DocIQ Sphere vs Traditional CLM
Traditional CLM platforms (Ironclad, Juro, Agiloft, Icertis) manage the contract lifecycle: template-driven creation, approval workflows, clause libraries, and signature routing. They are mature, well-integrated with enterprise systems, and essential for procurement-heavy organizations. Sphere is not a CLM. It is a document intelligence platform with AI-driven editing, legal research, and analysis. The two can complement each other: CLM for workflow orchestration, Sphere for document intelligence.
What Traditional CLM does well
- Mature approval workflows with role-based routing and escalation
- Deep ERP/CRM integrations (SAP, Salesforce, Oracle)
- Template libraries with drag-and-drop variable fields
- Signature routing (DocuSign, Adobe Sign integration)
- Obligation tracking and renewal management
- Agiloft: on-premise hybrid deployment option
Where DocIQ Sphere differs
AI-native document editing
CLMs manage documents through templates and approval chains. They do not edit document content with AI. Sphere edits: natural language instructions produce Word-native tracked changes, paragraph-level insertions, clause replacements, and term updates. The AI understands document structure, not just text.
- Natural language editing with tracked changes
- 40+ agent tools for document manipulation
- Batch staging: review all changes before committing
Legal research and analysis
CLMs do not include legal research. Sphere integrates 6 legal databases, Deep Research for multi-step synthesis, and analysis playbooks. Research findings flow directly into document edits and comments.
Document creation beyond templates
CLMs create documents from pre-defined templates with variable fields. Sphere creates documents from natural language prompts: describe what you need, and the agent generates a structured .docx drawing on legal databases, your clause bank, and your document library. No template required.
- Natural language to structured DOCX
- Draws on 6 legal databases + clause bank + library
- Template variables also supported (as tracked changes)
Bulk analysis across document libraries
CLMs track individual contracts through lifecycle stages. Sphere analyzes documents at scale: run playbooks across 500 supplier agreements to extract payment terms, flag non-standard clauses, or identify missing provisions. Structured extraction results, not just status tracking.
- Playbook-driven bulk extraction
- Auto-Playbooks on folder upload
- Structured output with confidence scores
Feature comparison
| Capability | DocIQ Sphere | Traditional CLM |
|---|---|---|
| Word-native tracked changes | Yes | Partial |
| AI-driven document editing | Yes | - |
| Legal research with verified sources | Yes | - |
| Clause bank with jurisdiction tags | Yes | Partial |
| Auto-Playbooks on upload | Yes | - |
| Bulk extraction across libraries | Yes | - |
| Data rooms with AI extraction | Yes | - |
| Document creation from prompt | Yes | Partial |
| Template-driven creation | Yes | Yes |
| Approval workflows | - | Yes |
| Signature routing | - | Yes |
| ERP/CRM integrations | Partial | Yes |
| Obligation tracking | - | Yes |
| On-premise deployment | Yes | Partial |
| CH/EU data sovereignty | Yes | Partial |
Frequently Asked Questions
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