You need a contract for a new client or contractor. You find Rocket Lawyer, sign up for the free trial, create your document, and feel good about it. Then the trial ends and you are charged $39.99/month — for a service you may not need again for weeks or months.
This is the subscription trap that catches many small business owners and freelancers. You needed one contract. You got a recurring bill.
How Rocket Lawyer works
Rocket Lawyer is a legal services platform built around a monthly membership model:
- Sign up for a 7-day free trial
- Browse their document library (contracts, wills, incorporation docs)
- Fill out a questionnaire to generate your document
- Optionally consult an attorney (included with membership)
- Download your document
After the trial, the Premium membership costs $39.99/month. Without it, individual documents are priced at $39.99–$99.99 each. The membership includes unlimited document access, attorney consultations, and discounts on legal services.
The model works for people who create legal documents every month. For everyone else, it is paying for a gym membership you use twice a year.
How Contract.diy works
Contract.diy uses a credit-based model. One credit equals one finalized contract. No subscription required.
- Select your contract type — NDA, freelance agreement, lease, service agreement, or custom contract
- Fill in your deal terms — parties, terms, jurisdiction
- Review, edit, and export as PDF — complete with proper clauses, signature blocks, and governing law
You get 3 free credits on signup. Need more? Buy a one-time credit pack or subscribe — your choice, not a requirement.
Pricing comparison
| | Contract.diy | Rocket Lawyer | |---|---|---| | Free tier | 3 credits (no card required) | 7-day trial (card required) | | Monthly subscription | Optional: $9–$29/mo | Required for full access: $39.99/mo | | Per contract (no subscription) | $0.33–$1.00 (credit packs) | $39.99–$99.99 | | Per contract (with subscription) | $0.29–$0.36 | Included in membership | | Annual cost (5 contracts/year) | $4.99–$24.99 (one-time packs) | $479.88 (membership) or $199.95–$499.95 (per-doc) | | Cancel anytime | Nothing to cancel | Must cancel to stop charges |
The math speaks for itself. A freelancer who creates 5 contracts per year pays under $25 total on Contract.diy — or $480/year on Rocket Lawyer's membership.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Contract.diy | Rocket Lawyer | |---------|-------------|---------------| | Contract creation | Yes — from deal terms | Yes — template questionnaires | | Jurisdiction-aware clauses | Yes | Limited | | Attorney consultation | No | Yes (with membership) | | Clause explanation | Yes — plain language | No | | Document types | Contracts only (NDA, freelance, lease, services, custom) | Contracts + wills + incorporation + more | | PDF export | Included | Included (with membership) | | E-signature | No (export PDF) | Yes (with membership) | | Business formation | No | Yes |
The subscription question
Subscriptions make sense when you use a service consistently. Netflix works because you watch it every week. A gym membership works if you go three times a week.
Legal documents do not work that way. Most small businesses and freelancers need contracts in bursts:
- Starting a new client engagement → need a service agreement
- Hiring a contractor → need a freelance contract
- Discussing a sensitive project → need an NDA
- Signing a new office space → need a lease agreement
These moments are spread across months, sometimes quarters. Paying $39.99 every month in between is waste.
Contract.diy's credit model matches how people actually use contracts. Buy credits when you need them. They do not expire. Use them when the next deal comes.
When Rocket Lawyer makes sense
Choose Rocket Lawyer when:
- You create legal documents every month — the unlimited access justifies the subscription
- You need attorney consultations — the included lawyer access is genuinely useful for complex questions
- You need business formation — LLC filing, registered agent services
- You want a broad legal toolkit — wills, power of attorney, incorporation, plus contracts
Rocket Lawyer is a legal services subscription. If you use all the features regularly, the $39.99/month is reasonable.
When Contract.diy makes sense
Choose Contract.diy when:
- You need contracts, not a legal subscription — pay for what you use
- Budget is a priority — 90%+ savings compared to Rocket Lawyer's per-document pricing
- Speed matters — your contract is ready in minutes
- You want to understand your contract — clause explanations in plain language
- You create contracts in bursts — credits wait for you, not the other way around
The bottom line
Rocket Lawyer is a legal services subscription that includes contract creation. Contract.diy is a contract creation tool with no subscription required.
If you need one contract or ten, you should pay for one contract or ten — not for twelve months of access to get there. See also: Contract.diy vs LegalZoom and Contract.diy vs DocuSign.