Reviews
Part of How to weigh evidence in proposal software reviews before buying
Proposal software best providers explained for UK buying teams
A listicle framework for comparing proposal software best providers, with inclusion criteria, a comparison table and due diligence questions for UK buying teams.
What to take away
- Best overall for most England-based teamsPandaDoc, which combines quotes, CRM sync and e-signature. Best value: Better Proposals, the only provider here with a UK company and sterling pricing. Best for CRM: HubSpot quotes. Best for long RFP answers: Loopio.
- Only Better Proposals of the named set is a UK business. The others sell from North America and Australia and usually bill in US dollars.
- Compare on six fieldspricing model, document types, integrations, data region, support terms and exit terms.
- Convert every list price to sterling and check the VAT treatment before you sign.
The shortlist verdict, by team shape
The shortlist verdict
Provider
- Best overall
- PandaDoc
- Best value
- Better Proposals
- Best for CRM
- HubSpot quotes
- Best for bid teams
- Loopio
Why it wins
- Best overall
- Quotes, e-signature and CRM sync in one tool
- Best value
- UK company, flat sterling pricing
- Best for CRM
- Included with paid Sales Hub seats
- Best for bid teams
- Answer library for long RFP questionnaires
Watch for
- Best overall
- Seat cost climbs; CPQ billed separately
- Best value
- Fewer native integrations
- Best for CRM
- Weak outside HubSpot
- Best for bid teams
- Annual, quote-based contracts
A provider qualifies if it creates, sends or tracks proposals and quotes, then collects acceptance. Document builders with no send or tracking step sit outside the category.
Does a provider qualify?
Creates, sends or tracks proposals and quotes?
qualifies: standalone tool, CRM quoting module or CPQ
document builder only: outside the category
Decide which sub-types matter before you read any list, because one built for enterprise CPQ will not help a five-person sales team. Our full review and comparison method sets out how to weight those sub-types.
What each provider does well, and its main limitation
What each provider does well
- PandaDoc (San Francisco)supports ESIGN and eIDAS signature standards and syncs with major CRMs. Seat pricing and the CPQ add-on are charged separately.
- Proposify (Halifax, Canada)the strongest template and brand control for design-led proposals. No CPQ, and list prices are in US dollars.
- Qwilr (Sydney)proposals build as web pages and can take Stripe payments. PDF-first buyers pay for features they will not use.
- Better Proposals (Brighton, England)flat pricing and sterling invoices. Fewer native integrations than PandaDoc.
- Loopio (Toronto)answer library and workflow for lengthy RFP questionnaires. Annual contracts priced for bid teams.
- Salesforce CPQ (San Francisco)product rules and pricing logic at scale. Needs Sales Cloud plus an implementation partner.
- HubSpot quotesincluded with paid Sales Hub seats. Only worth using if HubSpot already holds your pipeline.
Cost comparison in one currency
| Provider | List price as published | Indicative GBP, ex VAT |
|---|---|---|
| PandaDoc | from $35 per user per month, annual | about £28 |
| Proposify | $29 to $99 per user per month | about £23 to £79 |
| Qwilr | from about $35 per user per month | about £28 |
| Better Proposals | £19 to £49 per user per month | £19 to £49 |
| Salesforce CPQ | about $75 per user per month at list | about £60 |
| Loopio, Responsive, Conga | quote-based annual contracts | not publicly listed |
Converted at an illustrative £1 = $1.25. Check the rate on the day you buy.
A UK supplier adds 20% VAT to a sterling invoice. An overseas supplier is generally outside the scope of UK VAT, so your business accounts for the tax under the reverse charge. GOV.UK's VAT rates page lists the standard rate to expect.
Data residency, contracts and the ICO rules
Only Better Proposals holds a UK company among the named providers, which simplifies contract law, invoicing and support hours. The rest are overseas suppliers whose data processing addendum states the hosting region and sub-processors used. Ask for that addendum and the standard contract, not a summary.
Where proposal software pulls contact records from a CRM, the ICO's GDPR guide sets out controller and processor duties. Public-sector buyers often ask for a UK or EU hosting region, so confirm it before the security review rather than after.
For a worked example of applying these filters provider by provider, see our England product comparison walkthrough.
Market context worth citing
The ONS business services statistics cover activity across UK service industries, including the professional and business services that buy quoting tools. They give a defensible baseline in place of a vendor's addressable-market slide.
A comparison you can repeat in five steps
- List every document you sendquotes, statements of work, renewals and RFP answers.
- Price each provider at your seat count for year one, including setup or partner fees.
- Confirm the hosting region, sub-processors and export formats in writing.
- Run a live walkthrough using your own template, with two references from your sector.
- Score each vendor against weighted criteria and file the evidence beside the score.
Setting weights before you see prices stops a cheap option from winning on price alone. Our proposal software budget template covers the renewal and seat-growth costs that list pricing hides.
Example: weighting three vendors for a five-person team
Illustrative weights for a five-person England-based agency: cost 30 per cent, CRM integration 25 per cent, UK data region 25 per cent, support 20 per cent. PandaDoc leads on integration. Better Proposals leads on cost and data region. Qwilr leads on client-facing design. Change a weight and the winner changes, which is why published rankings rarely transfer.
Common questions
Which proposal software is best for a small England-based team?
Better Proposals for flat sterling pricing from a UK company, or PandaDoc where CRM sync and e-signature matter more than cost. HubSpot quotes is enough if HubSpot already holds your pipeline.
Do we need UK data hosting?
Not by law, but a UK or EU region can simplify your own GDPR position and some public-sector buyers request it. Only Better Proposals of the named set is a UK company, so check the addendum for the others.
How do we compare dollar and sterling prices fairly?
Fix one exchange rate, convert every list price, then add the VAT treatment. A UK supplier invoices in sterling plus 20% VAT. An overseas supplier generally does not.
How often should we re-run the comparison?
Before each renewal and whenever seat count or document types change. Tiers and integrations move faster than annual budget cycles.
