A free NDA is two things — the text and the signature — and in 2026 both are free from different places. The text comes from Bonterms (thirteen lawyer-vetted standard agreements including mutual and one-way NDAs) and Common Paper; the signature from SignRequest (10 documents a user a month), PandaDoc (5), SignWell (3), DocuSeal (10 cloud requests or unlimited self-hosted) and OpenSign (unlimited, self-hosted). DocuSign’s 2026 pricing page lists no free plan, Docracy is dead and Juro, Ironclad and Concord quote only. Prices are USD and were checked on 23 October 2026. For e-signature plans beyond NDAs, see Free E-Signature Software. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free NDA tool that fits
- A vetted NDA you can send today: Bonterms Standard NDA (mutual or one-way) — free download, drafted by a committee of 120-plus lawyers.
- Send and sign a few NDAs a month, hosted: SignRequest Free (10 documents a user a month, 5 templates) or PandaDoc Free eSign (5 documents, 5 templates).
- Unlimited signing on your own server: OpenSign or DocuSeal — both AGPL; DocuSeal’s cloud tier adds 10 requests a month free.
- Standardised agreements with a counterparty workflow: Common Paper Free — 2 agreements an organisation a month.
- Irregular volume, no subscription: eSignatures.com — $0.49 a contract, credits never expire.
Which nda & e-signature tools tools have a free plan in 2026?
Every tool below gets an NDA signed at no monthly cost with no end date, or supplies the NDA text free. The signing quotas are small and precise: SignRequest 10 documents per user a month, DocuSeal 10 request emails a month on its cloud tier, PandaDoc 5, SignWell 3, Common Paper 2 agreements, Dropbox Sign 3 requests (third-party figure). The open-source pair, OpenSign and DocuSeal, remove the quota if you host them. Adobe’s Fill & Sign signs any PDF free but says requesting signatures may need a paid plan.
The template side is thinner than the signing side. Bonterms publishes thirteen standard agreements including NDAs; Common Paper generates documents from its standards; Y Combinator’s documents are SAFEs rather than NDAs and are listed to say so. Rocket Lawyer and LawDepot sell seven-day trials, and LawDepot’s takes a card. DocuSign’s pricing page lists no free plan — the widely repeated ‘three free sends’ could not be confirmed — so it is excluded along with Docracy (closed), Juro, Ironclad and Concord.
The table shows the monthly quota, template inclusion and the Free Score. Open a row for licence, senders, the upgrade trigger and the page we checked.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S |
Free forever | 10 docs/user/mo · 5 templates · 1 team | No | 84 | Scorecard ↓ |
| B |
Startup program | 13 free standard agreements · no e-sign | No | 82 | Scorecard ↓ |
| P |
Free forever | 5 docs/mo · 5 templates | No | 78 | Scorecard ↓ |
| D |
Open source | 10 cloud requests/mo · self-host unlimited · AGPL | No | 76 | Scorecard ↓ |
| C |
Free forever | 2 agreements/org/mo | No | 70 | Scorecard ↓ |
| O |
Open source | Unlimited self-host · AGPL-3 · cloud limits unverified | No | 68 | Scorecard ↓ |
| S |
Free forever | 3 docs/mo · 1 template · 1 sender | No | 64 | Scorecard ↓ |
| E |
Usage credits | $0.49/contract · credits never expire | No | 60 | Scorecard ↓ |
| A |
Free tools | Sign any PDF free · requesting may be paid | No | 56 | Scorecard ↓ |
| J |
Free forever | Starter · limits not on page · branded | No | 54 | Scorecard ↓ |
| D |
Free forever | 3 requests/mo (third-party) · no templates | No | 46 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Y |
Startup program | SAFEs, not NDAs · free | No | 40 | Scorecard ↓ |
Free tiers verified 23 October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (third-party sources named in the Scorecard where the vendor page was silent). Order is by Free Score only; sponsorship never changes it.
What do the free NDA tool plans actually include?
Open any row for the eight-field Scorecard. The “Why it ranks here” note under each row explains the score in plain terms.
1S
SignRequestNetherlands · ten documents per user a month with five templates and one team, free; Professional is €9 a user with unlimited documentsFree forever10 docs/user/mo · 5 templates · 1 teamNo card84⌄
- What’s free
- Free: 10 documents per user per month, 5 templates, 1 team
- Hard limits
- 10 documents per user a month · 5 templates · 1 team
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- An eleventh document in a month, more templates or teams
- Cheapest paid step
- Professional €9/month per user (14-day trial), unlimited documents under fair use
- Best free for
- A small team that sends a few NDAs a week and wants a template for each kind
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · signrequest.com/en/plans
2B
BontermsUS · free, market-vetted standard agreements including mutual and one-way NDAs, a PSA, DPA and BAA, drafted by a standards committee of 120-plus lawyersStartup program13 free standard agreements · no e-signNo card82⌄
- What’s free
- Free Standard Agreements — NDA (mutual and one-way), professional services agreement, DPA and BAA, cloud and software terms — thirteen standards in a download centre
- Hard limits
- No e-signature · licence terms not stated on the page · the Bonterms Platform is a separate paid product
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- The negotiation platform (contact sales)
- Cheapest paid step
- Not stated
- Best free for
- Any company that wants an NDA a counterparty’s lawyer will recognise and accept
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · bonterms.com
Why it ranks here. The best free NDA text available — standard, neutral and widely accepted, which shortens negotiation more than any signing tool. It signs nothing, so pair it with a row below.
3P
PandaDoc Free eSignUS · create and e-sign five documents a month with five templates and a signature certificate, freeFree forever5 docs/mo · 5 templatesNo card78⌄
- What’s free
- Free eSign at $0: create 5 documents a month, up to 5 templates; API and automation documents count within the five
- Hard limits
- 5 documents a month · 5 templates · seat limit not stated
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A sixth document in a month
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter $19/seat/month billed annually
- Best free for
- A freelancer or founder signing a few NDAs a month from a saved template
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · pandadoc.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Half SignRequest’s quota with a more polished editor and an eIDAS and ESIGN certificate; the $19 step is twice SignRequest’s.
4D
DocuSealCommunity · open-source e-signature under AGPLv3: free self-hosted with no limits, or a $0 cloud tier with ten signature-request emails a month and unlimited templatesOpen source10 cloud requests/mo · self-host unlimited · AGPLNo card76⌄
- What’s free
- Cloud Basic at $0 per user: 10 signature-request emails a month, 20 SMS requests, unlimited templates, folders, storage and retention; on-premises open source, free self-hosted
- Hard limits
- Cloud: 10 request emails a month, no logo · Pro features (roles, reminders, white-label) are $20 a user · no NDA template included
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- An eleventh cloud request, or roles, reminders and branding
- Cheapest paid step
- Cloud Pro or On-Prem Pro $20/user/month
- Best free for
- A technical team that wants unlimited signing on its own server, or a solo user within ten a month hosted
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · docuseal.com/pricing and github.com/docusealco (AGPLv3 with additional terms)
Why it ranks here. The only tool here that is both a hosted free tier and an unlimited open-source server. The AGPL carries additional terms, which a lawyer should read before deploying.
5C
Common PaperUS · standardised agreements generated from templates with Slack alerts and customer activity, free for two agreements an organisation a monthFree forever2 agreements/org/moNo card70⌄
- What’s free
- Free at $0: 2 agreements per organisation per month, template and document generation, Slack integration, customer activity alerts
- Hard limits
- 2 agreements a month · standard and admin roles and separate senders and signers not included · which templates and whether e-sign is included on Free are not stated
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A third agreement in a month, or user roles
- Cheapest paid step
- Startup $50/user/month (10 agreements per user a month)
- Best free for
- A startup that sends a couple of standardised NDAs or DPAs a month and wants them tracked
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · commonpaper.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Template plus workflow in one, at the smallest quota on the list; the paid step is $50 a user, which is a different category of spend.
6O
OpenSignCommunity · an AGPL-3 e-signature platform with a free plan described as unlimited e-signatures and multiple signers at no extra cost; cloud plan details could not be confirmedOpen sourceUnlimited self-host · AGPL-3 · cloud limits unverifiedNo card68⌄
- What’s free
- A free plan with unlimited e-signatures, multiple signers at no extra cost, templates for repeated use; self-host via Docker
- Hard limits
- Cloud free-plan limits not stated · self-hosted has none listed
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Not stated
- Cheapest paid step
- Not stated
- Best free for
- A self-hoster who wants unlimited NDA signing under an open licence
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · opensignlabs.com home page and the GitHub README (AGPL-3)
Why it ranks here. Unlimited and open if you run it; the hosted plan could not be verified, so it is scored for the self-hosted case.
7S
SignWellUS · three documents a month from one template and one sender, free; the API gives 25 free documents a month, then pay per documentFree forever3 docs/mo · 1 template · 1 senderNo card64⌄
- What’s free
- Free at $0: 3 documents a month, 1 template, 1 sender; API with 25 free documents a month
- Hard limits
- 3 documents a month · 1 template · 1 sender · which advanced features Free includes is ambiguous on the page
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated — ‘unless you upgrade, you won’t be billed’.
- Upgrade trigger
- A fourth document, a second template or sender
- Cheapest paid step
- Light $10/month billed yearly ($12 monthly); extra senders $10–12
- Best free for
- A solo founder with one NDA template and a few counterparties a month
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · signwell.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. Clean and fast, with a quota that fits a founder and nobody else; the API’s 25 free documents a month is the more generous route for anyone who can call it.
8E
eSignatures.comPay-as-you-go at $0.49 a contract with unlimited templates and no monthly fee; the free trial’s contract count is not statedUsage credits$0.49/contract · credits never expireNo card60⌄
- What’s free
- A free trial on sign-up with unlimited templates; then $0.49 per contract, credits never expire, no monthly fees; 40% non-profit discount
- Hard limits
- Number of free contracts not stated
- Time limit
- Not stated
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Buying credits
- Cheapest paid step
- $0.49 per contract
- Best free for
- A company that signs ten NDAs some months and none in others
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · esignatures.com/pricing (esignatures.io redirects here)
Why it ranks here. Not free, but the cheapest honest price in the category: fifty NDAs for the cost of one month of SignRequest Pro. Scored as a credits tier.
9A
Adobe Fill & SignUS · sign any PDF free with no trial or expiry; the same page says requesting signatures from others and audit trails may require a paid Acrobat planFree toolsSign any PDF free · requesting may be paidNo card56⌄
- What’s free
- Fill & Sign is free: type, draw or upload a signature and sign any PDF; request e-signatures free with an Adobe account
- Hard limits
- Requesting signatures from others and accessing audit trails ‘may require a paid Acrobat plan’ · sign in to save · no NDA templates
- Time limit
- None — ‘no trial, no expiry’ for signing
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Audit trails or requesting signatures at scale
- Cheapest paid step
- Not stated on the page
- Best free for
- Signing the NDA the other side sent you
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · adobe.com/acrobat/online/sign-pdf
Why it ranks here. Free for your own signature and contradictory about everyone else’s; scored for what it unambiguously does.
10J
Jotform SignUS · form-driven signing on the free Starter plan with Jotform branding on documents; the numeric limits and the Bronze price could not be confirmedFree foreverStarter · limits not on page · brandedNo card54⌄
- What’s free
- Starter plan free with standard features; Jotform branding on forms and signed documents
- Hard limits
- Numeric limits not stated on the page · no NDA template mentioned
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Higher limits or removing branding
- Cheapest paid step
- Bronze — price not shown
- Best free for
- An NDA intake form that collects details and a signature in one step
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · jotform.com/products/sign/pricing
Why it ranks here. Useful for intake, unverifiable on numbers this month.
11D
Dropbox SignUS · three signature requests a month with no templates, per a third-party guide; Dropbox’s home page mentions only a 30-day trialFree forever3 requests/mo (third-party) · no templatesNo card46⌄
- What’s free
- A limited free plan of 3 signature requests a month (third-party); a 30-day trial of paid plans (vendor)
- Hard limits
- 3 requests a month · zero templates — third-party
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A fourth request or templates
- Cheapest paid step
- $15/user/month billed yearly (vendor home page)
- Best free for
- The occasional NDA, once Dropbox’s page confirms the free plan still exists
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · Jotform’s HelloSign pricing guide, 14 Oct 2026
Why it ranks here. Listed on third-party evidence and marked unverified; the vendor’s own pages name only a trial.
12Y
Y Combinator documentsUS · post-money SAFE forms for the US, Canada, Cayman and Singapore with a free ‘Send a SAFE’ tool — fundraising paperwork, with no NDA on the pageStartup programSAFEs, not NDAs · freeNo card40⌄
- What’s free
- Post-money SAFE forms, a pro-rata side letter, a SAFE user guide and a free Send-a-SAFE tool
- Hard limits
- No NDA template · ‘consult a lawyer licensed in the country where your company was formed’ · licence terms not stated
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- None
- Cheapest paid step
- None
- Best free for
- Raising a round, not protecting a conversation
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · ycombinator.com/documents
Why it ranks here. Included because the hub card named it and readers search for it; it is not an NDA source, and YC famously advises founders not to ask investors for NDAs.
Which free NDA tool has no credit-card requirement?
SignWell says you will not be billed unless you upgrade; Bonterms, OpenSign and DocuSeal self-hosted need nothing. SignRequest, PandaDoc, Common Paper, eSignatures.com, Adobe, Jotform and Dropbox Sign do not state a card requirement for free use. Nothing here auto-converts.
The trials we excluded differ: Rocket Lawyer’s seven days bill yearly at $149 afterwards, and LawDepot’s seven-day trial takes a card and renews at $33 a month per a dated third-party review. Neither is a free NDA tool.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free NDA tool fits your situation?
Founder, a few NDAs a month
Bonterms NDA signed through PandaDoc or SignRequest.
Small team, several a week
SignRequest Free, then Professional at €9.
Engineering team, wants control
DocuSeal or OpenSign self-hosted.
Startup standardising DPAs and NDAs
Common Paper Free.
Volume that swings month to month
eSignatures.com.
Just signing what you were sent
Adobe Fill & Sign.
How we score free tiers
Duration (30): free forever scores 30, a 30-day-plus trial 15, a trial of 14 days or less 8, credit-based tiers 12. Capacity (30): whether the limits carry a team of three for twelve months. Core job (25): whether the free tier does the category’s main work — here, getting a lawyer-vetted NDA in front of a counterparty and signed, at a volume a small company actually has. Friction (15): no card 15; card but no auto-charge 8; auto-charge 0; self-hosting deducts for setup and maintenance.
Each free tier was checked on the vendor’s pricing page on 23 October 2026; where the vendor page was silent, the Scorecard names the third-party source used. Free tiers change, so this list is re-verified every quarter and a discontinued free plan stays listed for one month with a notice. Order is by Free Score only. Kurums Free sells no placement; sponsorship, affiliate links and vendor requests never change a score, a rank or a label. Vendors can submit corrections to the Kurums editorial team.
How did we verify these free tiers?
We opened each vendor’s pricing or product page and, for open-source projects, the repository, and recorded monthly quotas, template counts, licence and the paid step. SignRequest’s row uses its plans page; OpenSign’s and Jotform’s paid figures could not be confirmed; Dropbox Sign’s row is third-party and marked unverified. DocuSign’s pricing page lists no free plan, so it is excluded rather than scored. Docracy is closed; Juro, Ironclad and Concord were excluded as quote-only or paid from $499; Rocket Lawyer and LawDepot as trials.
Prices are USD except SignRequest (EUR). Nothing on this page is legal advice; the templates’ own pages say the same.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I get a free NDA template that lawyers accept?
Bonterms publishes free mutual and one-way NDAs drafted by a standards committee of more than 120 lawyers. Common Paper generates agreements from its own standards, two a month free.
Is DocuSign free?
DocuSign’s 2026 pricing page lists no free plan; Personal is $11 a month for five envelopes. The often-quoted three free sends could not be confirmed.
Which e-signature tool has the biggest free quota?
SignRequest, at ten documents per user a month with five templates. DocuSeal’s cloud tier allows ten request emails a month; PandaDoc five documents; SignWell three.
Is there an open-source e-signature tool?
DocuSeal (AGPLv3 with additional terms) and OpenSign (AGPL-3) are both self-hostable with no limits; DocuSeal also offers a free cloud tier.
Is Rocket Lawyer free?
No. Rocket Lawyer offers a seven-day trial, then bills $149 a year. LawDepot’s seven-day trial reportedly requires a card and renews monthly.
Can I e-sign for free with Adobe?
You can sign any PDF yourself free with Fill & Sign. Adobe’s page says requesting signatures from others and audit trails may require a paid Acrobat plan.
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