Best Proposal Software – 2024 Update

Navigating the landscape of proposal software can feel like searching for the perfect glass slipper. With so many options available, identifying the right fit for your business can be challenging. However, no matter your industry, the core issue remains the same: creating proposals manually is exhausting and time-consuming.

In today's fast-paced business environment, every second spent on repetitive tasks can cost you a deal. You have two choices: continue to waste valuable time on formatting and editing, or invest in proposal software that automates these processes. The right proposal software will not only save you time but also enhance the professionalism and effectiveness of your proposals.

This article will guide you through the top proposal software options for 2024, highlighting key features and considerations to help you make an informed decision. Whether you're a small business or a large enterprise, there's a solution tailored to your needs. Say goodbye to the drudgery of manual proposal creation and hello to streamlined efficiency. Let's explore the best proposal software on the market and find the perfect match for your business.

How to choose the best proposal software solution?

To streamline your decision-making process, we’ve identified key elements that universally represent the needs of most businesses and will help you create compelling sales proposals efficiently.

Before diving into specific features, consider these foundational questions:

1. What is your team’s most significant pain point in the proposal process?
2. What do you aim to achieve by adopting or switching to new proposal software?

Understanding your business's specific needs will guide you in selecting software with the right features. Beyond these personal considerations, here are seven critical factors to evaluate when choosing proposal software:

1. Design functionality

Opt for software with robust design capabilities to reduce creation time and ensure consistent, branded proposals that impress prospects. Look for features such as drag-and-drop options, a visual editor, embed options for videos and other interactive elements, and customizable templates.

2. Analytics

Imagine you got insights into how much time people spend with each component and what actions they've taken within the proposal. A feature like this within your proposal software will help you generate the perfect follow-up cadence explicitly triggered by user behavior rather than elaborate guesswork.

3. Integrations

Imagine if your proposal software could automatically fill customer information into a template, or your customers could purchase right within your proposal. Ensure your proposal software integrates with critical sales or software tools your team works with to keep everything in sync and organized.

4. Automation

An excellent proposal software will take your sales process and turbocharge it with automation while allowing your reps to focus on things like accelerating sales activity and closing quotas.

5. Collaboration

Working together might sound like a given, but many tools companies use to create professional looking proposals do not have excellent collaboration functionality. Even if you work solo, you might need this functionality as your team grows, so choose a proposal software that comes armed with a collaboration feature.

A dedicated proposal team can leverage collaboration features to create more effective and cohesive proposals.

6. Proposal templates

The ability to pull a specific template and modify it easily with pieces from a standing library of content is valuable and saves precious hours. Look for a proposal software that comes armed with a templating feature to ease your workload.

7. Security

There's tons of confidential information in your proposals for both you and your customers, and these are things you'd want to protect.

Best for sales teams: Qwilr

In a perfect world, your prospects would hear your sales pitch and sign on the dotted line instantly. Unfortunately, that’s rare. Sales reps often spend hours creating proposals from scratch, adding context and content to impress prospects, only to repeat the process for the next potential client.

Thankfully, the old way of proposal generation is a thing of the past. With Qwilr, your sales team can create stunning, interactive proposals on the go, without the need for a designer.

The ability to create proposals on the fly saves sales teams hours, allowing them to focus on building pipeline, improving efficiency, increasing win rates, and enhancing customer relationships.

So, which sales proposal software is ideal for your team?

Sales teams today need more than just proposal software. They require tools with drag-and-drop editors, robust analytics, integration capabilities with other sales tools, and ready-to-use templates.

Qwilr offers all this and more. Sales reps can create winning proposals using its extensive template library, gain real-time insights into proposal engagement, add interactive pricing quotes, and get deals signed directly within the proposal using Qwilr’s electronic signatures. In short, Qwilr provides everything a modern sales team needs, including quick sign-offs and streamlined workflows.

Key features of Qwilr:

• Easy onboarding: Signing up for Qwilr is straightforward. Book a 15-minute demo to see how your team can save time, stand out, and close more deals.
• Pricing: Qwilr offers business and enterprise plans starting at USD $35, with a 14-day free trial.
• Use cases: Qwilr can be used by sales, marketing, sales operations, customer success, and recruitment teams.
• Templates: Qwilr provides over 100 professional proposal templates, including those for SaaS and marketing proposals.
• Tracking & analytics: Users can track who engaged with their content and which sections were viewed​​.
• Integrations: Qwilr integrates seamlessly with various CRM software, including HubSpot and Salesforce, and other sales tools​​​​.
• Standout features: Automated content creation helps sales teams produce materials on the go. Qwilr also offers a powerful content library for reusability.
• Customer support: 24/7 customer support – lighter support on weekends and holidays.

We may be a little biased, but don’t just take our word for it. Here’s a direct quote from Jesse Green, a seasoned Revenue Operations professional from SixFifty, sharing his experience with Qwilr for proposal creation and management:

There's numerous other leaders in the sales, marketing and RevOps space that have great things to say about Qwilr. Here are some more of our favourite examples here, here and here.

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Best for beginners: PowerPoint

When you're just starting your business, potentially as a one-person operation, efficiency is paramount. You need to manage every aspect of your business while attracting new clients. The more efficient you are with your time, the more you can grow your business.

This applies to your sales proposals too, even if the process can be mundane and repetitive. In a world where first impressions matter greatly, a lackluster approach to creating proposals is not an option. The goal is to impress your clients from the first interaction while keeping your budget in check.

PowerPoint has long been the go-to software for beginners, and for good reason. Creating online proposals using PowerPoint is easy, affordable, and requires no technical skills. PowerPoint allows users to edit, share, and track changes in their presentations. The user interface is intuitive, making it an ideal solution for small businesses seeking a comprehensive tool to create proposal documents.

Key features of PowerPoint:

• Pricing: Standalone PowerPoint subscription is available for $6.99/month (one-time license) or as a bundle with the Microsoft 365 suite for $109.99. Trial days are available.
• Use case: PowerPoint is suitable for freelancers, creative businesses, and small to mid-sized businesses.
• Templates: PowerPoint offers customizable themes and templates in 40+ categories. Users can also create templates from scratch or duplicate existing ones.
• Tracking & analytics: Users can track changes using the Compare feature.
• Integrations: PowerPoint integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft Office tools such as Excel and Word, making it easy to insert charts, graphs, and other content into proposals.
• Standout feature: PowerPoint allows users to add multimedia elements such as videos, images, and audio, enhancing the visual appeal of proposals.
• Customer support: PowerPoint users can access support via email, chat, FAQs, and a knowledge base.

PowerPoint remains a strong choice for beginners due to its ease of use, affordability, and integration with the Microsoft suite of tools. It enables small businesses to create professional and visually engaging proposals without needing advanced technical skills.

Best for new businesses: Canva

Starting a business is challenging, and as you manage clients, stay organized, and keep up with tasks, you need less busy work and more time spent on sales activities that drive growth. Automating repetitive tasks, like proposal creation, can save valuable time and resources.

Canva, a cloud-based design tool, is likely already part of your tech stack for creating marketing assets, managing your brand, and brainstorming ideas. But can you create proposals with Canva? Absolutely. With its ready-to-use templates, powerful features (like stock images, resizing, and brand elements), and user-friendly interface, creating a visually stunning proposal with Canva is simple and efficient.

As your business scales and you add more clients, you might consider a more comprehensive proposal automation software like Qwilr, which is designed for growing sales teams and offers more than just beautiful visuals.

Key features of Canva:

• Pricing: Canva offers a free version, Canva Pro ($119.99/year), and Canva for Teams ($14.99/month per user). For new businesses, the Pro account is ideal for its powerful branding elements.
• Use case: Sales and marketing teams, non-profits, startups, creative agencies.
• Templates: Canva offers beautifully designed free and paid templates for quick proposal creation.
• Tracking & analytics: Canva provides insights on daily unique views, viewers, unique links, and other metrics.
• Integrations: Canva integrates with Slack, Google Drive, WordPress, Asana, and other CRM software, social media, and productivity tools.
• Standout feature: Canva allows users to add beautiful graphs to proposals, transforming raw data into visually appealing, easy-to-understand formats.
• Customer support: Limited support is available through the help center and ticketing system.

Best for freelancers: Fiverr Workplace

Sending a meticulous proposal is crucial when you're a freelancer. It's often the first and most important touchpoint a lead will have with your business, and it needs to make a strong impression. Fiverr Workspace goes beyond creating visually stunning proposals, ensuring that freelancers can focus their billable hours on closing deals rather than managing sales documents.

Fiverr Workspace enables freelancers to create better proposals, attach contracts, and collect deposits all in one place, making project management seamless and efficient.

Key features of Fiverr Workspace:

• Pricing: Fiverr Workspace provides a full suite of business management tools at $24/month, including proposal software.
• Use case: Freelancers, small businesses, and agencies.
• Templates: While Fiverr Workspace doesn't offer pre-made templates, it allows you to create customized proposals.
• Tracking & analytics: Users can track open and click rates and see when a proposal is signed.
• Integrations: Fiverr Workspace integrates with other apps via Zapier.
• Standout feature: Fiverr Workspace sends automatic reminders to clients with open proposals, so you don’t have to.
• Customer support: Free live chat is available 12 hours a day, along with 24/7 email support.

Best for non-profits: Google Workspace

The growth of your non-profit relies heavily on soliciting donations, attracting volunteers, and amplifying your mission. While repetitive tasks can waste valuable time, regularly sending proposals to attract funding, grants, and support is crucial. These efforts present significant revenue opportunities for your organization.

With limited budgets and resources, maximizing efficiency is key. Google Workspace offers an affordable solution with exceptional functionality. Armed with tools like Docs, Sheets, and Slides, you can create comprehensive proposals without needing a designer. Google Slides simplifies the proposal creation process with easy-to-design templates and allows you to add videos, images, drawings, and seamless transitions. You can also import graphs and data from Sheets effortlessly.

Key features of Google Workspace:

• Pricing: Google Workspace offers a variety of pricing plans, starting with the Business Starter plan at $6/user/month, which includes access to business email, Workspace products, and video conferencing.
• Use case: Ideal for small to medium businesses across industries.
• Templates: Google Slides offers templates, and users can create slides from scratch and save them as reusable templates.
• Tracking & analytics: Provides notifications and insights into change history.
• Integrations: Google Slides integrates with a wide variety of apps, enhancing the experience with Add-ons or simple Apps Script.
• Standout feature: Offers a co-editing feature where several people can work on the same slide simultaneously.
• Customer support: 24/7 support is available for users.

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Best for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME): Adobe Express for business

For SMEs, generating new business is crucial. The more leads that convert into clients, the better for the business. However, without a convincing proposal, deals won't progress. If you're looking to ease the workload on your team, Adobe Express for Business is the perfect solution.

Adobe Express allows you to make the best first impression without your team having to create custom proposals from scratch each time. The tool offers a wide variety of features, including templates, stock images, and easy integration with Adobe Creative Cloud workflows and libraries.

Key features of Adobe Express:

• Pricing: Contact Adobe for customized pricing. Adobe Express is free if your organization already has an Adobe Creative Cloud Plan.
• Use case: Ideal for marketing, sales, human resources, and creative departments.
• Templates: Offers a variety of templates, including branded templates from the library.
• Tracking & analytics: No tracking and analytics are available.
• Integrations: Integrates with Adobe Suite tools, Google, Microsoft, Canvas, Flipgrid, and more.
• Standout feature: Adobe Express is available in multiple languages, making it easy to localize proposals.
• Customer support: Customer support is available through help docs and chat.

Best for enterprise: Qwilr

Enterprise companies face unique sales challenges, and their success depends on selling faster and managing the revenue lifecycle effectively. This includes better sales pipeline management while delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Standalone sales proposal tools may seem handy, but they don’t fully cater to enterprise business requirements. It makes more sense to invest in an all-in-one tool that connects every stage of your sales process seamlessly and allows you to close deals faster.

Qwilr’s sales proposal platform is an excellent automated solution for enterprise businesses looking to ship customized business proposals at every sales stage. Instead of spending hours collating images and defining various key elements of the proposal, Qwilr allows sales teams to collaborate and track buyer engagement while scaling the sales experience with automation. A proposal manager can utilize Qwilr's features to ensure compliance and create winning proposals for enterprise clients.

Key features of Qwilr:

• Pricing: Qwilr offers its enterprise plan at USD $59/user/month (billed annually).
• Use case: Qwilr can be used by sales, marketing, sales ops, customer success, and recruitment teams.
• Templates: Yes, Qwilr offers over 100+ professional proposal templates, including enterprise proposals.
• Tracking & analytics: Users can see who engaged with their content and what they viewed.
• Integrations: Qwilr integrates easily with various sales software, including CRM, sales, and payment tools like Stripe.
• Standout feature: Automated content creation helps the sales team create content on the go. Deals can be signed using Qwilr’s e-sign feature.
• Customer support: 24/7 customer support on weekdays with limited support on weekends and holidays.

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