7 document automation software solutions for every niche

Document automation software dramatically saves time and reduces errors by auto-populating new documents and streamlining document workflows.

But with so many solutions on the market, it can be difficult to know which one is right for your business — not all have the same functionality, and some are geared toward specific types of users. The document automation needs of a sales team, for instance, are different from those of a law firm, and each would be better off with a solution tailored to their daily workflow.

Below are seven popular document automation software products, sorted by their best industry and use case applications.

Document automation software solutions: Which one is right for you?

1. Jotform PDF Editor

The clue to Jotform’s base functionality is in the name: form. Upwards of 15 million-plus users have received more than 1 billion form submissions since the company launched in 2006. But the easy-to-use form builder isn’t just a data-collection tool. You can also use it to streamline workflows and, you guessed it, automate the creation of documents.

With Jotform PDF Editor, you can automatically transform collected form responses into professional, secure PDF documents to share with colleagues and customers. It’s easy to create a polished PDF document with Jotform’s drag-and-drop editing tools and 1,200-plus ready-made templates that you can customize to match your brand.

You can use Jotform PDF Editor to instantly turn collected data into contracts, invoices, inspection reports, proposals for potential clients, or any other type of document you could ever need, all in the same digital workspace.

Perhaps best of all, Jotform PDF Editor is free, and it always will be. It’s also free to create a Jotform account. This makes Jotform’s PDF Editor perfect for those who want to create secure, professional PDF documents quickly but also want a depth of features that can handle your future document automation needs.

2. HotDocs

Released in 1993, HotDocs is the granddaddy of the document automation space. It boasts more than 1 million users across 60 countries worldwide as well as a supportive community of consultants and developers, which makes HotDocs the most widely adopted document automation solution on the market.

HotDocs Developer can transform in-house documents and PDF forms into templates that you can then use to generate new documents. You can deploy these templates to a desktop, on-premises server, or cloud environment, depending on the HotDocs product.

HotDocs provides strong functionality to automate complicated and custom document templates; however, this comes at the cost of a heavier investment in setup and installation compared to other solutions. This makes it best suited for organizations, such as commercial banks, corporate legal departments, and law firms, that need to automate the creation of complex, preexisting document sets they use on a regular basis.

3. PandaDoc

PandaDoc is popular document automation software designed specifically for the sales process. It helps sales teams improve deal workflow by streamlining the creation, approval, and signature processes for proposals, quotes, and contracts.

A drag-and-drop editor, one-click uploads, and a library of professionally designed templates make it easy to create new documents. Users can receive real-time alerts when a document requires action and track customer engagement with documents they’ve sent out.

PandaDoc is the top-rated contract and proposal software on popular software review sites G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius. Users find the software simple and easy to use. However, PandaDoc’s focus on sales documents makes it unsuitable for document automation beyond this use case. Pricing starts at $19 per user, per month.

4. Templafy

Templafy is an enterprise document automation platform that gives large organizations a way to centrally manage, dynamically update, and easily distribute company content and assets throughout the organization.

Employees have access to standard document generation features, while a permission-based system gives managers and compliance teams oversight and quality control over all document assets, ensuring team members use only approved content.

Templafy’s document automation features integrate with Microsoft Office and Google G Suite applications, helping employees to streamline the production of contracts, proposals, and sales collateral within their word processing programs.

Templafy requires a minimum of 50 users, which makes it suitable for larger organizations. Custom pricing is available upon request.

5. Documate

Documate is no-code legal document assembly software with a simple user interface (UI). It allows users to create custom web forms that populate data into Word or PDF documents.

Users create a questionnaire and then load template documents that connect to the form fields of the questionnaire. The software allows users to share resulting workflows or even embed them into a website to create documents from external user input.

Documate was originally developed by a team of lawyers and engineers to help legal aid nonprofits build client-facing workflows. While law professionals seem to be the software’s primary users, any organization can generate documents with Documate’s easy-to-use tools. Pricing starts at $83 per month.

6. Conga

If your sales team is looking for document automation software to use with Salesforce, Conga Composer may be the solution for you. Conga creates Salesforce-native applications that connect Salesforce data with automated document creation and workflows.

The first document generation tool to launch in Salesforce’s AppExchange in 2007, Conga Composer is the highest-rated document automation software available on Salesforce.

Conga Composer allows users to quickly generate, schedule, and deliver documents from directly within Salesforce. You can even track how customers engage with the document once it’s been sent.

Conga provides a number of other Salesforce-related document tools to help manage documents as well. Pricing is on a custom basis, so you’ll need to contact the company for a quote.

7. Woodpecker

This Microsoft Word add-in is great for small and solo law firms looking for simple document automation software tailored to their needs. Woodpecker gives users a wide range of template creation and document automation features — all from within Word.

With over 2,000 software integrations through Zapier and Woodpecker’s open API, users can streamline their document workflows. Pricing starts at $39 per month (for an annual plan).