FAQ

Is this legally binding?

Under U.S. law, yes. Signatures made through FreshNDA are valid and enforceable under the ESIGN Act and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA). Outside the U.S., whether an NDA is binding depends on the agreement’s choice of law and local rules. Both parties receive a PDF copy of the fully executed agreement with signatures and timestamps.

What NDA template do you use?

FreshNDA uses NDA templates from Bonterms, an open-source legal forms project developed by experienced commercial attorneys. Every organization gets the Bonterms Mutual NDA and One-Way NDA as built-in system templates, so the baseline terms always match the published Bonterms text. The boilerplate stays fixed, but on every plan an admin can set the five Key Terms—Purpose, Term of NDA, Confidentiality Period, Governing Law, and Courts—on a built-in template from its detail page; leave a field blank to keep the standard default.

Which Bonterms version is used, and how is it proven?

The system templates are the Bonterms Mutual NDA and One-Way NDA, Version 1.0. When an NDA is sent from an unmodified system template, the executed record is attested to that exact standard: the Certificate of Completion and the public verification page both show the line “Document Standard: Bonterms Mutual NDA v1.0 standard terms, unmodified from the FreshNDA system template at send time.”

That attestation is exact, not a label: it appears only when the document's source text is byte-for-byte identical to the FreshNDA system template for that standard. An NDA sent from a custom template, or one whose text was edited at send time, carries no Bonterms attestation—so a signed record can never overstate what it is.

Can I customize the templates?

On every plan, admins can set the five Key Terms—Purpose, Term of NDA, Confidentiality Period, Governing Law, and Courts—on the built-in Bonterms templates. Open the template's detail page and use the Key terms section beneath the default signatory. A non-Delaware organization can pick its own governing law and courts this way without going custom. Leave a field blank to inherit the standard default; the preview updates live as you type. The values apply to every NDA sent with that template and are frozen onto each NDA at send, so a later edit never changes an already-executed document. Keeping the defaults still attests as an unmodified Bonterms standard; customizing any Key Term drops that attestation, because the document now differs from the published standard.

Editing the rest of the boilerplate is paid-only. Admins on paid plans can create custom templates from scratch or duplicate an existing template (including the system templates) and edit the copy in the template editor. Custom templates work everywhere system templates do: the send flow and reusable links. The Bonterms boilerplate body on the system templates themselves stays fixed—duplicate one to rewrite it. Paid plans can also edit the text of a single NDA at send time without touching any template.

Any admin, on any plan, can also hide a template from the send menu without deleting it. Open the template editor and use the Availability checkbox to hide it. Hidden templates stop showing up when sending an NDA by email or creating a reusable link, and the Templates list tags them Hidden. This works for both system and custom templates. Reusable links that already point at a hidden template keep working—hiding only controls the picker—and at least one template always stays visible.

How does signing work?

Sign in, fill in your details and your recipient's email, preview the NDA, and send. Your recipient receives a secure, unique signing link. They review the NDA, give their consent, and type their name as an electronic signature. Both parties are then emailed a signed PDF. Need to send the same NDA to several people? Add up to 10 recipients in one send and each gets their own NDA to sign. You can add an optional personal message that appears in the signing email (it doesn't change the NDA text), and preview the exact email your recipient will receive before sending.

Can I control a reusable link after sharing it?

Yes. Open the template's editor and use the Reusable link section. You can turn the link off at any time (it stops working immediately for everyone you shared it with), set an expiry date, or cap how many times it can be used. Admins can also customize the link address so it reads like freshnda.com/sign/acme-mutual-nda instead of a random code; changing the address breaks the previous link, so settle on it before sharing widely. The same section lists everyone who has signed through the link. Existing signed NDAs are never affected when you change these settings.

Can I cancel an NDA after sending?

Yes, anytime before the recipient signs. You can cancel from the NDA status page while the NDA is still unsigned, even if the recipient has already viewed it.

Can the recipient decline to sign?

Yes. The recipient can decline from the signing page and optionally add a reason. When they do, you're notified by email, the NDA is marked declined, and the signing link can no longer be used to sign. Declined NDAs have their own filter in your history. In dual-sign mode, the internal signatory can also decline; the sender is notified, and the recipient is told the agreement will not take effect.

What is dual-sign mode, and when is the agreement fully executed?

By default, the sending organization's signatory is auto-signed at send time and the recipient counter-signs via a secure link; the NDA is fully executed the moment the recipient signs. In dual-sign mode, the sender designates a separate internal signatory (by name and email) who must also sign. FreshNDA then sends that person their own signing link, and the agreement reaches fully executed status only once both the recipient and the designated internal signatory have signed. Until both parties have signed, the NDA sits in a partially signed state. Both parties receive the executed PDF once the agreement is complete.

What happens if the recipient doesn't sign?

A reminder email is sent to the recipient approximately three days after the NDA is sent. The signing link stays valid for 7 days after sending. If the NDA is still unsigned when that window ends, the signing link expires.

How do I get my signed PDF?

Once the NDA is signed, both parties receive the executed PDF by email. You can also download it anytime from your sender status page using the link in your confirmation email.

Is my data secure and private?

Yes. Connections use TLS, data is encrypted at rest, each organization's data is isolated, and it is never sold or shared for marketing. For the full picture—encryption, subprocessors, retention, deletion, and access controls—see the security, privacy, and terms pages.

Is there an API?

Yes, on every plan. Generate an API key under Settings, in the API Keys section, and use the REST API to list your NDAs, check whether a specific person has signed, download executed PDFs, read aggregate stats, and manage reusable links from your own code. See the API reference for the quickstart and the full endpoint list.

Can I save signed NDAs to Google Drive?

Yes. An organization admin can connect Google Drive under Settings, and after that a copy of every signed NDA is automatically saved to a folder you choose. It is admin-only and opt-in, it covers every NDA that becomes fully signed (there is no per-NDA toggle), and FreshNDA uses Google’s narrow drive.file scope, so it can only add the files it creates—never read the rest of your Drive. Disconnecting stops future exports but leaves files already saved in your Drive. See Sending an NDA for details.

Can I add two-step verification to my account?

Yes. Open Profile and turn on “Require a code at sign-in.” After that, each sign-in asks for a 6-digit code emailed to your account address before the dashboard unlocks. It is off by default, and turning it back off requires entering a code first. It uses email codes today; an authenticator app is not supported yet.

What if I lose my status link?

Sign in and visit your dashboard to see all your NDAs. You can also check your email for sender notification messages from FreshNDA, which include a link to the NDA status page.

Does this cost anything?

FreshNDA offers a free plan with 5 NDAs per month. Paid plans start at $20/month for teams. See the pricing for details.

How does billing work, and can I get a refund?

Paid plans are billed in advance through Stripe and renew automatically each month until you cancel. You can cancel anytime from Settings → Manage billing; your plan stays active through the end of the period you have already paid for, and you are not charged again after that. Fees are non-refundable except where required by law. See the terms for full billing details.