Cracking the Code: A Comprehensive Guide to SeedLegals Pricing

For early-stage founders, navigating the legal complexities of raising capital, issuing stock options, and drafting founder agreements has traditionally meant one thing: burning thousands of pounds on traditional legal fees. Enter SeedLegals, a platform designed to automate and streamline equity management, fundraising, and compliance.

By replacing opaque billable hours with automated workflows, SeedLegals has transformed how startups handle legals. But how does its pricing structure actually work? Is it cost-effective for a bootstrapped pre-seed startup, and what hidden fees or add-ons should you watch out for?

The Core Philosophy: Subscription + Transaction Model

SeedLegals operates on a hybrid pricing architecture. Instead of charging a flat software-as-a-service (SaaS) fee for everything, or reverting to high hourly lawyer rates, they combine monthly/annual platform subscriptions with project-based fees for major events like funding rounds or share option schemes.

Understanding how these tiers fit together is essential to budgeting for your startup’s legal overhead.

1. Base Subscriptions: Access & Membership Tiers

To use the platform for day-to-day operations—such as issuing standard contracts, managing your cap table, and executing team agreements—you need a base subscription. SeedLegals offers tiered plans depending on whether you are just starting out or actively scaling. (Note: All prices typically exclude VAT).

• Access Plan (approx. £79/month or £649/year)
  • Best for: Very early-stage or bootstrapped startups needing foundational legal templates.
  • Includes: Essential contracts and policies, employment and contractor agreements, and an automated, always-up-to-date cap table.
• Funding Plan (approx. £1,199/year)
  • Best for: Startups gearing up to raise capital from angels or institutional funds.
  • Includes: One free SEIS/EIS Advance Assurance or Compliance filing per year, discounted Flex credits for rolling investments (SeedFASTs), and dedicated expert support to guide your raise.
• Options Plan (approx. £2,699/year)
  • Best for: Companies focused on hiring, retaining, and incentivizing talent.
  • Includes: Unlimited EMI (Enterprise Management Incentive) and unapproved option schemes, unlimited grants, and unlimited EMI valuations.

(Note: Legacy tiers like “Standard” or “Plus” are frequently streamlined into these comprehensive frameworks, but grandfathered terms often apply smoothly upon renewal).

2. Event-Based Fees: Funding Rounds & SEIS/EIS

While monthly subscriptions cover cap table management and day-to-day HR docs, executing a major funding round or securing tax relief involves specific transactional costs.

• Seed & Series A Rounds: Running a full funding round on the platform involves an engagement fee (starting around £690 + VAT) plus a success or scale fee calculated as a percentage of the total investment (starting roughly from £1,990 + VAT upwards, depending on the round size).
• Bootstrap / Small Rounds: For smaller raises from friends, family, or angel syndicates, tailored lower-tier engagement fees apply (