# Docusign CLM — Contract Management (CLM)

Docusign CLM by Docusign, Inc. holds a panel rating of 2.5/5 from 6 AI judges (category median 2.5/5), as of 2026-10-15. Provenance: Rest of world; sovereignty: not determined.

- Vendor: Docusign, Inc. (https://www.docusign.com/de-de/produkte/clm)
- Category: [Contract Management (CLM)](https://whats-best.ai/software/contract-management.md)
- Provenance (editorial classification): Rest of world
- Canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/contract-management/docusign-clm
- Alternatives: https://whats-best.ai/software/contract-management/docusign-clm/alternatives ([markdown](https://whats-best.ai/software/contract-management/docusign-clm/alternatives.md))
- Data as of: 2026-10-21 · evaluated 2026-10-15 · oldest source captured 2026-10-13

**AI-generated.** Every score, rationale and verdict here is written by a panel of AI judges from public evidence — an analysis, not a hands-on test. Every fact quotes the vendor page it was read from. No score can be bought. How scores are made: https://whats-best.ai/methodology

## At a glance

- Vendor: Docusign, Inc.
- Headquarters: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
- Data hosting: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026
- Free plan: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026

## The panel's verdict

Docusign CLM is strongest at drafting and connections: authoring and templates scores run 6 to 7 and integration and exit 5 to 6, on evidence of dynamic templates, a centrally managed library of pre-approved clauses with fallback wording, generation from Salesforce or SAP Ariba records, redlining with version control, and connectors for SAP Ariba, Coupa, Salesforce, Microsoft, Google and ServiceNow plus a Workflow Builder API. It is weakest on sovereignty, the bench's widest spread at 1 to 3. The rationales rest on the same disclosures — Docusign, Inc. of San Francisco as vendor, EU data centres confirmed for signature services only, personal data likely stored in Australia, the United States, the EU and/or Canada, transfers to twenty-one countries, and for CLM the vendor may act as controller as well as processor — with CLM hosting and any subprocessor list for AI or OCR providers unconfirmed; the spread reflects different weightings of that record. AI extraction control is uniform at 4 and repository and obligations 4 to 5. No public CLM price appears; a paid Docusign plan is required for the integrations.

**Speaks for it:**
- Dynamic templates, a centrally managed library of pre-approved clauses with fallback wording, and web forms that populate agreements are evidenced on the vendor's pages.
- Contracts generate from Salesforce or SAP Ariba records, with Ariba fields updated automatically and audit history maintained in both systems.
- Redlining with version control, automated routing for internal and external review, and approvals with live status updates in Ariba are evidenced.
- Named connectors cover SAP Ariba, Coupa, Salesforce, Microsoft, Google and ServiceNow, plus a Workflow Builder API for managing agreements with your own code.
- AI training requires customer consent that the customer manages, shared data is aggregated and anonymised, outputs get human approval, and the customer owns AI output.

**Held against it:**
- Sovereignty scores range from 1 to 3, the widest spread here: the vendor is Docusign, Inc. of San Francisco and EU data centres are confirmed for the signature services.
- The privacy policy states personal data will likely be stored in Australia, the United States, the EU and/or Canada, discloses transfers to twenty-one countries, and for CLM the vendor states it may act as controller as well as processor.
- We found no public information on a subprocessor list covering AI or OCR providers, on where the over one hundred AI models process data, or on CLM data residency.
- Repository and obligations scores sit at 4 to 5, and we found no public information on notice periods or renewals as modelled fields, on obligations tracked to a named owner, or on OCR for scanned contracts.
- We found no public information on the eIDAS level of the integrated signature, on single sign-on or webhooks, or on a documented export of documents together with their metadata, versions and audit trail.

**Best for:**
- You run sales or procurement on Salesforce or SAP Ariba and want contracts generated from those records with approval status synced back into Ariba.
- Your legal team wants dynamic templates with a centrally managed library of pre-approved clauses and fallback wording, and conditional rules that push non-standard terms into review.
- You want a stated AI position before award: training only with consent the customer manages, shared data aggregated and anonymised, human approval of outputs, and customer ownership of AI output.
- You value connector breadth — SAP Ariba, Coupa, Salesforce, Microsoft, Google, ServiceNow — plus a Workflow Builder API for managing agreements with your own code.

**Avoid if:**
- You must pin contract data to EU residency before award — ask the vendor: the public pages we read do not show it
- You need a subprocessor list naming the AI and OCR providers your contract text reaches — we found no public information on one, nor on where the AI models process data.
- You rely on the repository to catch deadlines — we found no public information on notice periods or renewals as modelled fields, on obligations tracked to a named owner, or on OCR for scanned contracts.
- You need a documented way out — we found no public information on an export of documents together with their metadata, versions and audit trail, and the captured pages do not state the eIDAS level of the integrated signature.

## Scores by judge and criterion

Scores out of 5, each judge scoring independently against the published rubric (v1). "n/r" = not rated: the vendor publishes no price.

| Criterion | The General Counsel | The Procurement Analyst | The Sales Ops Owner | The IT Integrator | The Data Protection Officer | The Skeptic |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Drafting, templates & clause library | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Negotiation, redlining & approval | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 |
| Repository, deadlines & obligations | 2.5/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2.5/5 | 2/5 |
| AI extraction & review transparency | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Integrations, signature & exit | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 |
| European sovereignty | 1.5/5 | 0.5/5 | 1.5/5 | 0.5/5 | 1/5 | 0.5/5 |
| Pricing transparency | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r | n/r |
| **Weighted verdict** | **2.5/5** | **2.5/5** | **3/5** | **2/5** | **2/5** | **2/5** |

### The judges

- **The General Counsel** (v1.0): Runs a three-lawyer legal team that negotiates every supplier and customer contract in Word with the other side's counsel. Wants approved clauses with fallbacks, redlines that survive the round-trip, and an approval on record for every deviation — not a sign-off by email.
- **The Procurement Analyst** (v1.0): Holds four hundred supplier contracts and the Kündigungsfristen nobody else remembers. Wants notice periods and auto-renewals modelled rather than typed into a note, reminders that escalate to a named owner, and a portfolio report that shows what can be cancelled this quarter.
- **The Sales Ops Owner** (v1.0): Owns the quote-to-signature path for a sales team that closes standard deals without legal. Wants contracts generated from the CRM record, approvals that route by discount and value, signature in the same flow, and a price she can put in next year's budget.
- **The IT Integrator** (v1.0): Connects the CLM to SAP, Microsoft 365 and the CRM, and will be the one migrating out of it. Wants a versioned API, SSO and SCIM, qualified signature where the law asks for it, and an export that brings back metadata, versions and audit trail — not a ZIP of PDFs.
- **The Data Protection Officer** (v1.0): Reads the subprocessor list before the feature page. Asks which model provider receives contract text, whether it is retained or used for training, where OCR runs, and whether the counterparties' personal data in every contract is covered by the DPA.
- **The Skeptic** (v1.0): Has seen "AI that reads your contracts" miss a notice period buried in an amendment. Reads for an extraction accuracy nobody states, "Word integration" that loses tracked changes, "never miss a renewal" with reminders to one inbox, and an export that leaves the metadata behind.

## European sovereignty — proven facts

Built only from facts on the vendor's own pages; a dimension we could not prove is left open, never scored as zero. Headline: not determined.

| Dimension | Finding | Points | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Not determined | — | — |
| Ownership | Not determined | — | — |
| Data residency | Not determined | — | — |
| Subprocessors | Not determined | — | — |

## Key facts

Each fact is the vendor's own statement, cited to the source page it was read from ([S*n*] → Sources).

**Compliance**
- Bcr available: EWR und UK · yes [S2]
- Compliant storage platform: yes [S8]
- Eidas: Solutions comply with eIDAS regulation [S1]
- Nist AI framework: NIST AI framework [S8]
- Physical certifications: SOC 1 · SOC 2 · ISO 27001 · around-the-clock [S6]
- Privacy policy reference: https://www.docusign.com/company/privacy-policy [S3]
- Standards: yes · yes [S1]
- Training data permissions: yes [S9]
- Transfer mechanisms: Binding Corporate Rules · EU-Standardvertragsklauseln [S2]

**Data**
- AI training customer consent: yes · no [S2]
- AI training non identified data: nicht identifizierte Kundendaten · Erforderlich [S2]
- Brazil request list timeline: 15 · Brasilien, Liste der Drittempfänger für Direktmarketing [S2]
- Disposal policy: yes [S6]
- Export right: Löschung · Widerspruch · Einschränkung · Datenübertragbarkeit [S2]
- Marketing opt out: https://pref.docusign.com/preference-center · yes [S2]
- Media sanitization: NIST SP800-88 [S6]
- Minors policy: 18 · no [S2]
- Minors sale no consent: yes [S2]
- Retention policy: zweckgebundene Aufbewahrung [S2]
- Rights request portal: Docusign-Portal für Datenschutzanfragen [S2]
- Sale opt out available: yes [S2]
- Third party data source clay: Vertriebs- und Marketingaktivitäten · Clay [S2]

**Hosting**
- Country availability: United Kingdom · Spain · Mexico · Netherlands · Japan · yes [S11]
- Data storage locations: Australien-Abschnitt · Australien · USA · EU · Kanada [S2]
- EU datacenters: Multiple secure data centers within the EU for signature services [S1]
- Regional availability: APAC · EMEA · LATAM · North America [S11]
- Salesforce native: yes [S6]
- Transfer countries list: Australien · Brasilien · Kanada · Deutschland · Vereinigte Staaten · Frankreich · Vereinigtes Königreich · Mexiko · Singapur · Irland · Ägypten · Israel · Indien · Japan · Costa Rica · Norwegen · Philippinen · Schweden · Spanien · Uruguay… [S2]

**Integrations**
- API: Workflow Builder API for managing agreements with own code [S7]
- API connectors: pre-built connectors and extensive APIs [S1]
- Coupa: Coupa · Procure-to-Pay real-time data exchange [S1]
- Partner apps: Salesforce · Google · Microsoft · ServiceNow [S7]
- Salesforce: Salesforce · Automated document generation and central repository in Salesforce Customer 360 [S1]
- Sap ariba: SAP Ariba · Source-to-Pay contract processes [S1]
- Third party systems: Synchronizes agreement data with third-party CRM, procurement, storage, and HR systems [S7]

**Legal**
- AI attachment version date: AI Attachment for Docusign Services [S9]
- AI output confidential: yes [S9]
- AI training anonymized: yes [S9]
- Available languages: Französisch · Japanisch · Portugiesisch · Spanisch · Niederländisch · Italienisch · Englisch [S2]
- Br controller entity: Docusign Brasil Soluções Em Tecnologia Ltda · 35.218.051.742 [S2]
- Controller entity: Docusign, Inc. und verbundene Unternehmen [S2]
- Dmca policy: https://www.docusign.com/IP/infringement [S3]
- Docusign owns AI improvement data: docusign [S9]
- Docusign owns AI services ip: docusign · docusign [S9]
- Eea controller entity: Docusign International (EMEA) Ltd · 5 Hanover Quay, Erdgeschoss, Dublin 2, Republik Irland [S2]
- Fr controller entity: Docusign France SAS · Immeuble Central Park, 9-15 rue Maurice Mallet, 92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux, Frankreich [S2]
- Law enforcement guidelines URL: https://www.docusign.com/legal/law-enforcement [S2]
- Terms last updated: 2025-03-25 [S3]
- Terms scope: Terms govern business customers; consumers may not claim all rights under these terms [S3]
- US address: Docusign Inc. · 221 Main Street, Suite 800, San Francisco, CA 94105 [S2]
- Version date: 2025-10-09 [S2]

**Pricing**
- Billing dispute window: 30 [S3]
- Late fee: 1.5 [S3]
- Overage fees: usage exceeds purchased entitlement units · yes [S3]
- Prepaid billing: billed in advance · billed in arrears [S3]
- Requires paid plan: yes [S11]
- Taxes exclusive: yes · yes [S3]

**Product**
- Aes256 encryption: AES 256-bit or most recent FIPS-approved methods [S6]
- AI authoring: AI-assisted contract creation with dynamic templates, clause identification and drafting [S1]
- AI models: over 100 pre-trained AI models for contract data extraction and reporting [S1]
- AI output customer owned: customer [S9]
- AI review: AI-assisted negotiation and summarization speeds review cycles [S1]
- Amendments: yes [S11]
- Analyst recognition: Leader in Gartner CLM Magic Quadrant 2025 for the sixth consecutive time [S1]
- Anonymization: yes · yes [S8]
- App store billing: iTunes, Google Play or similar app stores · yes [S3]
- Approved clause library: Central library of pre-approved clauses for legal teams [S1]
- Auto publish on signature: yes [S11]
- Benefits: Automate manual tasks; orchestrate workflows across contributors, reviewers, approvers; standardize processes with central repository and trend analytics [S10]
- Capabilities: Connects pre- and post-signature steps like intake, document generation and conditional routing [S7]
- Capabilities list: Identity Verification · Web Forms · eSignature · App Center · Agents · Agreement Desk · Document Generation · Workflow Templates [S7]
- Certificate of completion: yes [S6]
- Clm ariba agreement creation: yes · yes · yes · yes · yes [S11]
- Clm overview: Docusign CLM simplifies contract processes using AI [S1]
- Clm salesforce description: Streamline contract lifecycle: document generation, collaboration, workflow, central agreement repository; works with Salesforce and Docusign eSignature for Salesforce [S10]
- Compatibility: CLM [S10]
- Compatible products: CLM [S11]
- Compliance controls: Built-in compliance controls for standardized contract workflows and audit readiness [S7]
- Conditional rules: Conditional rules to route non-standard terms for review [S1]
- Content filtering: yes [S8]
- Customer data separation: yes [S6]
- Customer dla piper: 50x increase in envelopes created · DLA Piper [S1]
- Customer grohe: 80% time savings in document creation · GROHE [S1]
- Customer output license to docusign: license to use Customer Data and AI Output · providing services · yes [S9]
- Data pull from ariba: yes [S11]
- Department availability: Legal · Procurement · Sales · IT / Operations · HR [S11]
- Departments: Sales · Procurement · Legal [S10]
- Encryption protocols: HTTPS · SSL · SSH · IPsec · SFTP [S6]
- Encryption transit rest: in transit and at rest [S8]
- Free trial terms: yes · yes [S3]
- Highlights: Template-based contract generation from Salesforce data, redlining and version control, pre-approved fallback clauses, no-code workflows, storage and search within Salesforce, automatic reminders [S10]
- Human approval: yes [S8]
- Inclusion: yes [S7]
- Industries: Construction · Financial Services · Manufacturing · Insurance · Nonprofit · Retail · Education · Government · Healthcare [S10]
- Industry availability: Construction · Education · Financial Services · Government · Healthcare · Insurance · Life Sciences · Manufacturing · Nonprofit · Retail · Accounting · Real Estate [S11]
- Installable app: yes [S11]
- Integration name: Docusign CLM Connector for SAP Ariba [S11]
- Intrusion monitoring: yes [S6]
- MFA configurable: yes [S6]
- Model testing before deployment: yes [S8]
- Msa applicability: Docusign eSignature (MSA, standalone) · no · yes [S9]
- Msa insight analyzer excluded: Docusign Insight · Docusign Analyzer · no [S9]
- No AI training by customer: using site to train AI/ML systems mimicking site functionality [S3]
- No benchmarking: yes · yes [S3]
- Notifications channels: email · Slack [S1]
- Owasp secure coding: yes [S6]
- Paid plan required: yes [S10]
- Part of iris: AI Trust applies to Docusign Iris [S8]
- Penetration testing: yes · internal and external [S6]
- Pre july 2026 terms redirect: 2026-07-08 · yes [S9]
- Processor or controller clm identity: Auftragsverarbeiter oder Verantwortlicher · Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) · Identity [S2]
- Processor role e signature: Auftragsverarbeiter · Docusign eSignature [S2]
- Rating: 4.5 · 2622 [S1]
- Regional availability: APAC · EMEA · LATAM · North America [S10]
- Related integrations: eSignature for Salesforce · Gen for Salesforce · Salesforce for Docusign · Slack for Docusign [S10]
- Related sap integrations: Docusign for SAP · SAP Signature Management by Docusign for CX · SAP Signature Management by Docusign for Ariba · SAP Signature Management by Docusign for Fieldglass · SAP Ariba Sourcing Master Data for Docusign · SAP Ariba Async Requests… [S11]
- Repository: AI-powered contract repository with milestone tracking [S1]
- Reseller program: yes · yes [S3]
- Risk analytics: Workflows with analytics and risk scoring [S1]
- Roi time: 3 months to measurable ROI [S1]
- Role based access: Role-based access control [S1]
- Role based authorization: yes [S6]
- Role based experiences: Role-based user experiences and interoperability with Salesforce and SAP Ariba [S1]
- Rooms service: Docusign Rooms Service [S2]
- Sales contact for broader capabilities: broader AI Trust capabilities details via sales representative [S8]
- Salesforce data fill: Auto-fill agreements with data from systems like Salesforce [S1]
- Search metadata: Search and filter agreements by keyword, concept and metadata [S1]
- Services scope: Erstellen, Abschließen und Nachweis von digitalen oder elektronischen Transaktionen [S2]
- Source to pay streamlining: Streamlines the source-to-pay process by sharing data across CLM and SAP Ariba [S11]
- Template categories: Dienstleistungsverträge · Mietverträge · Verkaufs- und Kaufverträge [S4]
- Template gallery: Gallery of pre-made, editable agreement templates that can be sent for signature [S4]
- Template used car purchase: Kaufvertrag für ein gebrauchtes Kraftfahrzeug von privat · Verkaufs- und Kaufverträge [S4]
- Templates: Best-practice templates adaptable to new business needs [S1]

**Support**
- Account cancellation URL: https://support.docusign.com/en/articles/How-do-I-cancel-or-downgrade-my-account [S2]
- Cookie policy URL: https://www.docusign.com/company/cookie-policy [S2]
- Ratings: 4.4 · 169000 · 4.9 · 819000 [S4]
- Training ecosystem: Services and support from ecosystem of contract experts [S1]

13 more facts on the canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/contract-management/docusign-clm

## Questions

### Is Docusign CLM European?

No. whats-best.ai classifies Docusign CLM as Rest of world.

### Where does Docusign CLM store data?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026.

### Does Docusign CLM have a free plan?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 13 Oct 2026.

### What are the best alternatives to Docusign CLM?

As of 21 Oct 2026, the panel rates [Tomorro (2.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/contract-management/tomorro), [Precisely (2.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/contract-management/precisely) and [fynk (2.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/contract-management/fynk) highest among the other 19 Contract Management (CLM) products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is [Precisely](https://whats-best.ai/software/contract-management/precisely) (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: [how scores are made](https://whats-best.ai/methodology#ordering). The full list, with European products first: [Docusign CLM alternatives](https://whats-best.ai/software/contract-management/docusign-clm/alternatives).

## What this page leaves out

- 32 product facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 4 legal facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 3 pricing facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 compliance fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 data fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 integrations fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 1 subprocessors fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material.
- 2 sovereignty dimensions could not be confirmed on the vendor’s own pages and are shown as unknown.
- 6 of the readings below were written against an earlier fact sheet — a fact has been corrected, added or pulled since. Until the panel next runs on this product you are reading the older judgement.

## Sources

- [S1] Vendor homepage: https://www.docusign.com/de-de/produkte/clm (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S2] Privacy policy: https://www.docusign.com/de-de/datenschutzerklaerung/datenschutz (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S3] Terms of service: https://www.docusign.com/de-de/rechtliches/agb (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S4] Drafting, templates & clause library — found from sitemap: https://www.docusign.com/de-de/vorlagen (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S5] Drafting, templates & clause library — found from sitemap: https://www.docusign.com/templates/contract-templates (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S6] Negotiation, redlining & approval — found from sitemap: https://www.docusign.com/trust/security/gen-negotiate (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S7] Negotiation, redlining & approval — found from sitemap: https://www.docusign.com/products/platform/workflow-builder (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S8] AI extraction & review transparency — found from sitemap: https://www.docusign.com/products/platform/ai/ai-trust (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S9] AI extraction & review transparency — found from sitemap: https://www.docusign.com/legal/terms-and-conditions/ai-attachment-docusign-services (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S10] Integrations, signature & exit — found from sitemap: https://www.docusign.com/integrations/clm-for-salesforce (checked 2026-10-13)
- [S11] Integrations, signature & exit — found from sitemap: https://www.docusign.com/integrations/clm-connector-for-sap-ariba (checked 2026-10-13)

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Cite as: whats-best.ai, "Docusign CLM — Contract Management (CLM)", AI panel analysis, as of 2026-10-21. https://whats-best.ai/software/contract-management/docusign-clm

Corrections: https://whats-best.ai/correct/657?target=page