Use case
Get client contracts signed before work begins
Before you start client work, send the contract for signature so scope, pricing, and responsibilities are written down.
Last reviewed: June 17, 2026
Inkly workflow
Send, sign, track
- 1Upload your client contract to Inkly
- 2Place signature and date fields for your new client
- 3Send, and Inkly emails your new client a signing link
- 4Inkly notifies you when it's signed, then download the completed document
Who it's for: Service professionals of all kinds, including consultants, freelancers, coaches, accountants, and agencies, who need signed client contracts before starting work.
Whether you call it a client contract, a service agreement, or a project contract, getting it signed before work starts is how you protect both parties. It sets expectations, defines the relationship, and gives you something to point to if a misunderstanding arises later. The problem is that signing paperwork feels administrative, and both you and your client would rather focus on the work.
Inkly makes the paperwork fast enough that it does not become an obstacle. Your client receives an email with a link, signs in a minute or two on any device, and you receive a notification the same day. The signed document is stored in Inkly, ready to download whenever you need it. You can set up templates for the contracts you send at the start of every new client relationship so the process takes less than five minutes each time.
What you'll send
- Client service contracts
- Service agreements
- Terms of service sign-offs
- Coaching contracts
- Consulting contracts
Common challenges
- Verbal yeses that lead to scope disputes because nothing was signed
- Clients who take days to return a simple contract, delaying the start of work
- No consistent process for collecting signed contracts across the team
Best for
- Service businesses that onboard new clients regularly
- Professionals who need a signed record before any billable work begins
- Teams that want a consistent, professional client onboarding experience
Not best for
- Businesses needing to generate contract language from client data
- Teams requiring client portal features beyond document signing
Security and compliance
Security built into
every signature.
Documents are encrypted, every signer is accounted for, and each step is recorded in a tamper-evident trail you can download anytime.
ESIGN & UETA compliant
Every signature carries intent, attribution, and a tamper-evident audit trail.
Encryption everywhere
AES-256 protects stored files. SHA-256 hashes make signed PDFs tamper-evident.
SOC 2 infrastructure
Runs on independently audited, SOC 2 Type II–compliant infrastructure.
Downloadable audit trail
View, signing, and completion events are captured in a Certificate of Completion.
Pricing
Plans that scale with
your signature volume.
Start free for your first 5 documents. Upgrade when your contracts pick up speed.
Free
Free forever for light, personal signing.
- 5 sent documents per 30 days
- Upload, prepare, and send PDFs
- Email signing links
- Completion notices
- Basic sender status
- Finalized PDF download
- Tamper-evident audit trail
- 14-day document retention
No credit card required
Pro
Unlimited signing for individuals.
- Everything in Free
- Unlimited sent documents
- Unlimited personal templates
- Unlimited document retention
- Open notifications
- Signing reminders
- Personal message in signing invites
Teams
For growing teams that close together.
- 5 team members included
- Everything in Pro
- Shared workspace documents
- Shared workspace templates
- Teammate invitations
- Admin and member roles
- Seat management
- Centralized billing
- Team-visible activity
FAQ
Common questions
Short, practical answers to what teams ask before they start sending.
Related pages
Keep exploring
Explore related industries, use cases, and document workflows without starting from scratch.
Send your first document
in under a minute.
Drag in a PDF, place your fields, and watch the signatures roll in.