connectors for CRM/CPQ make it a safe enterprise standard. AI-assisted search and obligation extraction help legal, procurement, and finance track commitments after signature. For organizations seeking continuity from e-sign into full CLM without introducing another vendor, DocuSign CLM is a pragmatic, well-supported choice.
3) Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI)
Icertis is built for global enterprises that treat contracts as a strategic data asset. Its data model captures obligations, service levels, rebates, and risk metadata, enabling sophisticated governance across regions, entities, and contract families. AI features support risk scoring, clause recommendations, and analytics to surface patterns in negotiated terms or supplier performance.
Enterprises choose Icertis for breadth and depth: advanced obligation management, complex authoring workflows, and multi-language support make it ideal for highly regulated or multi-jurisdictional environments. The trade-off is configuration complexity—best suited to organizations with dedicated legal ops or process owners who can unlock the platform’s full power.
4) Conga CLM (formerly Apttus)
Conga pairs contract lifecycle management with strong CPQ and revenue operations tooling, creating a seamless quote-to-cash experience. Sales teams generate contracts from configured quotes, while legal controls language and fallbacks. Version tracking and guided redlines help shepherd deals through approvals without losing standardization.
Conga’s advantage is end-to-end commercial orchestration. If your revenue engine runs on Conga CPQ or Salesforce, the combination enables highly automated creation, pricing, and contracting with fewer manual steps. Governance and reporting features provide legal with the controls they need, while finance benefits from improved visibility into terms that affect revenue recognition and renewals.
5) Agiloft
Agiloft is a highly configurable CLM with a reputation for flexibility and value. It offers powerful workflow automation, a robust clause library, and granular permissions, making it suitable for both mid-market and enterprise deployments. Its no-code configuration lets legal ops tailor intake, approvals, and data fields to unique business processes without heavy IT involvement.
The platform balances breadth with cost-effectiveness. You can model complex obligations, manage vendor and customer contracts in one system, and integrate with CRM/e-signature tools. Agiloft’s AI modules assist with clause suggestions and legacy contract import, turning scattered PDFs into searchable, reportable data without months of manual tagging.
6) Evisort
Evisort is known for AI-native contract intelligence. It excels at rapidly ingesting large volumes of existing agreements and extracting key terms, dates, and obligations, which makes it a strong fit for companies consolidating data after M&A, audit prep, or scaling procurement. Its search is fast and precise, surfacing obligations and deviations without combing through pages manually.
Beyond discovery, Evisort includes authoring, workflows, and clause governance to run day-to-day contracting. The differentiator is speed to value for portfolio visibility and analytics—legal and finance leaders can quickly answer “what’s in our contracts?” and turn that insight into policy updates, playbook improvements, and renewal strategies.
7) LinkSquares
LinkSquares began as a post-signature analytics platform and has grown into an end-to-end CLM with drafting and approvals. It shines for in-house legal teams that want quick wins on visibility—especially around renewals, obligations, and negotiated risks—without a heavyweight implementation. Its AI helps standardize playbooks and extract fields reliably across a broad contract corpus.
What users appreciate is the clean interface and pragmatic feature set. Authoring, review, and signature flow smoothly, while dashboards keep leaders focused on cycle times and upcoming renewals. For growth-stage companies needing a legal-first solution that scales into full CLM, LinkSquares is a compelling option.
8) ContractWorks
ContractWorks focuses on simplicity and core value: secure repository, searchable metadata, alerts for key dates, and straightforward e-signature. It’s ideal for teams that need to get out of shared drives quickly and centralize contract ownership without an enterprise-scale rollout. Setup is fast, learning curves are low, and pricing is transparent.
While it doesn’t attempt every advanced CLM feature, the essentials are executed well. Automated reminders prevent missed renewals, permissioning protects sensitive agreements, and custom fields support basic reporting. For small to mid-sized organizations or departments standing up a first contract system, ContractWorks delivers reliable ROI with minimal fuss.
9) Gatekeeper
Gatekeeper blends CLM with vendor and supplier management, making it a strong fit for procurement-heavy organizations. Vendor records, risk scoring, and performance data sit alongside contracts, providing a single view of supplier relationships. Workflows handle onboarding and due diligence, while obligation tracking and alerts reduce supplier risk.
Its Kanban-style dashboards and collaborative intake help business users engage without getting lost in legal details. Integrations with ERP, finance, and security tools keep compliance centralized. If your contract landscape is dominated by buy-side agreements and vendor oversight, Gatekeeper streamlines the entire supplier lifecycle.
10) Malbek
Malbek is a modern CLM platform prized for user experience and speed of configuration. Teams can design intake forms, rules-based approvals, and clause selection in a no-code environment. Strong CRM and CPQ integrations help sales auto-generate accurate contracts, while legal maintains control with playbooks and deviation tracking.
Analytics are a highlight: Malbek surfaces insights on negotiation hotspots, cycle bottlenecks, and renewal risks. It’s a particularly good match for mid-market companies that want enterprise-grade capabilities without the complexity or implementation timelines of the largest suites.
11) Sirion
Sirion (formerly SirionLabs) emphasizes post-signature performance and obligation management, making it popular for complex services and outsourcing agreements. The platform captures SLAs, credits, and milestones, then ties actual performance data back to contract terms to drive accountability on both sides.
Authoring and negotiation are robust, but Sirion’s differentiation is using the contract as a living instrument after signature. For teams with intricate SOWs, managed services, or multi-year transformation programs, that continuous alignment between “what we bought/sold” and “what’s delivered” is where Sirion shines.
12) Concord
Concord offers an intuitive, all-in-one environment for drafting, collaborating, approving, and signing contracts. It’s accessible for non-legal users, which speeds adoption across sales, HR, and operations. Built-in versioning, commenting, and approval routing keep everything in one place, reducing email and scattered attachments.
Where Concord stands out is speed and simplicity. Teams can launch standardized templates quickly and set automated approval thresholds, while dashboards track renewals and status at a glance. For organizations that want to professionalize contracting with limited admin overhead, Concord hits a sweet spot of capability and ease of use.
Key Features to Look For in 2026
- AI that’s explainable: Draft-assist and clause recommendations should cite the underlying playbook or clause library, not just hallucinate language. Look for visible rationale, human-in-the-loop controls, and an approvals layer that ensures compliance.
- Template and clause governance: Central libraries, version control, and fallback rules reduce risk. Business users should be able to self-serve standard agreements without losing legal oversight.
- Workflow and collaboration: Intake forms, conditional approvals, in-document comments, and real-time redlines minimize email chaos. External counterparty collaboration with secure links accelerates negotiation.
- Post-signature management: Obligation and renewal tracking, smart reminders, and searchable metadata turn contracts into actionable data. This is crucial for revenue, vendor performance, and audit readiness.
- Integrations and data portability: Native connectors for CRM/CPQ, ERP, procurement, e-signature, and BI tools plus open APIs. Confirm you can export your data cleanly to avoid lock-in.
- Security and compliance: SOC 2/ISO 27001 certifications, SSO/SCIM, audit logs, encryption at rest/in transit, and fine-grained permissions across departments, subsidiaries, and geographies.
Implementation Tips for Faster Time-to-Value
Start with two or three high-volume contract types (e.g., NDAs, order forms, SOWs). Build short, opinionated playbooks with clear fallbacks and approval rules. Use guided intake so requesters provide the right details up front. Connect CRM and e-signature first to capture quick wins for Sales, then roll in Finance and Procurement. For legacy agreements, prioritize ingestion by renewal risk so upcoming contracts are searchable and properly tagged. Measure cycle time, legal touch points, and renewal leakage to show ROI.
Which CLM Is Right for You?
- Fast adoption for GTM teams: Ironclad, Malbek, Concord
- Enterprise scale & complexity: Icertis, DocuSign CLM, Conga
- AI-first discovery & analytics: Evisort, LinkSquares
- Procurement/vendor centric: Gatekeeper, Sirion
- First system of record / value-focused: ContractWorks, Concord
Map each option to your top 3 pain points (e.g., slow sales cycles, renewal leakage, vendor risk) and your system of record (Salesforce? NetSuite? SAP?). Choose the platform that minimizes change management while unlocking the biggest measurable gains in the first 90 days.
Final Thoughts
In 2026, the best contract management software doesn’t just store agreements—it operationalizes them. Whether you need to accelerate sales, tighten compliance, or gain visibility into vendor risk, the right CLM will meet users where they work, capture structured data as a by-product of normal collaboration, and surface insights that move the business. Start with your highest-impact contract types, enforce clear playbooks, and choose a platform that integrates cleanly with your revenue and procurement engines. The result is faster deals, fewer surprises, and contracts that finally work for you—not the other way around.
FAQs
1. What is the difference between e-signature and CLM?
E-signature handles the moment of signature. CLM governs the entire lifecycle: intake, authoring, negotiation, approvals, signature, storage, and post-signature obligations and renewals. Most teams outgrow standalone e-signature once they need standardization, visibility, and analytics.
2. Do we need AI for CLM?
AI isn’t mandatory, but it’s increasingly valuable. The most reliable use cases are clause suggestions based on approved playbooks, risk flags on deviations, and extraction of key fields from legacy contracts for search and reporting. Prioritize explainable AI with human oversight.
3. How long does CLM implementation take?
It depends on scope. Teams focusing on 2–3 templates with CRM and e-signature integrations often go live in weeks. Enterprise deployments with multiple entities, languages, and complex obligations take longer. Start small, prove value, and expand iteratively.
4. What metrics prove CLM ROI?
Common wins include shorter cycle times from request to signature, fewer legal touch points on standard contracts, higher template adoption rates, reduced redlines on boilerplate terms, fewer missed renewals, and better visibility into obligations that impact revenue or vendor performance.
