Your account manager just texted. “Client needs the proposal by tomorrow morning.”
It’s 8 PM. You’re staring at a blank Word document. You know what comes next. You’ll be here until midnight copying content from old proposals and fighting with formatting.
What if you could create professional proposals in 17 minutes instead of 8 hours? What if 43% of your proposals actually won business within 24 hours?
This isn’t marketing talk. Agencies using modern proposal software achieve this every day. While you’re wrestling with Word documents, your competitors are delivering professional presentations and moving to next steps.
What Proposal Software Actually Does for Marketing Agencies
Proposal software transforms how you win business.
Think of it this way. Your CRM is like your contact book. Project management software is your calendar. Proposal software is your perfectly tailored sales presentation that never has an off day. It knows your brand, remembers your best work, and presents everything professionally even when you’re rushing.
But why do marketing agencies need something different from what everyone else uses? You’re not just maintaining one brand voice. You’re showcasing your agency’s professionalism while hinting at your ability to handle each client’s unique brand needs. Try explaining that constraint to Microsoft Word.
Your proposals need to demonstrate capability through case studies and creative samples. Generic tools make this a formatting nightmare. B2B buyers expect proposals within 24-48 hours now. Manual processes can’t keep pace without sacrificing quality.
Calculate the Real Cost of Your Current Manual Process
Let’s quantify what manual proposal creation actually costs your agency.
Track your next proposal from start to finish. Research takes 3-4 hours. Content creation eats up 6-8 hours. Design consumes another 4-6 hours. Review cycles demand 3-5 hours. Delivery requires 1-2 hours.
Your total investment? 17-25 hours per proposal.
If you create 15 proposals monthly, you’re investing 255-375 hours. That’s nearly 10 full work weeks on proposal creation alone. How much billable work could your team complete in 10 weeks?
Multiple team members editing documents creates confusion and errors. You have no insight into which proposals perform best. Where do prospects lose interest? What content drives decisions? You just don’t know.
Calculate how much these hidden costs actually cost your agency.
Top 7 Proposal Software Solutions That Marketing Agencies Actually Use and Recommend
Based on 2025 market analysis and real agency implementations, here are the platforms delivering measurable results. But which one fits your agency’s specific needs?
PandaDoc Works Best for Agencies That Need Enterprise Features
PandaDoc Pricing: $35/user monthly for Starter, $65/user monthly for Business ($19 for Starter/$49 for Business if paid annually)
PandaDoc offers the most comprehensive feature set with advanced CRM integration. They report users create documents in under 4 minutes and see a 20% increase in close rates.
PandaDoc makes them different for agencies with over 1,000 templates and marketing-specific options. Interactive pricing tables let prospects see exactly what they’re getting. Advanced analytics show where prospects spend time in your proposals. The platform tracks when documents are read, forwarded, or signed.
Real agency results show 4x faster proposal creation. The catch comes with features that can feel overwhelming for smaller agencies. Many advanced capabilities require higher-tier plans. The interface has a learning curve that some teams find steep.
Is your agency serving enterprise clients who expect sophisticated presentations? PandaDoc provides that level of professionalism. Are you a smaller agency just getting started? The complexity might be overkill for your needs.
Proposify Specifically Targets Marketing Agencies
Proposify Pricing: Basic at $29/user monthly or $19/user annually. Team at $49/user quarterly or $41/user annually. Business at $65/user annually only.
Proposify consistently ranks #1 on G2 for agencies. Their users report 2x industry average close rates. They built their platform specifically for agencies and consultants.
Agency-specific features include white-label capabilities that remove Proposify branding. Custom fields let you personalize proposals quickly. Client input forms enable collaborative proposal development. Real-time commenting streamlines approval workflows.
What sets them apart is the focus on professional presentation. Their templates are designed specifically for creative agencies. Professional design services are available for custom template creation. Agencies report proposals that used to take 2 hours now take 15 minutes.
The downside? The pricing structure favors committed users with quarterly and annual billing requirements. Limited monthly options mean higher upfront costs. But agencies using Proposify say the investment pays off quickly.
Do you create enough proposals to justify the higher price point? Would the time savings alone cover the cost?
Better Proposals Excels at Visual Design and Affordability
Better Proposal Pricing: Starter at $19/user monthly or $13/annually. Premium at $29/user monthly or $21. Enterprise at $49/user monthly or $42.
Better Proposals built their platform for design-conscious agencies. They offer 160+ professional templates with exceptional visual design focus. Users report conversion rates over 70%.
Creative agencies love unlimited customization with complete control over fonts, colors, and layouts. The drag-and-drop visual builder makes changes easy. Interactive elements include embedded videos and live chat integration. Mobile-responsive proposals look perfect on every device.
The content library system lets you reuse standard agency services efficiently. Portfolio showcase integration embeds case studies seamlessly. Password protection and custom domains create professional presentation.
Their analytics show exactly when proposals are opened and how much time prospects spend on each section. This intelligence helps you optimize follow-up timing and content strategy.
But do you really need all these design features? Would simpler solutions work better for your workflow?
Qwilr Delivers Interactive Web-Based Proposals
Qwlir Pricing: $39 per user monthly for Business $35 if paid annually, $59 for Enterprise (annual billing only). Enterprise requires minimum 10 users.
Qwilr reimagines proposals as interactive web pages rather than static documents. Interactive proposals see 3x higher engagement rates compared to traditional formats.
Innovation advantages include web-based proposals with instant loading on any device. Interactive pricing calculators let prospects customize service packages during review. Live collaboration enables prospects to comment and ask questions directly within proposals. Real-time notifications show when prospects are actively reviewing.
The platform excels at showcasing marketing case studies through visual storytelling capabilities. Advanced pricing tables support complex service configurations. Built-in ROI calculators help prospects understand value propositions.
The question becomes whether your prospects are ready for this level of interactivity. Do they prefer traditional formats? The interactive format requires prospects to adapt to new proposal experiences.
GetAccept Handles Complex Sales Processes Beyond Proposals
GetAccept Pricing: $25-$49 per user monthly with custom enterprise options (5 users minimum). Ranked #19 in G2’s Top 50 Sales Products of 2024.
GetAccept evolved from proposal software to comprehensive digital sales room functionality. They serve over 40,000 users across 5,000+ enterprises.
Process integration benefits include centralized buyer interaction hubs. Video messaging enables personalized proposal delivery. Live chat capabilities support real-time communication during proposal review. Comprehensive audit trails document entire sales cycles.
Recent 2025 developments include Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration and enhanced HubSpot connectivity. Conditional content with “If-Then” logic enables dynamic document assembly.
The platform works best for agencies with complex sales processes requiring document management beyond proposals. But added complexity may overwhelm agencies with straightforward proposal needs.
Does your agency need this level of integration? Would it overcomplicate your current process?
Prospero Offers Budget-Friendly AI Integration
Prospero Pricing: $19 monthly or $12 if paid annually (most affordable option in our research). Offers unlimited proposals and built-in AI writing assistant.
Prospero targets budget-conscious agencies while providing professional capabilities. Their value proposition focuses on ease of use with agency-level design standards.
Key differentiators include AI-powered content generation for faster proposal creation. WhatsApp integration for direct client communication. Simplified pricing structure with unlimited document creation. Professional templates specifically designed for creative agencies.
User feedback consistently rates Prospero as “Best Value” with 4.9/5 ratings for pricing. Agencies appreciate the professional appearance without premium costs. The AI writing assistant helps overcome blank page syndrome.
Limited advanced features compared to premium platforms. But for smaller agencies or those just starting with proposal software, Prospero provides professional results at accessible pricing.
What’s your realistic budget for proposal software? Would the money saved justify fewer features?
Loopio Specializes in Complex RFP Responses
Loopio Pricing: Custom pricing based on requirements. Focuses specifically on complex RFP responses and compliance requirements.
Loopio specializes in large-scale proposal management for agencies serving enterprise clients with formal RFP processes. Their platform handles complex compliance requirements and multi-stakeholder approval workflows.
Enterprise features include centralized content libraries with version control. Collaboration tools for distributed proposal teams. Compliance tracking for regulated industries. Advanced analytics for proposal performance optimization.
The platform works best for agencies regularly responding to formal RFPs from large enterprises. Government contractors and agencies serving Fortune 500 clients benefit from Loolio’s specialized compliance features.
But the complexity and pricing make it overkill for most marketing agencies. Unless you’re regularly handling formal RFP processes, simpler platforms provide better value.
Do you regularly respond to formal RFPs? Does your agency work with government or Fortune 500 clients who require compliance documentation?
Platform Pricing Comparison With Official 2025 Rates
| Platform | Monthly Price | Annual Price | Best For | Key Strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PandaDoc | $35-$65/user | $19-$49/user | Enterprise clients | 1,000+ templates, advanced CRM integration |
| Proposify | $29-$49/user | $19-$41/user | Established agencies | Agency-specific features, 2x close rates |
| Better Proposals | $19-$49/user | $13-$42/user | Design-focused agencies | 160+ templates, 70% conversion rates |
| Qwilr | $39-$59/user | $35/user | Tech-savvy prospects | Interactive web proposals, 3x engagement |
| GetAccept | $25-$49/user | Contact for pricing | Complex sales cycles | Digital sales rooms, video integration |
| Prospero | $19/user | $12/user | Budget-conscious agencies | AI writing assistant, unlimited proposals |
| Loopio | Custom pricing | Custom pricing | RFP specialists | Enterprise compliance, workflow automation |
Prices are per user per month unless otherwise noted. Some platforms require minimum users or annual commitments.
How to Choose the Right Proposal Software Without Making Expensive Mistakes
Don’t start with software features. Start with your current process.
Map out exactly how you create proposals today. Where do you waste time? What causes the most frustration? Where do quality issues happen? Identify your top 3 pain points before looking at any software.
Different platforms excel for different agency profiles. Solo consultants and small agencies need ease of use and cost efficiency. You don’t need enterprise features. You need something that works quickly and doesn’t require extensive setup.
Mid-size agencies need balance. Features matter, but so do collaboration capabilities. You need something that scales with your team but doesn’t overwhelm new users.
Large agencies need integration, security, and advanced analytics. You’re likely serving enterprise clients who have specific compliance requirements.
Which category fits your agency?
Think about who reviews your proposals. SMB clients often prefer simple, straightforward proposals. They want clear information and easy decision-making. Fancy interactive features might confuse rather than impress.
Enterprise clients expect sophisticated presentation and security. They might require specific compliance certifications. They often have complex approval processes.
What do your clients actually value in proposals?
Use actual client opportunities during trials. Don’t just click around demo content. Use real prospects during your trial period. This reveals practical challenges that demo environments miss.
Include multiple team members in testing. Different roles stress different platform capabilities. Your account managers care about client collaboration. Your creative team cares about design control. Your leadership cares about analytics.
Set clear success criteria before you start testing. What would make this trial successful? Faster proposal creation? Better client feedback? Improved team collaboration?
Essential Security and Compliance Requirements That Agencies Must Consider
Marketing agencies handle sensitive client information. Your clients trust you with their strategic information.
Proposals contain strategic information, budget details, and competitive insights. Your platform must provide AES-256 encryption as minimum standard. Role-based permissions should limit information access. Secure sharing needs password protection and expiration dates.
Agencies serving regulated industries need verified compliance. HIPAA compliance is required for healthcare clients. SOC 2 certification demonstrates security controls. GDPR compliance is essential for agencies with European clients.
According to research, 73% of B2B buyers consider vendor security practices during selection processes. Are you prepared for these conversations?
Team members should access only information necessary for their roles:
- Account managers get full access to their assigned accounts and proposals
- Creative team members access templates and portfolio content with limited client data access
- Leadership sees analytics and performance data across all proposals
- Freelancers and contractors receive project-specific access with automatic expiration
Your platform should maintain complete logs. Who accessed which proposals and when? What changes were made and by whom? Version histories with clear attribution prevent confusion.
Larger clients often require security assessments of agency vendors. Prepare documentation covering platform security certifications, data handling policies, and access control procedures.
Check if your current proposals meet your clients’ security expectations.
Remote Work Optimization for Distributed Agency Teams
The distributed work reality fundamentally changed agency operations. Proposal software selection becomes critical for maintaining productivity across remote teams.
Modern proposal platforms support sophisticated change tracking. Automatic merging of simultaneous edits provides conflict resolution with clear attribution. Contextual feedback and discussion threads offer comment systems. Digital sign-off processes eliminate email chains.
Research shows 67% of business documents get initially reviewed on mobile devices. Platform optimization becomes essential.
Smart alerts based on team member time zones provide automated notifications. Visual progress indicators offer deadline tracking. Clear procedures for passing work between team members establish handoff protocols.
Proposals that present well via video conferencing offer screen sharing compatibility. Interactive elements work in virtual environments. Ensure prospects can review and approve from any device.
Accept proposals without leaving the platform with embedded signing. Ensure e-signatures meet regulatory requirements. Complete documentation provides audit trails.
Evaluate whether your current remote work policies provide adequate client data protection.
Budget Planning and What You Really Need to Know About Costs
Platform subscription costs just the starting point. Real costs include training time, template development, and integration setup.
Most platforms charge monthly per-user fees with annual discounts. Entry level costs $8-25 per user monthly. Professional tier runs $35-50 per user monthly. Enterprise level requires $65+ per user monthly or custom pricing.
Some platforms charge additional costs for onboarding. Standard setup costs $500-2,000. Custom implementation requires $3,000-10,000. Professional services add costs for template design.
Agencies never budget for these hidden costs. Training and adoption require significant time commitment. Initial training needs 8-16 hours per user. Template development requires 40-80 hours for creating quality libraries.
Temporary efficiency loss during adoption affects productivity. Expect 20-30% productivity decrease for first 4-6 weeks. Running old and new systems simultaneously during transition creates dual process demands.
What’s your current monthly cost for proposal creation when you factor in all hidden expenses?
Complete Evaluation Framework for Agency Decision Makers
Different platforms excel for different agency profiles. Solo consultants with 1-5 people should focus on ease of use and cost efficiency. Mid-size agencies with 6-25 people need balance between features and collaboration. Large agencies with 25+ people should prioritize integration and security.
SMB-focused agencies should emphasize speed and cost efficiency. Enterprise client agencies need security, compliance, and sophistication. Mixed client bases require platform flexibility.
Use actual opportunities rather than artificial scenarios. Choose 2-3 current prospects for authentic testing. Allow sufficient time for complete proposal cycle testing. Measure results compared to traditional process.
Test with account managers, creative team, and leadership. Test different proposal types and complexity levels. Gather user experience insights systematically.
Strong vendor support often determines success more than features. Structured onboarding, responsive customer success teams, and comprehensive documentation matter more than feature lists.
Understand vendor priorities for development. Look for alignment between vendor roadmap and agency needs. Check innovation pace and customer input responsiveness.
Your Next Steps: Pick One, Start This Week
Stop research. Start tests.
If you have under $50/month budget: Sign up for Prospero’s free trial today ($12 annually). You’ll have professional proposals running by Friday. The AI writing assistant alone will save you 3 hours per proposal.
If you’re a creative agency focused on design: Try Better Proposals’ 14-day free trial. Their templates will make your proposals look better than most agencies’ websites. You’ll close more deals just on visual impact.
If you need CRM integration and analytics: Start with PandaDoc’s free plan, then upgrade to their $19 annual Starter plan. Test their HubSpot or Salesforce integration with your next 3 proposals. The tracking data will change how you follow up with prospects.
If you create 10+ proposals monthly: Proposify’s agency-specific features justify the higher price. Their white-label options and approval workflows will save your team 20+ hours monthly.
Simple decision matrix: Budget under $300/month = Better Proposals or Prospero. Budget over $300/month = Proposify or PandaDoc. Need RFP compliance = Loopio. Want interactive proposals = Qwilr.
The agencies you’re competing against for that next big client? They’re already using one of these platforms. They’re sending proposals in 17 minutes while you’re still fighting with Word documents at midnight.
Pick your platform by Wednesday. Set up templates by Friday. Send your first professional proposal next week. The 43% win rate improvement starts with your next proposal, not your next quarterly planning session.
Proposal Software FAQ
Direct answers to the most searched questions about proposal software for agencies
Proposal software is a tool that helps businesses create, send, and track professional proposals digitally. Instead of using Word documents, you build proposals with templates, add interactive elements, and monitor when prospects view them.
If you create more than 5 proposals monthly or spend over 8 hours per proposal, yes. Agencies using proposal software cut creation time from 17+ hours to under 4 hours per proposal and see 20-43% higher win rates.
CRM manages client relationships and tracks deals. Proposal software creates and delivers the actual sales documents. Many proposal platforms integrate with CRMs to pull client data automatically, but they serve different purposes in your sales process.
Yes. Modern platforms support multi-page proposals with case studies, team bios, detailed pricing tables, interactive elements, and portfolio showcases. Platforms like Proposify and PandaDoc are specifically designed for complex B2B service proposals.
Simple platforms like Prospero or Better Proposals can have you sending professional proposals within 2-3 days. More complex platforms require 1-2 weeks for proper template setup and team training.
Proposify ranks #1 for agencies with 2x industry average close rates. Better Proposals excels for design-focused agencies. PandaDoc works best for agencies needing CRM integration. Prospero offers the best value for smaller agencies.
PandaDoc offers more CRM integrations and templates (1,000+ vs Proposify’s agency-focused selection). Proposify provides better agency-specific features like white-labeling and approval workflows. PandaDoc costs less annually, but Proposify delivers higher close rates for agencies.
HubSpot’s proposal tool works for basic quotes but lacks design flexibility and advanced features agencies need. Dedicated platforms like PandaDoc (which integrates with HubSpot) provide better templates, analytics, and professional presentation while maintaining CRM sync.
PandaDoc offers a limited free plan, but serious agencies quickly outgrow free limitations. At $12-19 annually, budget options like Prospero provide unlimited proposals and professional features that free plans can’t match.
All major platforms offer 14-30 day free trials. Test with real prospects during trials, not demo content. This reveals practical workflow challenges and shows actual time savings and client response improvements.
Entry-level plans start at $12-19 annually. Professional plans range from $25-65 monthly per user. Most agencies find the $19-35 monthly range provides the best balance of features and cost.
| Platform | Starting Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Prospero | $12/year | Budget-conscious agencies |
| Better Proposals | $13/year | Design-focused agencies |
| PandaDoc | $19/year | CRM integration needs |
| Proposify | $19/year | Established agencies |
Yes. If you create 10 proposals monthly and save 15 hours each, you’re saving 150 hours monthly. At $100/hour, that’s $15,000 in time savings versus $200-600 in software costs. Plus higher win rates increase revenue.
Setup and training time are the main hidden costs. Budget 40-80 hours for template development and 8-16 hours per team member for training. Some platforms charge extra for onboarding ($500-2,000) or custom integrations.
Start with monthly to test fit, then switch to annual for 20-40% savings. Annual billing often unlocks additional features and better support. The savings typically cover implementation costs.
Yes. Integrated e-signatures eliminate friction and speed up approvals. Clients can review and sign without downloading files or using separate tools. This convenience significantly improves close rates and reduces deal cycle time.
Very important. Analytics show when prospects open proposals, which sections they read, and how long they spend reviewing. This intelligence helps optimize content and perfect follow-up timing for better results.
Most platforms integrate with popular CRMs (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive), project management tools (Asana, Monday), and payment processors (Stripe, PayPal). PandaDoc offers the most extensive integration library.
Yes. Professional platforms use AES-256 encryption, role-based permissions, and secure sharing with password protection. Many meet SOC 2, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance requirements for regulated industries.
Yes. Cloud-based platforms support real-time collaboration, comment systems, approval workflows, and mobile access. Teams can work together on proposals regardless of location, with clear version control and change tracking.
Most platforms allow PDF exports of your proposals and templates. However, you lose tracking, e-signature capabilities, and analytics. Check data export policies before choosing a platform to ensure you can retrieve your content if needed.
Interactive proposals (like Qwilr) see 3x higher engagement but work best for tech-savvy prospects. Traditional industries often prefer familiar PDF formats. Consider your client base’s comfort level with digital innovation.
Win clients with great proposals, keep them with professional reporting.
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