Qwilr or PandaDoc: which should you choose?

“It’s no longer the big beating the small, but the fast beating the slow.” – Eric Pearson

If you’re searching for proposal software, you’re likely looking to solve one or more challenges:

• You seek a high-quality visual representation of your brand and compelling collateral that stands out
• You want to improve your sales effectiveness, win rates, and the ROI of your team’s efforts
• You desire something that’s easy to use and scales as you grow

And if you’ve arrived at this page, you’re either having a tough time deciding between Qwilr or PandaDoc or are frustrated with your current choice and are looking for alternatives.

Fear not; we’ll help demystify the process and break down the differences between Qwilr and PandaDoc and why Qwilr is the better alternative to PandaDoc.

Design and content capabilities

Research proves the quality of your sales materials matters; how your sales proposal looks creates an immediate impression with buyers. And when buyers are talking to several other solution providers, that first impression causes them to notice you and take action— or move on to someone else.

Both Qwilr and PandaDoc offer proposal templates as a helpful starting point for creating a compelling proposal, but that’s where the similarities end. 

When comparing each company’s software proposal template, the visual differences are obvious. One is essentially a Word doc uploaded into the proposal software. The other is designed for web use, incorporating essential design elements to create a memorable impression and buyer impact.

PandaDoc:

Qwilr:

Of course, all templates can be modified for your own usage and one might argue that images or other features could be added to make a plain template look better. Let’s take a behind-the-scenes at how this would be done and your options with both Qwilr and PandaDoc.

Content blocks available with PandaDoc:

Qwilr content blocks:

While both offerings appear similar, there are a few key differences:

Notice Qwilr’s “Embed” option? The embed feature allows users to insert interactive content from other sources, like Calendly, Google maps, forms, and more. 

No other proposal software on the market today provides extensive, embeddable content; the embed feature is unique to Qwilr.

Additionally, Qwilr’s block library allows your team to create and save custom blocks, so your sales team can quickly add them into their proposals as needed. As a result, your team saves time and you can feel confident that you are delivering a consistent brand experience to every customer.

“Qwilr presentations, without question, set us apart from the competition. The dynamic nature of the product (e.g. including videos, slide animation, etc) gives the impression of us being a vibrant, forward-thinking organization that genuinely understands our prospect’s business – and that’s just due to the visuals!”

Jeff M., VP of partnerships

Interactive features

Of course, a sales proposal isn’t all aesthetics; it’s about building your business case and communicating the value of your product or service. Specific tools, like product videos or an ROI calculator, can be compelling components to engage your buyer and make your offer indisputable. Both Qwilr and PandaDoc have embeddable video capabilities, but that is the extent of PandaDoc’s interactivity. Only Qwilr has customizable tools that add unique impact— let’s take a deeper look.

ROI Calculator

ROI calculators allow a brand to visualize the value of a product or service. Calculators are not new, but inserting them into a sales proposal is— and Qwilr is the only proposal software that offers it. 

Qwilr’s ROI calculator selection is robust, allowing users to choose from several presets, depending on the value you want to communicate: dollar savings, time gains, percentage, or resources saved. Additionally, Qwilr’s ROI calculators can be customized, from the value displayed to the unit measurement to visual appeal. Once you set up your calculator, buyers can use the slider to show the impact of moving forward with your offer. And, sellers can also leverage the savings to help push the deal forward and accelerate closing.

Configurable pricing

How and when to present price in your sales discussions is always a sensitive subject. The same applies to how you present the financials in your sales proposal. Qwilr’s interactive quote feature allows more flexibility, customization, and functionality over PandaDoc. 

PandaDoc

PandaDoc’s pricing table design capabilities are limited. The only styling option available to customers is changing the color of the table formatting; the overall user experience is very similar to an Excel spreadsheet.

PandaDoc does allow for some buyer interactivity although it too, is limited. With a basic table presentation, buyers are only allowed to select a package offered and not much more.

Qwilr

Qwilr, on the other hand, offers fully configurable pricing, meaning the seller sets each line item to be required or optional as well as quantity variables. As a result, the buyer can not only select the package and options they want but adjust quantities as well. The total, based on buyer selection, is shown at the bottom.

Additionally, Qwilr just released a recurring pricing feature, helpful for organizations with subscription-based models and ongoing fees. PandaDoc does not offer a recurring pricing option at this time.

Or, if you want to present different packages to your buyer, Qwilr also offers a tiered (sometimes called “good-better-best”) pricing presentation. Not only is it fully customizable, but adds visual flair and buyer clarity to your pricing. (And yes, it’s also another feature exclusive to Qwilr.)

Software ROI

Ease of use and return on investment are always a concern with any software. Here again, Qwilr comes out on top. In an independent review conducted by the third-party review site G2, Qwilr was named the leader in four primary categories, including easiest set-up and highest ease of use, and best and shortest ROI.

PandaDoc’s ROI timespan came in almost twice as long as Qwilr, averaging at nine months. Additionally, 6% of PandaDoc users reported never receiving total payback for their investment. Overall, 77% of Qwilr users average six months or less for a return on their investment, with the period for full payback averaging five months.

Hosted PDF vs. Web page

Buyer behavior and preferences are constantly evolving and changing. As an example, where and when a proposal will be read is out of your control. A buyer may be viewing your document on a desktop computer or mobile device— your proposal needs to look great and provide a positive user experience on both. And this is where many proposals fail, and brings us to our last and not-so-obvious difference between PandaDoc and Qwilr: proposals as a web page.

PandaDoc’s platform allows users to create digital documents, just as Google Docs allows teams to collaborate and share documents online, too. Notice in PandaDoc’s content options that page break is listed? The reason is PandaDocs are built in a traditional document and page format. 

As you compare your proposal software options, think of PandaDoc as a hosted PDF solution. In other words, a PandaDoc is the equivalent of a PDF that lives in the cloud: not editable by readers, can be viewed regardless of the operating system, and a link is used to share a document. And also like a PDF, PandaDocs are not mobile responsive, which makes viewing on anything but a desktop computer a frustrating experience for your buyer.

Qwilr takes a much different approach to proposal creation. Unlike PandaDoc, Qwilr proposals are web pages with all the possible capabilities as you would expect with a web page: animations/gifs, video, interactive features like surveys, and in-page buyer conveniences and deal accelerators such as e-signatures and payments. Additionally, with web page functionality, Qwilr has much greater potential for creativity in the content that can be embedded. After all, your proposal has the power of the web behind it; it’s not just a hosted PDF. 

“Only Qwilr gave us the ability to customize and create a proposal that reflects the quality and professionalism of our product. We selected Qwilr after looking at HubSpot’s native quote tool and PandaDoc. Qwilr also has the faster page load speed, best mobile responsiveness, and the simplest signature process that met our legal requirements.”

Marc G, Director of business development

Qwilr as an alternative to PandaDoc

When choosing proposal software, compare the features, the capabilities, the costs, and the anticipated ROI of your purchase. When you take a closer look at what both Qwilr and PandaDoc provide, it’s clear why Qwilr was named the overall leader in the proposal software category; the limited technology of a hosted PDF just doesn’t compare to the virtually unlimited capabilities of a web-based proposal. But don’t just take our word for it— see for yourself and start your free Qwilr trial now.