Best Proposal Software
Proposal software is designed to streamline and automate the proposal and request for proposal (RFP) process for sales operations. Sales professionals benefit from proposal software features like the ability to quickly generate documents in multiple file formats, share documents through multiple channels, and track the impact of RFP and proposal documents on the sales success. Proposals can be the first important step in a business relationship, which means that salespeople need to include valuable and consistent content that is personalized to customer profiles and needs. Proposal tools are usually used to help sales or partnerships, so common integrations include CRM software, CPQ software, e-signature software, and accounting software.
To qualify for inclusion in the Proposal category, a product must:
Best Proposal Software At A Glance
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PandaDoc is a comprehensive document management solution designed to assist users in creating, managing, e-signing, and notarizing documents efficiently. This platform serves as a centralized workflow
PandaDoc is a digital platform that facilitates the creation, sending, and tracking of documents, and offers electronic signature capabilities. Reviewers frequently mention the ease of use, time-saving features, and seamless integration with other platforms as key benefits of using PandaDoc. Reviewers experienced issues with the pricing structure, occasional glitches in editing fields, and limitations in customization and advanced features.
18,477 Twitter followers
Responsive is the global leader in strategic response management software, transforming how organizations share and exchange critical information. Our commitment to product innovation and customer suc
1,746 Twitter followers
Make your competitors’ proposals look primitive with Qwilr. Send proposals, generate quotes, collect sign-off, and get paid – all in one place. Trusted by 5,000+ organizations including OpenTab
Qwilr is a proposal creation tool that integrates with CRM systems, offers tracking capabilities, and allows for customization and interactivity in proposals. Reviewers appreciate Qwilr's user-friendly interface, seamless CRM integration, and the ability to create interactive, visually appealing proposals with analytics and reporting features. Users mentioned limitations in customization options, issues with specific integrations, difficulties with certain formatting aspects, and challenges in locating and managing documents.
2,520 Twitter followers
DealHub is the Agentic Quote-to-Revenue (Q2R) platform designed for the AI era. We empower high-growth SaaS and forward-thinking enterprises to fully consolidate, automate, and accelerate their entire
DealHub.io is a platform that offers features such as form field creation, auto-generation of order forms, and integration with CRM systems to streamline the quoting process and standardize quotes. Users frequently mention the efficiency and accuracy of the quoting process, the ability to keep all information in one place, and the seamless integration with CRM systems as major benefits of using DealHub.io. Reviewers mentioned challenges in finding documentation, setting up complex workflows and advanced functions, and navigating large proposals or managing multiple integrations as some of the difficulties encountered while using DealHub.io.
3,906 Twitter followers
Anchor is the leading AR automation platform that gets service businesses paid on time, every time effortlessly. With no subscription fees, Anchor combines proposals, agreements, billing, and payments
Anchor is a platform for creating proposals, managing client engagements, and facilitating payments, with features such as automatic price increase and integration with QuickBooks Online. Reviewers frequently mention the ease of use, the ability to streamline the proposal and billing process, the seamless integration with other platforms, and the responsive customer support. Reviewers noted some limitations such as the inability to create invoices on the go, the lack of customization options for outgoing messages and invoices, and the delay in receiving funds.
170 Twitter followers
Loopio is the most highly-trusted response management software, helping enterprise businesses supercharge and scale their response process for RFPs, RFIs, Security Questionnaires, and more. Loopio str
1,667 Twitter followers
Oracle CPQ Cloud (formerly BigMachines) helps businesses sell products, services, and solutions faster. Enable your sales reps and channel partners with the guideance they need to find the best soluti
Oracle CPQ is a tool that streamlines sales processes, provides guided selling, price optimization, and handles complex bundles with line items of more than 1000 products. Users frequently mention that Oracle CPQ is useful in their workplace, comfortable to use, helps automate complex processes of quoting, pricing, discounting, and approvals, and offers various business configuration options. Users mentioned that Oracle CPQ has a steep learning curve, issues with document generation, challenges with integrations, a complex interface, high costs, potential issues with support and maintenance, and limitations in handling complex industry use cases.
825,317 Twitter followers
GetAccept is a Digital Sales Room platform trusted by more than 5000 revenue teams to help reps spend more time selling and less time on admin. We bring static sales content and scattered communica
GetAccept is a digital sales room that houses all documents and materials for customers, offering features such as contract and deal rooms, Salesforce integration, and customization options. Users like the user-friendly interface, the ability to work entirely within Salesforce, the real-time engagement tracking, the customization options, and the professional and standardized proposals and request forms. Users reported issues with the Salesforce integration, limitations with contracts and fields, a learning curve in setup and navigation, and some advanced Salesforce customization needing extra effort.
1,431 Twitter followers
From lead to cash, Ignition transforms your sales, billing and payments process with seamless automation. Over 8,500 service-based businesses, including accounting, agencies, consulting and financial
Ignition is an AI-driven company that uses AI tools for pricing, developing proposals, and collecting payments, and also offers features for organization and integration with other software. Reviewers frequently mention the ease of use, the seamless integration with other tools, the time-saving aspect, the professionalism it brings, the quick customer support, and the ability to customize contracts. Reviewers noted issues with the level of data access, a learning curve for customized scopes, high pricing, limited customization for pricing options, difficulty in sending change orders, and inability to delete or write off sent invoices.
11,286 Twitter followers
Proposify is the online proposal software that gives you control and visibility into the most important stage of your sales process. The close. From deal design to sign-off, get the confidence and fle
Proposify is a software that automates the creation of business proposals, featuring eSignature capabilities, document processing, and detailed analytics for tracking client engagement. Reviewers appreciate Proposify's ability to simplify the proposal process, provide actionable insights through tracking features, and maintain brand consistency across documents, all of which contribute to increased closing rates and efficient workflow management. Users reported challenges with Proposify's compatibility with mobile devices, limitations in design customization options, occasional slow loading times for larger proposals, and difficulties in navigating the platform due to its advanced technology.
4,228 Twitter followers
Flexible. Scalable. Embedded. Conga Composer transforms how businesses generate documents Disconnected systems and manual workflows make document generation slow, error-prone, and costly. Con
11,113 Twitter followers
Dropbox DocSend helps business professionals like you to securely share and control the content that drives your business forward. Dropbox DocSend's powerful link-based system makes it easy to set sec
DocSend is a document sharing and tracking software that provides insights into document utilization, enables secure sharing, and offers features like bulk upload, full text search, and mobile access. Users frequently mention the ease of use, the ability to track viewer engagement in real time, and the convenience of updating documents without changing the shared link. Reviewers noted that the analytics dashboard can feel crowded for new users, the mobile experience is less intuitive compared to the desktop version, and the pricing can be high for smaller teams.
3,293,925 Twitter followers
How do you 100× your content’s impact? RELAYTO is the AI-powered interactive content experience platform that turns every static PDF, PowerPoint, MP4, or image into a choose-your-own-path experience.
RELAYTO is a tool that transforms static content into interactive, engaging presentations and allows users to embed multimedia, track engagements, and personalize content. Reviewers appreciate the user-friendly interface, the ability to create interactive blogs and articles with drag-and-drop features, customizable templates, and the platform's suitability for those with minimal technical skills. Reviewers mentioned that the advanced customization can be tricky, the software can feel slightly overwhelming for new users, and the performance may occasionally slow down when handling very large files or multimedia-heavy projects.
2,237 Twitter followers
Jotform Sign is a powerful e-signature platform that combines digital signatures with built-in automation to streamline document workflows. Easily create, share, and collect legally binding e-signatur
39,420 Twitter followers
Inventive AI is the fastest growing AI-native response automation platform for RFPs, RFI, Due Diligence Questionnaires (DDQ), security questionnaires (VSQs). Our clients see > 70% efficiency in res
Learn More About Proposal Software
What is Proposal Software?
Proposal software provides features that streamline the process of writing, managing, and sending business proposals. In terms of helping with proposal writing, proposal software offers simple document builder interfaces that make proposals visually appealing as well as easy to read and follow. Some businesses spend countless hours manually building proposals whereas proposal software cuts that time down by providing proposal templates as well as drag and drop features to add visually appealing pictures and content. Proposal software also comes with e-signature integrations which allow customers to promptly scan the document and find the areas where they need to sign.
In terms of helping manage proposals, proposal software generally provides analytics and notification features that can help users track how clients interact with a proposal. This allows users to see how many times a client opened, viewed, or commented on a proposal. Additionally, both the customer and the business that sends the proposal can comment in the proposal if there are any questions the client has. This allows for easy conversation to happen rather than back and forth emails.
What Types of Proposal Software Exist?
Cloud-based proposal software
Cloud products often operate under a SaaS model and are run over the internet (in the cloud). These are generally sold as a subscription and require a recurring payment, most often as monthly or yearly payments. Cloud-based proposal software offers the major advantage of real-time collaboration with the client. This way a company can share their proposal via the internet, then the client can comment in real time and the business can respond with answers. The alternative is downloading the proposal and that can require many back and forth conversations over email or a phone call
On-premise proposal software
An on-premise proposal software is often a one-time payment for a perpetual license. This type of solution is becoming less common across most software vendors as subscription models are taking over. However, for some businesses, an on-premises solution may make sense. For example, on-premises solutions give companies confidence that their servers are locked down and they don’t need to trust another company with their private data. This can make proposals more secure if the data is only being shared between the business sending and receiving the proposal.
What are the Common Features of Proposal Software?
The following are some core features within proposal software that can help users in various ways:
Document builder interface: Proposal software allows users to easily search and add features to a proposal with a document builder interface. This includes customizing the proposal with different templates, branding, and even media. This can be a huge factor in displaying a company’s value. For example, for a landscape or interior design firm, it will be extremely useful to provide videos and pictures displaying how effective their work is. This makes the proposal look clearer and more professional for other businesses.
Collaboration: Oftentimes, a proposal will need members across a variety of teams to jump in and provide expertise where it’s needed. Proposal software allows multiple users to work on the same document, which provides more visibility and support for each proposal. Users can also easily create, edit, and collaborate on supplemental documents, as well as track changes right within the proposal software.
Assembly and approval workflows: A huge benefit of proposal software is task and team management. This allows companies to automate workflows by routing documents to the correct individuals for adding content and approval.
Analytics: Proposal software provides companies with a variety of analytics tools. With engagement tracking features, teams can track who is looking at their proposal, how often, or for how long. Businesses can also use proposal effectiveness reporting. This allows users to see which pieces of content are performing the best and grants the user with custom reports and dashboards on proposal volume and acceptance. These analytics tools will help users craft more effective proposals in the future.
Other Features of Proposal Software: API Integrations, CPQ Integrations, Engagement Tracking Capabilities, Proposal Effectiveness Reporting Capabilities
What are the Benefits of Proposal Software?
Speeds up proposal time: Proposals are often a long, drawn-out process that can take months for businesses to complete. Proposal software reduces the time it takes to complete a proposal by automating plenty of repetitive tasks within the overall proposal process. This includes canned responses to familiar RFP questions, preexisting proposal templates, and automatic price quoting. These features, among others, allow businesses to spend less time on tedious tasks and focus on the overall quality of their proposal.
Improved collaboration: In addition to automation, proposal software aids in content management, team collaboration, and workflow management. With proposal software, employees can work on the document with their coworkers, assign tasks out to relevant teams, and track proposal deadlines.
Who Uses Proposal Software?
Sales teams: Sales teams are a huge part of the proposal process. They are often the ones who must effectively communicate the value of a company’s work, and in doing such, they must respond to RFPs with effective answers. Proposal software allows the sales team to collaborate in real time on a proposal, which allows everyone to add their expertise. Proposal software also allows sales teams to speed up the entire sales process by giving the requesting company the ability to sign the proposal online. Furthermore, proposal software integrates with CRM software, which houses all necessary contact information that must be included in the proposal. This helps identify key stakeholders to include in the proposal.
Marketing teams: A proposal is an important marketing tool for most businesses. Proposal software allows marketing teams to take control over branding and use customizable templates to present proposals with a clear and professional look. Proposal software offers a variety of templates that can be used to play to a company’s strengths. This includes templates that market a company’s SEO, social media, content marketing, video production, and much more.
Proposal managers: Proposal managers can use proposal software to lead team efforts during the proposal process. WIthin proposal software, proposal managers can use project management tools to assign tasks and track the progression of the proposal. This helps keep teams focused and aware of proposal completion deadlines.
What are the Alternatives to Proposal Software?
CPQ software: Configure, price, quote (CPQ) software helps companies automate the lifecycle of the quoting and proposal process, starting with the moment a customer supplies their needs in a company’s offering and ending with sending a detailed quote to the customer or prospect. This can be used as an alternative to proposal software as CPQ software offers many of the same features in addition to pricing features.
Software Related to Proposal Software
Related solutions that can be used together with proposal software include:
CRM software: Many proposal software solutions can integrate with CRM software. If a company uses a CRM, they can research proposal tools for potential integration with that CRM. Ensuring that proposal software integrates well with current systems or expanding the search to more complex systems that can manage proposals is key to choosing the right software.
CPQ software: Proposal software works hand in hand with CPQ software. When companies are crafting their proposals, they often need to send out detailed quotes in line with what they are offering. CPQ software helps companies pull accurate quotes and helps make the proposal process much smoother.
E-signature software: E-signature software gives users the ability to gather signatures on documents shared electronically, eliminating the need for physical documents to record signatures. This is a great tool to integrate with proposal software since most proposals require signatures from the requesting company
Challenges with Proposal Software
Shifting from legacy systems: Proposal software can store documents in their native format, such as Microsoft Word and Excel, PDF, or HTML. The way the existing systems of a company handle these file types, and their preferred document type, can be a potential roadblock when they transfer to using proposal software.
Which Companies Should Buy Proposal Software?
Virtually every business that has an enterprise sales team will, at one time or another, send out a proposal to another company. For this reason, proposal software can truly be utilized by businesses in nearly any industry that must tailor sales proposals to a client. While some proposal software are created for certain industries such as construction, education, healthcare, or financial services, most proposal software are industry agnostic and can be used across any industry that has an enterprise sales team.
How to Buy Proposal Software
Requirements Gathering (RFI/RFP) for Proposal Software
Requirements gathering for proposal software is critical to ensure that the business is implementing a product that meets all of their needs. While some businesses are more focused on the aesthetic presentation of their proposals, other businesses might be more focused on the integration with e-signature software. Whatever a company’s requirements are it is always best to create a list of the must-have features that the business needs to consider purchasing proposal software.
Compare Proposal Software Products
Create a long list
Long lists are created by eliminating software options that do not provide critical functionality. To make a long list for proposal software, a buyer should look at the following functionalities and deem which products provide the necessary functionality:
- E-signature
- Template creation
- Media support for images, audio, and video
- Analytics
- Collaboration
- Quote management
- Contract management
- Payment integrations
- Assembly and approval workflows
Create a short list
Once a buyer has narrowed down their list from the above functionality, it’s important to prepare even more specific requirements. For example, if a company is in a certain industry, they should make sure that there is functionality that might help them create proposals for that industry. Likewise, if a company uses a certain CRM they should make sure that the proposal software integrates with that CRM.
Conduct demos
Demos are one of the most important stages in the buying journey. This allows a buyer to sit through an actual product demo and see if the product matches all of the requirements. To make sure the demo runs smoothly, users must ensure that the vendor has all of the requirements beforehand so they can showcase their features properly.
Selection of Proposal Software
Choose a selection team
The selection team for proposal software should include at least one member from the enterprise sales team, customer success team, and marketing team. These are plausibly the teams that will use proposal software most often, and as such, they should have the most input on desired features of the proposal software.
Negotiation
When negotiating during the purchasing stage, the selection team should always strive to have implementation and ongoing support fees included in the cost. This way if any ongoing support is needed then businesses can always contact their customer success or support representative.
Final decision
After the negotiation stage is conducted, the final decision requires buy-in from everyone on the selection team. It’s important to get everyone on the same page to ensure that all requirements are met and the final decision is supported by everyone involved.
What Does Proposal Software Cost?
As with any software purchase, the price of proposal software can fluctuate based on a lot of things. The first thing that will affect pricing is the number of licenses or seats that a business needs to purchase. This essentially means the number of users that have access to the software with their own logins. For proposal software, this can range anywhere from $19 per user per month up to $70 per user per month. The more seats a user wants to purchase, the more they’ll have to pay.
The reason for the wide range in pricing per seat can be based on a variety of factors. For example, some proposal software is run on a model where the user is charged based on the number of proposals they want to use per month. While the most basic plans allow users to have five active proposals at a time, the highest-priced plans generally allow users to send an unlimited number of proposals per month.
Another factor that contributes to the price of proposal software is the features included. The lowest tiered plans may include basic features such as e-signature and templated proposals, where the most expensive plans include integrations with other software, analytics, and client input forms.
Return on Investment (ROI)
Below is the breakdown of the estimated time to ROI according to the review data on G2 as of December 18, 2020:
- 55% of buyers see an ROI in 6 months or less
- 28% of buyers see an ROI in 7-12 months
- 10% of buyers see an ROI in 13-24 months
- 7% of all other buyers see an ROI from 24 months onwards
Implementation of Proposal Software
How is Proposal Software Implemented?
Implementing proposal software is generally a straightforward process. According to G2 review data as of December 18, 2020, 68% of users were able to implement and go live with proposal software in under a month. Generally, this process is broken down into a few key stages:
- Software installation
- Process review and needs analysis
- Design, configuration, and integrations
- Training
- Post-implementation support
During this process, some users may find a stall in implementation time when it comes to software integrations. Some users like to implement their proposal software with other products in their software stack including CRMs, content management systems, payment processing, and more. This can be a lengthy process so businesses must be prepared for longer implementation times if they go this route.
