# Irys vs. Gavel Exec (2026): Comparing Two Legal AI Platforms for Contract Review Irys and Gavel Exec are both AI legal platforms with native Microsoft Word add-ins. Irys is a broad legal platform covering research, drafting, caselaw, and matter management at $299/seat/month. Gavel Exec is a specialized contract review and redlining tool built for in-house counsel at $160/seat/month, with 25 free queries per user, no credit card, and no sales call required. By Danae Martin · Last updated: June 16, 2026 Irys and Gavel Exec come up in the same conversations because both offer AI contract review and native Microsoft Word integrations. The difference is in scope and focus. Irys is a broad legal platform built around matter management and multi-practice workflows, including litigation research and verified caselaw. Gavel Exec is a specialized contract review tool built specifically for in-house counsel and legal teams. This comparison covers how each tool approaches contract review, playbooks, platform depth, pricing, and trial access. ## Irys Irys (a product of Iqidis, Inc.) is a unified legal AI platform covering research, drafting, document comparison, caselaw search, matter management, and contract review. It runs as a web application and a Microsoft Word add-in. The platform serves law firms across practice areas including litigation, corporate transactions, and insurance defense, as well as in-house legal teams. ## Gavel Exec Gavel Exec is AI contract review, redlining, and drafting software for legal teams. It works in Microsoft Word and online, so attorneys can review contracts inside Word or use browser-based workflows for broader contract analysis. Gavel Exec supports playbook-based review, redlining, drafting, benchmarking, batch analysis, and multi-document comparison. Playbooks can be generated with AI, built from uploaded files, created manually, or started from built-in playbooks created by practicing attorneys. Gavel Exec publishes pricing at **$160 per user per month** or **$1,740 per user annually**, and offers **25 free queries per user** with no credit card required. ## Key differences - **Price:** Irys costs $299/seat/month ($3,049/year billed annually). Gavel Exec costs $160/seat/month ($1,740/year billed annually). - **Commitment:** Both are month-to-month with no long-term requirement. - **Trial access:** Irys offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card. Gavel Exec gives each user 25 free queries with no credit card and no sales call required. - **Platform:** Both include a native Microsoft Word add-in. Gavel Exec also includes a full web application with batch analysis, multi-document comparison, and research tools. Irys's web app centers on matter management and multi-practice research including verified caselaw. - **Scope:** Irys is a broad legal platform covering litigation research, caselaw (50M+ opinions), matter management, and contracts. Gavel Exec is specialized for contract review, redlining, drafting, and playbooks for in-house counsel. - **Playbooks:** Gavel Exec playbooks are available now: AI-generated, built-in lawyer-written defaults, editable without admin, with granular access control. Irys includes playbook-driven contract review in Irys One; firm-wide shared playbooks are part of Irys Teams, which has not yet launched. - **Built by:** Irys was founded by Sabih Siddiqi (former BigLaw litigator and outside General Counsel) and Devansh (Head of AI). Gavel Exec was built by Dorna Moini (former Sidley Austin associate) and Pierre Martin (ex-Microsoft Research, ex-Amazon). - **Ratings:** Gavel Exec is rated 4.5/5 on Lawyerist. Irys does not yet have published ratings on major third-party review platforms. ## When to choose Irys vs. Gavel Exec ### When to choose Irys - Your practice includes litigation or regulatory work and you want caselaw research, citation verification, and contract review in one subscription. - You want matter-centric organization: persistent context across all documents, research, and drafts for each case or deal. - You need multi-practice-area support and want one tool that handles both transactional and litigation workflows. - You want built-in e-signature and a broader legal platform rather than a specialized contract review tool. - You want published office hours for support in addition to email. ### When to choose Gavel Exec - You are in-house counsel or on a legal team focused primarily on commercial contract review, redlining, and drafting. - You need firm-wide playbooks available now: AI-generated, built-in defaults, lawyer-editable without admin involvement, with granular access control. - Price matters: at $160/seat/month versus $299, Gavel Exec is significantly less expensive for teams that do not need litigation research. - You want to start reviewing contracts immediately: 25 free queries per user, no credit card, no sales call required. - Batch analysis across multiple contracts is part of your workflow and you want a web app built for contract volume. - You want a Lawyerist-rated tool (4.5/5) with published third-party reviews. ## Side-by-side comparison Irys costs $299/seat/month with a 14-day free trial and month-to-month cancellation. Gavel Exec costs $160/seat/month ($1,740/year billed annually) with 25 free queries per user, no credit card, and no sales call. Both include native Microsoft Word add-ins. Gavel Exec adds a full web application with batch analysis, multi-document comparison, and research tools built for in-house contract workflows. Irys adds caselaw search, citation verification, and matter management across practice areas. | Feature | Irys | Gavel Exec | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | ✓ $299/mo, month-to-month | ✓ $160/seat/month, or $1,740/seat/year billed annually | | Billing | ✓ Month-to-month | ✓ Month-to-month, no long-term commitment required | | Free Trial | ✓ 14-day free trial, no credit card | ✓ 25 free queries per user -- no credit card, no sales call | | AI Features | ✓ Contract review, redline, draft, caselaw research, citation verification, matter management | ✓ AI contract review, redlining, drafting, playbooks, benchmarking, batch analysis, multi-document comparison | | Playbooks | ✓ Playbook-driven contract review in Irys One; firm-wide shared playbooks require Irys Teams (not yet launched) | ✓ AI-generated from contract type or practice area; built-in lawyer-written defaults; any lawyer can edit without admin; granular access controls | | Word Integration | ✓ Native add-in (Chat mode + tracked-change Work mode) | ✓ Native Word add-in + full web application | | Support | ✓ Email + live office hours | ✓ Live chat, support calls, help center, and onboarding | ### Platform and access Both tools offer Microsoft Word add-ins. The similarity stops there. Irys is built around matter management: every document, research task, and draft lives inside a matter workspace that persists context across sessions. The web app covers litigation research, caselaw (50M+ federal and state court opinions via CourtListener), document comparison, drafting, and contract review from one platform. Gavel Exec also includes a full web application, but the focus is different. Batch analysis lets you upload multiple contracts at once and run review across all of them. Multi-document comparison, playbook-driven analysis, and research tools are built for in-house teams processing commercial contracts at volume. The Word add-in connects to the same intelligence layer as the web app, so work stays in sync across both surfaces. Irys's Word add-in operates in two modes: Chat mode for questions and document analysis, and Work mode for applying AI revisions as tracked changes. Gavel Exec's Word add-in supports review, redlining, and playbook-driven drafting from the sidebar. ### Contract review and playbooks Irys includes playbook-driven contract review in Irys One. You can define risk thresholds and preferred positions, and the AI reviews contracts against them. Firm-wide shared playbooks, which allow one attorney to define standards that the entire team applies automatically, are part of Irys Teams. That plan has not yet launched. Gavel Exec's playbook system is available now. Playbooks are AI-generated from a contract type or practice area in minutes, or built manually. Built-in lawyer-written defaults ship out of the box for common contract types. Any lawyer can edit a playbook without going through an administrator, and access control lets you set individual users to read-only or edit permissions. Shared playbooks across a team do not require a separate plan or a product launch. For in-house teams that need collaborative playbooks across multiple attorneys today, that distinction is meaningful. Irys's individual playbook functionality works, but the firm-wide workflow is still on the roadmap. ### Research and caselaw Irys includes caselaw research as a core feature: natural language and boolean search across 50M+ federal and state court opinions, with citation verification (Cite Check) that validates every case before it reaches a filing. Litigators and law firms doing brief writing or regulatory analysis get citation-verified results without leaving the platform. Gavel Exec includes research tools in the web application, built for contract-related research rather than litigation. If your primary work is commercial contract review, redlining, and playbook management, Gavel Exec's research tools fit that workflow directly. If you also handle litigation or need verified caselaw, Irys covers both within one subscription. ## Pricing ### Irys: $299/month, all-in - Microsoft Word add-in included on all plans - Full platform: research, drafting, caselaw, document comparison, matter management, contract review, e-signature - $299/seat/month; annual billing saves 15% ($3,049/year) - Month-to-month, cancel anytime - 14-day free trial, no credit card required - Irys Teams ($329/seat/mo, including firm-wide shared playbooks) has not yet launched - Enterprise pricing available for 25+ seats by demo request ### Gavel Exec: $160/month, contract review focus - Microsoft Word add-in plus full web application - Batch analysis, multi-document comparison, playbooks, research tools - $160/seat/month, or $1,740/year billed annually - Month-to-month, no long-term commitment - 25 free queries per user, no credit card, no sales call - Team discounts for 10+ seats and existing Gavel Workflows customers ## Irys reviews Irys does not yet have published ratings on major third-party review platforms including Lawyerist, G2, or Capterra. The company reports 300+ legal teams as customers. Gavel Exec is rated 4.5/5 on Lawyerist. Lawyerist rates and reviews legal software based on independent testing by practicing attorneys. It is one of the most widely cited sources for law firm technology purchasing decisions. Irys does not yet have a published rating on Lawyerist or sufficient reviews on G2 or Capterra to generate a score. Gavel Exec holds a 4.5/5 Lawyerist rating. - **Irys:** No published rating on Lawyerist, G2, or Capterra at time of writing - **Gavel Exec:** 4.5/5 on Lawyerist > It's like having another assistant with you who hears your voice, understands what you want, and gives you whatever you need in seconds. > > Omar Nakadi, Legal Counsel ## Switching from Irys Lawyers who switch from Irys to Gavel Exec are typically in-house counsel who found they were paying for capabilities they did not use. Irys is priced at $299/seat/month for a platform that includes litigation research, caselaw, and matter management across practice areas. If your work is primarily commercial contract review, that feature set is broader than your workflow requires, and the $139/seat/month difference compounds quickly across a legal team. Switching is straightforward. Gavel Exec's AI playbook builder generates new playbooks from any contract type or practice area in minutes, and built-in lawyer-written defaults are available on day one. There is no migration project or implementation period. You can start a free trial with 25 queries per user, no credit card required, and be reviewing contracts with your own playbooks the same day. ## Try Gavel Exec for free Skip the broad platform you won't fully use. Get focused contract review, redlining, and drafting at $160/seat/month, with 25 free queries and no commitment. ## Frequently asked questions ### How does Irys's pricing compare to other AI contract review tools? Irys One costs $299/seat/month, with a 15% discount for annual billing ($3,049/year). Gavel Exec costs $160/seat/month or $1,740/year. Harvey and CoCounsel start at $1,200+/seat/month. Irys sits between general AI tools and enterprise legal AI in price, covering a broader platform than most contract-only tools at that range. ### Does Irys offer a free trial? Yes. Irys offers a 14-day free trial with full platform access and no credit card required. Gavel Exec gives each user 25 free queries with no credit card and no sales call required. Both let you start without talking to sales first. ### Does Irys offer team or volume discounts? Irys Teams, the multi-user plan at $329/seat/month, has not yet launched. Annual billing on Irys One saves 15%. Enterprise pricing for 25+ seats is available through a demo request. Gavel Exec offers team discounts for 10+ seats and for existing Gavel Workflows customers. ### Does Irys work inside Microsoft Word? Yes. Irys has a native Word add-in available from the Microsoft Marketplace. It runs in two modes: Chat mode for questions and document analysis, and Work mode for applying AI revisions as tracked changes. The add-in is included on all plans. Gavel Exec also has a native Word add-in that connects to its full platform, including playbooks and redlining tools. ### Does Irys work in a web browser? Yes. The full Irys platform, including matter management, research, drafting, document comparison, and caselaw search, runs in the browser. Gavel Exec also includes a full web application with batch analysis, multi-document comparison, and research tools available outside of Word. ### How customizable are Irys's playbooks? Irys One includes playbook-driven contract review, where you can define risk thresholds and preferred positions. Firm-wide shared playbooks that allow one attorney's standards to apply across the entire team are part of Irys Teams, which has not yet launched. Gavel Exec's playbooks are available now: AI-generated from any contract type in minutes, manually buildable, and editable by any lawyer without admin involvement. Access is granular, with separate read-only and edit permissions per playbook. ### Can Irys handle batch analysis and multi-document review? Irys supports multi-document analysis within a matter: you can upload multiple documents and ask questions across all of them simultaneously. Bulk upload and batch processing of a contract queue in the way Gavel Exec's batch analysis works is not a documented feature of the current Irys One plan. Gavel Exec's batch analysis is designed specifically for in-house teams reviewing high volumes of similar contracts at once.