Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. The largest vendors in document automation software
cannot hold places 1 to 3. Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category,
wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. How it works: placement disclosure ·
editorial process.
The 11 tools, reviewed
#1 Carbone
Open-source document generation API from JSON and Office templates · France · carbone.io
API Open source Office templates
Carbone earns first place because a company can start without a budget and still leave without a rewrite. The author designs the template in Word, LibreOffice or Excel, a developer posts JSON, and a PDF or Office file comes back. The pricing page shows a free plan, a EUR 29 tier and a EUR 159 tier, and the same template language runs in the cloud, on-premise or in Docker.
- Pricing: Open source + paid tiers. Free plan with 100 documents a month; Essential EUR 29 per month; Advanced EUR 159 per month; on-premise and private cloud on request. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Developers and small teams
- Strengths: JSON to PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX; Word and Excel templates; Open-source Community Edition.
Where it falls short
Carbone assumes someone can write a small amount of JSON and tag syntax. Features such as charts, barcodes, dynamic images and HTML sit in an Enterprise Edition that needs a license, and the free Community Edition does not include them.
Wrong for
A sales or legal team that wants a form-driven, click-through builder with signatures included.
Visit Carbone →
#2 Docupilot
No-code document generation with workflows and e-signature · United States · docupilot.com
No-code Workflows E-signature
Docupilot sits second because a team with no developer can reach a working document in an afternoon. Templates are built in its document builder, data arrives through Zapier, Make, Airtable or the API, and a workflow can send the result for signature. The pricing page lists six document tiers, unlimited templates on every plan and a 14-day trial without a card.
- Pricing: Per document / month. Six tiers from USD 29 per month for 100 documents to USD 699 for 10,000; extra seats USD 4 each; e-signature priced per envelope. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Operations teams without developers
- Strengths: Document builder; Workflows; E-signature add-on.
Where it falls short
The price steps up quickly with volume: the 2,000-document tier costs USD 199 and the 10,000-document tier USD 699. Seats beyond the included number, and every e-signature envelope, cost extra.
Wrong for
A company that wants to run generation on its own servers or keep a predictable flat fee at high volume.
Visit Docupilot →
#3 DocuGenerate
PDF and Word generation from templates and JSON data · France · docugenerate.com
Word templates API No-code connectors
DocuGenerate is third because it does one job at a price a freelancer or a five-person firm accepts. The author prepares a Word template with tags, supplies data as JSON or an Excel file, and gets a document per data item. The free plan allows 20 documents a month, and the paid plans have no hard limit by default: extra documents are billed, with an optional spending cap.
- Pricing: Per document / month. Free tier with 20 documents a month and 2 templates. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Small teams on no-code stacks
- Strengths: Word merge tags; JSON or Excel data; Batch generation.
Where it falls short
The product is a merge engine. It has no interview-style logic for legal assembly, no approval flow and no built-in signature step on the pages we read.
Wrong for
An enterprise that needs signed security questionnaires, audit reports or a self-hosted engine.
Visit DocuGenerate →
#4 Docmosis
Template-based document generation as cloud, server or Java library · Australia · docmosis.com
API Self-hosted Java
Docmosis ranks fourth as the choice for a development team that must decide where documents are processed. The cloud service runs on AWS across US, EU and Australian regions with plans from USD 49 a month, the Tornado engine installs on Linux, Windows or Docker, and a Java library embeds into an application.
- Pricing: Usage-based. Cloud from USD 49 per month by pages generated; Tornado and Java are licensed software; no minimum cloud contract term is stated. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Software teams needing self-hosting
- Strengths: Word and LibreOffice templates; PDF and DOCX output; Cloud on AWS in US, EU and AU.
Where it falls short
It is a developer product: templates are edited in a word processor, but integration needs code or a REST client. No form builder, workflow or e-signature appears on the pages we read.
Wrong for
A business team that wants to wire up forms and approvals by itself.
Visit Docmosis →
#5 Plumsail Documents
Document generation for Microsoft 365, SharePoint and Power Automate · United States · plumsail.com
Microsoft 365 SharePoint Power Automate
Plumsail Documents is fifth because it solves the problem for a company that already lives in Microsoft 365. Templates are Word, Excel or PowerPoint files, the generation step runs as an action in Power Automate or Logic Apps, and the result is uploaded to SharePoint or sent by email.
- Pricing: Subscription. 30-day trial without a card; paid subscription prices sit on its store page, which we could not read. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Microsoft 365 shops
- Strengths: Word, Excel and PowerPoint templates; HTML and fillable PDF templates; Power Automate actions.
Where it falls short
Value drops sharply outside Microsoft 365: the tooling and examples assume SharePoint and Power Automate. The product page we read lists no prices, so cost is only visible after sign-up.
Wrong for
A company that runs on Google Workspace or a CRM other than Microsoft Dynamics, or that wants a self-hosted engine.
Visit Plumsail Documents →
#6 Formstack Documents
No-code document generation bundled with forms and e-signature · United States · formstack.com
Forms No-code Salesforce
Formstack Documents sits sixth, strongest for a team that collects data through web forms first and then needs a document at the end. The product page describes a no-code generator with an AI-powered builder, the suite pricing combines forms, documents and signing, and a separate Salesforce edition exists for CRM-bound work.
- Pricing: Per bundle / month. Suite bundle from USD 250 per month billed annually (USD 299 monthly) with 250 document deliveries; a Forms-only plan starts at USD 83. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Teams already using web forms
- Strengths: No-code document builder; AI-assisted template builder; Forms integration.
Where it falls short
The listed Suite price puts 250 document deliveries and 3 builder users into one bundle, which is a lot for a team that only needs generation. Formstack now sits under the Intellistack name, and the pages mix several product lines.
Wrong for
A software team that needs high-volume rendering from its own database, or a buyer who wants only a cheap merge engine.
Visit Formstack Documents →
#7 Templafy
Governed templates and AI document agents inside Microsoft Office · Denmark · templafy.com
Templates Microsoft Office AI agents
Templafy is seventh because it addresses a different problem from the merge engines above it: making sure every PowerPoint, letter and proposal that staff write already follows the company template. Its pricing page shows a free single-seat plan, a USD 40 per user Team plan with a 14-day trial and an enterprise plan by quote, and it lists SOC 2 and SOC 3 reports and an ISO 27001 certificate.
- Pricing: Per user / month. Individual plan free with 1 seat; Team plan USD 40 per user per month up to 25 seats with a 14-day trial; Enterprise priced by quote. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Brand-controlled office documents
- Strengths: Central template library; Microsoft Office integration; Document Agents.
Where it falls short
It is not built for batch generation from records, such as 2,000 invoices from a database. The value comes with larger headcounts, so a 10-person firm pays per seat for governance it does not need.
Wrong for
A company that needs to produce thousands of documents from structured data automatically.
Visit Templafy →
#8 Gavel
Legal document automation with client intake forms · United States · gavel.io
Legal Word and PDF Intake forms
Gavel is eighth because it is the most usable legal-assembly tool with a price visible on its website. A lawyer uploads an existing Word or PDF form, marks the variable parts, and publishes an intake form for clients to complete. Plans start at USD 83 per month with a 7-day trial.
- Pricing: Per plan / month. Lite USD 83 per month with 1 builder seat and 10 templates; Standard USD 210 per month with 50 templates; 7-day trial. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Small law firms
- Strengths: Word document automation; PDF form automation; Client-facing forms.
Where it falls short
The acquisition by Relativity makes long-term plans and pricing a question to put to the vendor. Template counts are tight: 10 on Lite and 50 on Standard.
Wrong for
A non-legal business or a developer who needs a rendering API at scale.
Visit Gavel →
#9 HotDocs
Document assembly for legal and regulated industries · United States · hotdocs.com
Legal Assembly Enterprise
HotDocs ranks ninth in a list aimed at small and mid-sized buyers because it is built for template authors who have the time to design complex assembly logic. Mitratech describes more than 30 years of document assembly, a design that works within the word processing environment on desktop and in the cloud, and templates that are deployed without IT involvement.
- Pricing: Quote only. Quote only; the product page offers a demo request and no price. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Law firms and legal departments
- Strengths: Question-and-answer templates; Conditional clauses; Works within word processor.
Where it falls short
No price, plan or trial is shown, so a buyer must sit through a demo to learn the cost. It belongs to Mitratech, whose catalog covers many legal products,.
Wrong for
A small business that only needs invoices or certificates filled from a spreadsheet.
Visit HotDocs →
#10 Fluent by Apryse
Office-designed templates and embedded document generation · Canada · fluent.apryse.com
Office add-in Reports Embedded
Fluent is tenth for a narrower audience than the products above it. Business users design templates in Office, developers embed the engine, and the same data in produces the same document out; the site states that no AI-generated content is involved. The product was formerly Windward Studios and is now sold by Apryse, whose documentation shows a Designer, an Engine and a Manager deployed with Docker or Kubernetes.
- Pricing: Quote only. Pricing is not published on the pages we read; a 30-day trial is offered. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: ISVs and report-heavy enterprises
- Strengths: Design in Word, Excel and PowerPoint; Engine for embedding; Manager for deployment.
Where it falls short
No price is displayed, and the Windward domain still carries the older brand next to the new one, which makes documentation harder to navigate.
Wrong for
A small team that wants to sign up with a card and be generating documents the same day.
Visit Fluent by Apryse →
#11 Conga Composer
Document generation inside Salesforce and related platforms · United States · conga.com
Salesforce Enterprise Quotes and contracts
Conga Composer is a major incumbent, and it lands at the bottom of a list for smaller buyers rather than the top. For a company whose sales team already works in Salesforce, it generates quotes, proposals and contracts straight from CRM records, with conditional sections and calculations.
- Pricing: Quote only. No price on the product page; pricing is by contact with sales. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Salesforce-centered enterprises
- Strengths: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF output; Conditional sections; Automated calculations.
Where it falls short
It is priced and sold as an enterprise product, so a small company cannot see the cost before a sales call.
Wrong for
A company without Salesforce, or a team that wants a transparent monthly price and a quick trial.
Visit Conga Composer →
Questions and answers
What is the best document automation software in 2026?
Carbone ranks first of 11, best for developers and small teams. Docupilot is second (operations teams without developers) and DocuGenerate third (small teams on no-code stacks). Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands, wherever the category has them.
What is the difference between document automation and e-signature software?
Document automation creates the document: it merges data into a template and outputs a file. E-signature software collects signatures on a file that already exists.
Do I need a developer to set up document automation?
For API engines such as Carbone, DocuGenerate and Docmosis, a developer sends the data once, and after that an office user can edit the Word template.
How is a document counted for billing?
It varies, and the definition decides your bill. Docupilot counts documents delivered. DocuGenerate counts one document per data item in a batch.
Can document automation run on our own servers?
Yes, with some vendors. Carbone offers an on-premise edition and a private cloud, Docmosis offers its self-hosted Tornado engine for Linux, Windows and Docker, and Fluent by Apryse deploys with Docker or Kubernetes.
Is Word or a builder better for writing templates?
Word, Excel or PowerPoint templates are easier to hand over, version and move to another vendor, because the file is yours.
Which tools are built for law firms?
HotDocs from Mitratech and Gavel are the two aimed at legal work. HotDocs describes 30 years of document assembly and works inside the word processor on desktop and cloud.
Does document automation work with Salesforce and Microsoft 365?
Yes. Conga Composer is built around Salesforce and generates Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF output from CRM records. Formstack sells Documents for Salesforce as a separate product.
Where are the generated documents stored, and for how long?
Vendors differ, and some say little. Plumsail states that customer data is deleted after the document has been created and delivered, while uploaded templates stay until the customer deletes them. Carbone states a strict no-retention policy for rendering data.
Can AI write the templates for us?
Some vendors now offer it. Carbone provides an MCP server and an open-source skill so an AI assistant can design a template from a plain-language request. Templafy describes Document Agents that draft content from approved sources.
What does document automation cost for a small business?
Entry prices are low. Carbone starts at EUR 0 with a paid tier at EUR 29 per month. DocuGenerate lists a free tier and a Plus tier shown between USD 9.50 and USD 19 per month.
