Free Startup Legal Documents
Which standard legal documents a startup can raise money, hire and sell with for free today, published by investors, law firms and standards bodies, what each set covers and what it leaves to a lawyer, read from each publisher's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Legal document sets change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you rely on it.
Free legal documents a startup can use today include Y Combinator SAFE (Free to download and use), Common Paper (Free under CC BY 4.0), NVCA model documents (Free model legal documents), Common Paper platform (Free plan, $0), and Orrick Tech Studio (Free, no registration). Each of the 8 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with what it covers, who publishes it, whether sign-up is needed and what it leaves to a lawyer.
A startup signs the same kinds of documents again and again: a SAFE or seed round, NDAs, customer agreements and contractor terms. Investors, law firms and standards bodies publish free standard versions, so you start from a document the other side already knows.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. These are templates you adapt, some are written for US companies only, and none replaces advice on your own deal. Each document set below shows what is free, its main limit, what it covers, whether sign-up is needed and any paid option, quoted from the publisher's own page with the date we read it.
Which documents we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the publishers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which documents are listed or where.
Free fundraising and company documents
Standard investment and company forms from investors and law firms, free.
- 1
Y Combinator SAFE
Seed fundraising on standard US SAFE terms
Y Combinator says all of its SAFE forms are free to download and use, and it offers a free tool to generate, sign and send them. The tool supports only US-incorporated companies.
Start free at Y CombinatorTerms read on ycombinator.com on Y Combinator SAFE: the free allowance and how to start - 2
NVCA model documents
Venture financing documents to start from
The National Venture Capital Association publishes its model legal documents as free downloads, including the stock purchase, investors' rights, voting and right of first refusal agreements. The page says they are a starting point, not legal advice.
Start free at NVCATerms read on nvca.org on NVCA model documents: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Orrick Tech Studio
Startup forms and a term sheet creator, no sign-up
Orrick's Tech Studio offers 50+ customizable startup forms and document generators for free, with no registration required. Its term sheet creator is among the free tools.
- What's free
- Free, no registration (source: orrick.com)
Start free at OrrickTerms read on orrick.com on Orrick Tech Studio: the free allowance and how to start - 4
Goodwin Founders Workbench
Free founder tools and documents from a law firm
Goodwin's Founders Workbench provides free information and tools for founders, including its Document Driver and capital and liquidation calculators.
Start free at GoodwinTerms read on foundersworkbench.com on Goodwin Founders Workbench: the free allowance and how to start
Free standard commercial agreements
Standard customer, NDA and partner agreements, free to use.
- 1
Common Paper
Attorney-maintained contracts to sign with customers
Common Paper's standard agreements are released for free under the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 License. The page says they are not a substitute for a lawyer.
Start free at Common PaperTerms read on commonpaper.com on Common Paper: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Common Paper platform
Sending a few agreements a month at $0
Common Paper's Free plan costs $0 and lets you send 2 agreements a month, with the preloaded standard agreements. The Startup plan is $50 per user a month.
- What's free
- Free plan, $0 (source: commonpaper.com)
- What it covers
- Preloaded standard agreements (source: commonpaper.com)
Start free at Common PaperTerms read on commonpaper.com on Common Paper platform: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Bonterms
Neutral market-standard SaaS and NDA contracts
Bonterms Standard Agreements are free to use under CC BY 4.0. Bonterms says they are intended to be used only with independent legal review.
- 4
oneNDA
A lawyer-drafted NDA you can download today
oneNDA is a crowd-sourced, open-source NDA that its site says is entirely free to use. You download it and customize it. Its AI playbook is a separate product.
- What's free
- Entirely free to use (source: onenda.org)
- What it covers
- Non disclosure agreement (NDA) (source: onenda.org)
Also useful for hiring, HR and legal
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
Compare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers startup legal documents a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each set's terms. Every term comes from the set's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. Documents published as templates you still adapt, no legal advice included, some forms written for US companies only can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these sets pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a set appears, and no set pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
Where can I get free startup legal documents?
By what each publisher states, Y Combinator's SAFE forms are free to download and use, NVCA publishes free model legal documents, Orrick Tech Studio offers 50+ forms and document generators free with no registration, and Common Paper and Bonterms publish free standard agreements under CC BY 4.0.
Is the YC SAFE free?
Yes. Y Combinator's SAFE forms, with valuation cap, discount and MFN versions, are free to download and use, for US-incorporated companies.
Is there a free NDA template?
Yes. oneNDA is entirely free to use, and Bonterms' standard agreements, which include an NDA, are free under CC BY 4.0.
Do free legal templates replace a lawyer?
No. NVCA calls its documents a starting point, not legal advice, Common Paper says its agreements are not a substitute for a lawyer, and Bonterms' agreements are for use with independent legal review.
More best-of guides
New startup perks, in your inbox
Get an email when a new credit, discount, or deal for founders is added. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.