Agiloft vs. Zefort: Enterprise CLM without the implementation overhead

Agiloft and Zefort are both no-code contract lifecycle management (CLM) platforms that help organizations centralize contracts, automate processes, use AI to understand contract data, and manage agreements throughout their lifecycle. But “no-code” means something different in practice.

Agiloft is built around extensive configurability. Organizations can tailor workflows, approvals, fields, data models, dashboards, rules, integrations, and other parts of the CLM environment around their own processes without writing software code.

Zefort’s name is short for zero-effort, reflecting a long-standing focus on using AI, thoughtful product design, and automation to reduce routine contract work, implementation, configuration, training, and ongoing administration.

The distinction is simple: Agiloft gives organizations extensive control over how they configure the CLM, while Zefort is designed to reduce how much configuration is needed in the first place.

Here’s an honest look at how Agiloft and Zefort compare across features, support, and implementation.

In this article, we’ll cover:

• A brief overview of Agiloft and Zefort
• Who each CLM is built for
• A side-by-side feature comparison, from compliance and security to reporting and analytics
• The main reasons legal and procurement teams choose Zefort over Agiloft

Overview: Agiloft and Zefort at a glance

Let’s take a quick look at what both platforms share and what sets each apart.

Agiloft: No-code CLM built for enterprise complexity

Agiloft is a US-based enterprise CLM known for extensive configurability. Its no-code architecture gives teams considerable control over how contract processes, data, and workflows are structured.

AI is also increasingly embedded across the platform. Ask AI can search across contracts and records, create contract records, and update contracts after user review, while Astra adds contract analysis, playbooks, and AI agents.

This breadth and configurability can require a greater implementation commitment. Organizations need to determine how workflows, data structures, permissions, rules, and integrations should work, and Agiloft recommends Professional Services or a certified partner for initial implementation.

Some users also report a learning curve and reliance on specialist support for more complex customization:

“My biggest dislike is that I can’t handle customization on my own. Instead, I have to bring in a partner to do it for me.”
Agiloft G2 reviewer, Mid-Market

“There could be more documentation or guides around implementation and use. There are videos in Astra that help you understand the basics, but they only cover the basics despite there being a learning curve to learn the system and its functionalities.”
Agiloft G2 reviewer, Mid-Market

Zefort: European AI contract management built for lasting control

Zefort is a European AI CLM, founded in Finland in 2017, built for organizations that need greater visibility and control over their contracts.

Like Agiloft, Zefort is configurable without coding. Teams can create custom metadata and AI extraction prompts, configure permissions and reminders, build forms and templates, create contract policies, connect external systems, and adapt the platform to their processes. Zefort delivers these capabilities, however, with less upfront configuration.

Organizations can bring contracts into Zefort and quickly establish a governed system of record. Agreements become searchable, AI extracts structured information, reminders and owners can be assigned, permissions control access, and contract activity remains auditable. Teams can then add signing, playbooks, and more advanced processes as their needs develop.

The aim is to provide a purpose-built CLM that handles common contract management requirements out of the box, while remaining flexible when organizations need to adapt it.

That combination of straightforward adoption, flexibility, and responsive support is something Zefort customers highlight:

“Zefort is simple and flexible to use and it covers all our needs. Now anyone can find the information they need quickly and reliably.”
Minna Raitanen, General Counsel at Rovio

“Thanks to Zefort’s ease of use, new users rarely need separate assistance, which significantly streamlines and speeds up our operations.”
Liina Laiso, Head of Legal & HR at Banijay Finland

“I feel we can approach Zefort’s support team without hesitation. In a short time, we’ve seen meaningful improvements, and it genuinely feels like our suggestions are valued.”
Carita Granström-Terho, Contract Manager at Solita

Who is each CLM built for?

Both platforms can support sophisticated contract processes. The difference is how much CLM infrastructure an organization wants to configure and maintain around them.

Agiloft is best for organizations that want to configure CLM around their processes

Agiloft is particularly well suited to enterprises with established contracting processes that want the CLM to closely reflect their operating model.

Its configuration tools give administrators extensive control over workflows, approvals, data structures, dashboards, document generation, permissions, and integrations. Different contract types and business units can follow their own processes, while templates, clauses, and contract data can be governed centrally.

That flexibility requires configuration and ongoing administration. Teams need to define how the environment should work, connect relevant systems, and maintain the setup as requirements evolve.

Agiloft therefore makes particular sense for enterprises with mature contract operations, dedicated CLM ownership, and the capacity to invest in ongoing platform management.

Zefort is best for organizations that want enterprise contract control with less overhead

Zefort is built for organizations that want sophisticated contract management with less implementation and administration overhead, while retaining flexibility.

Teams can configure metadata, access rules, AI prompts, reminders, forms, templates, contract policies, and integrations. They can start with a ready-made contract management model and adapt it themselves as their needs develop.

This makes Zefort particularly relevant for mid-sized and large organizations where legal, procurement, finance, and business teams need a dependable contract system of record that is straightforward to manage.

For European organizations, data governance is another consideration. Contract data is stored and processed on European cloud infrastructure, supporting organizations where compliance, data residency, and AI governance factor into the CLM decision.

Agiloft vs. Zefort: Feature comparison

Why companies choose Zefort over Agiloft

Agiloft and Zefort both offer broad CLM capabilities, but they differ in what it takes to implement, govern, and manage the platform over time.

For organizations considering Zefort as an Agiloft alternative, three areas stand out: a lighter implementation process, easier ongoing platform ownership, and European-first data governance.

Faster implementation, less upfront configuration

Agiloft’s flexibility can require a greater upfront implementation commitment. Organizations must decide how to configure workflows, data models, permissions, reporting, and integrations, and Agiloft recommends using Professional Services or a certified partner for initial implementation.

Zefort is designed to reduce that upfront effort. Core contract management capabilities are ready to use from the start, and teams can add configuration as their requirements develop.

For organizations that want to get their CLM up and running without an extensive implementation project, this can provide a faster path to value.

“I think Zefort is a great and simple-to-use product. There’s no complicated setup involved, and it’s easy to kick off using it. I would recommend Zefort as a great product to anyone looking for a single source of truth for contracts.”
Pavel Gusiv, IT & Development Manager at Orkla Finland

Easier to own and evolve internally

Once a CLM is in place, teams need to adapt it as requirements change. Zefort is designed so customers can manage much of that evolution themselves.

Administrators can add metadata, adjust permissions, create forms, configure AI prompts, and introduce new processes without relying on developers or implementation partners for everyday changes.

When they need more specialized help, Zefort customers also highlight the responsiveness of its support.

“From my perspective, Zefort’s technical support has been impressively fast. For example, I encountered a SCIM issue related to user management, and I received help through standard support channels within an hour. That’s exceptional, especially considering the technical nature of the issue, which typically requires navigating multiple support tiers.”
Jani Rosti, Head of Business Architecture at Solita

Built for European data governance

For European organizations, CLM procurement increasingly involves questions of data residency, AI processing, and provider jurisdiction.

Agiloft offers European hosting and processing options but relies on global providers, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, and OpenAI.

Zefort takes a European-first approach. Its core infrastructure uses European providers, including Hetzner in Germany and Scaleway in France, and processes customer data in the EU/EEA.

For organizations with strict compliance and data governance requirements, this can simplify vendor assessment and ongoing governance.

“Customer support has responded quickly, and development suggestions have been approached constructively. Regulatory requirements in the banking sector place significant demands on the product as well, and this is exactly where flexibility has been critical.”
Anne Ruuskanen, IT Manager (Supplier Relationship Management) at S-Bank

🔑  Key takeaways

• Agiloft is built around deep enterprise configurability, giving organizations extensive control over workflows, data models, permissions, reporting, and integrations.
• That flexibility comes with more implementation and platform-management overhead, making Agiloft a strong fit for enterprises with mature contract operations and dedicated CLM ownership.
• Zefort is designed for enterprise contract control with less complexity, helping teams get started faster and adapt the platform without creating a heavy administration burden.
• For European organizations, infrastructure can be a meaningful differentiator: Zefort is built around European hosting and AI infrastructure, while Agiloft uses a broader global provider ecosystem.