Trying to get a quote right the first time can feel as difficult as solving a puzzle blindfolded. Enter CPQ software to the rescue to minimize time spent breaking your head over a line item. Unfortunately, new software usually comes with a hefty fee. We’ve asked our analysts to help us help you by researching the best free quoting software; top solutions available for free on the market. Let’s dive in!
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Best Free Quoting Software
Without further ado, let’s move on to what you’re here for – the best free software available on the world wide web. Our analysts have tallied the numbers and compiled the best quoting software that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Let’s dive in!
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QuoteCloud
QuoteCloud is a sales quoting system designed to simplify and streamline quoting processes. It offers users a free version of their software, allowing businesses to create five monthly sales quotes. The free option suits small and medium-sized businesses in various industries, including construction, IT services, architecture and real estate.
QuoteCloud Dashboard.
Top Benefits
- Better Communication: Stay current on your quote’s status and communicate with clients while they view quotes using live chat.
- Increased Accuracy: Prevent sales reps from accidentally deleting or editing crucial information, like legal terms, by locking content. View the full version history of quotes to track changes.
- Improved Accessibility: Clients and managers can approve and close deals remotely using secure e-signatures.
- Added Automation: Expire sales quotes past their “time to live” and automate sales forecasting and currency conversions.
Primary Features
- Quote Creation: Create interactive quotes complete with a pricing section. Use drag-and-drop editing to change documents.
- Quote Templates: Choose and customize templates from a library to speed up document creation.
- Bulk Send Sales Quotes: Set up marketing campaigns to send quotes in bulk to target audiences.
- Customer Address Book: Maintain a database of customer contact details. Recognize and auto-fill client information when creating new sales quotes. Record customers’ contact history against sales quotes.
- Content Library: Access a centralized repository of text, video, spreadsheet, image and PDF content to drag and drop into new quotes.
- Quote Approval: Define approval workflows for quotes with discounts. Add comments before sending quotes to managers for approval.
Limitations
- Doesn’t offer nested folders to arrange documents.
- Native mobile applications aren’t available.
Platform:
Company Size Suitability: S M L
ProfiQuote
ProfiQuote is a standalone solution designed to optimize quote creation for small and medium businesses. It allows users to brand and create quotes using customizable templates, view past quotes and send quotes via email. The free version includes access to ten quotes a year and two templates.
ProfiQuote Sample Quote Template. Source
Top Benefits
- Saved Time: Create quotes using templates and save sample price quotes for later use. Send quotes via internet-accessible mobile devices.
- Added Traceability: Define color-coded statuses to track price quotes. Add notes or summaries in the quote with new line items.
- Greater Accessibility: Convert prices into multiple currencies and create quotes using your preferred language.
- Better Branding: Customize templates by adding your logo, brand colors and font.
Primary Features
- Quote Creation: Select designs and templates to create quotes. Add your company logo, color scheme and font for better brand recall.
- Email Communication: Send quotes directly to clients via email. Invite colleagues to collaborate on projects.
- Dashboard: Access insights into quotes created, summaries, or average prices. View weekly, monthly or yearly data on price quotes.
- Quote Validity: Set a validity period before you share quotes with clients.
Limitations
- In-built e-signing isn’t available.
- Doesn’t support drag-and-drop facilities during quote creation.
- Doesn’t offer quote version history.
- Limits the addition of photos to one per product.
Platform:
Company Size Suitability: S M L
Fergus
Fergus is a cloud-based solution small and mid-sized businesses use to streamline administrative operations. It helps sales reps and employees create and track quotes, invoices, proposals and estimates.
Users can access the Professional Plan during the free trial, while the Free Plan offers users ten jobs, three invoices and the last two weeks of notes and history.
Fergus Financial Summary Analysis.
Top Benefits
- Additional Insights: Generate reports on quotes within a set time frame to see top-performing price ranges and templates.
- Increased Efficiency: Save frequently used sections from quotes and estimates as favorites. Drag and drop favorites into other documents.
- Better Visibility: View an initial quote, estimate versions, and requested changes. Add edits to drafts using the toolbar and track version history.
- Added Mobile Accessibility: Use the mobile application to work online and offline remotely.
Primary Features
- Quote Builder: Generate customized quotes and estimates using templates. Create quotes in both landscape and portrait modes.
- Quote Scheduler: Set times to send quotes or assign the job to sales reps through the calendar.
- Track Quotes and Set Status: Create multiple quote versions, track each version and set statuses.
- Accounting Software Integration: Access native integration with multiple accounting solutions, including Xero, QuickBooks and MYOB.
- Quote Expiry: Pre-set the expiry or validity of quotes.
Limitations
- Lacks in-built marketing software integrations.
Platform:
Company Size Suitability: S M L
Odoo Sales
Odoo Sales is a standalone, end-to-end quotation solution part of Odoo’s integrated suite. Users can apply templates, drag and drop building blocks and add images to create quotes. Additionally, maintain contact information, modify quotations and sign documents digitally.
Odoo Online provides free access to one app with unlimited users. Additional applications are chargeable.
Odoo Sales Quote with Deadline. Source
Top Benefits
- Added Efficiency: Covert quotes into sales orders. Allow customers to access quotations, sales orders and delivery orders and e-sign through the customer portal.
- Minimized Errors: Receive alerts before sending quotations to certain customers for specific products by setting sales warnings.
- Better Product Specifications: Showcase product variants using grids, matrices and product descriptions.
- Increased Sales: Optimize quotations and upsell by adding extra options, suggesting additional products and applying closing triggers and discounts.
Primary Features
- Quotation Builder: Apply in-built templates, drag and drop building blocks and add product descriptors to create quotes. Design and reuse custom templates.
- Add Products To Quotations: Include or modify additional products directly on quotations.
- Communication: Send custom alerts for specific tasks. Communicate with clients on quotations via email.
- E-signature: Review and sign quotations, NDAs, contracts, or any PDF document remotely from any internet-connected device.
- Customer Database: Add, delete or modify customer information, including billing or shipping information and create new entries for new customers.
- Add Deadlines: Set deadlines for customer action before sending quotes.
Limitations
- Doesn’t support native integration with accounting software.
Platform:
Company Size Suitability: S M L
Refrens
Refrens is a cloud-based platform specializing in administrative operations for small businesses and freelancers. It uses automation and templates to create quotations, which can then be tracked and converted into invoices.
Users can create up to 100 quotations with the free version. Refrens offers live support from executives on chat and WhatsApp.
Refrens Quote Templates. Source
Top Benefits
- Greater Mobile Accessibility: View, process and create quotations via mobile devices. Receive alerts when quotes are delivered and viewed by clients.
- Added Visibility: Track quotes and get notified when clients click on links sent.
- Better Branding: Add company or personal logos and match from 240 colors available for quote templates.
- Improved Efficiency: Upload signatures and company stamps to documents and add extra notes, attachments and information from your system. Schedule emails and preset times to send quotations to clients.
Primary Features
- Quote Creation: Generate and customize quotes from leads using templates, custom columns and fields. Create and export unlimited quotes in Excel or Word format.
- Quote Tracking: Send quotes by email. View when customers see quotes.
- Quote To Invoice Conversion: Convert quotes to invoices and save time on double entry.
- Bulk Upload: Upload quotations simultaneously, with options for including or removing tax rules.
- Client Management: Create and maintain a client database to auto-fill customer details when creating quotes.
- Account Management: Assign tasks to team members and add new project users.
- Multiple Currencies: Generate quotes and invoices in multiple currencies.
Limitations
- Lacks version history for quotes.
- Doesn’t offer a native mobile application.
Platform:
Company Size Suitability: S M L
Primary Benefits
Making a case for new software is like trying to convince your friend to support a different football team. Luckily, outlining the benefits of quoting software is much more objective.
Saved Time
Time is of the essence when it comes to quotes. You don’t want your competitors to undercut you because you were waiting for price approval or searching for similar quotes. Centralized data, integrations and approval workflows eliminate double-entry and increase efficiency.
Minimized Errors
Manually inputting customer details, prices and terms and conditions open the door to mistakes. Auto-fill details, pull past quotes and automate price updates and calculations to minimize errors.
Increased Customization
Building a brand is essential to standing out in a crowded market. Customizable proposal and quote templates allow businesses to use logos and brand colors easily. Users can also set personalized workflows, pricing rules, tax margins, discounts or coupons.
Key Features and Functionality
Like any major purchase, you’ll need to be thorough with the checks and balances before you spring for new software. Ensure the quoting software you’ve shortlisted has the following features.
Customizable Templates
Building a quote from scratch is a time-consuming process. Use built-in quote and proposal templates to simplify processes and ensure you don’t miss out on details. Create and save personalized templates that suit your individual needs.
Price Management
No one wants to send a quote with outdated prices. Set your own pricing rules with upper and lower margins to streamline approvals. Automatically update prices to account for inventory, supply chain issues, tax margins and market conditions.
Automated Quote and Proposal Creation
Churn out RFPs faster and follow up with clients quicker by automating quotes and proposals using data from past projects and pricing rules. Add your logo and color schemes for better brand recall.
Status Tracking
Ever wondered where a quote got held up in the sales funnel? Access quote tracking to see when clients view your quote, highlight text, sign digitally or start a payment. Instead of multiple emails back and forth, you can comment and resolve disputes in the quote.
Quote To Invoice Conversion
Time spent retyping all the information you just put in the quote into the invoice is time wasted. Convert quotes to invoices with just a few clicks to save time and eliminate errors.
Integrations
There’s no I in team, and no standalone software in sales. Connect CRM, accounting, customer service and project management software. Third-party and native integration makes it easy to export data and streamline processes.
Software Considerations
Buying new software is like trying to select the perfect player when you have the number one draft pick. To make the right choice, keep the following pointers in mind:
Integrations: Double-entry is the enemy of efficiency. Easy integration with CRM, CPQ and accounting software minimizes context switching. Transferring data to input contact details, updated prices and inventory speeds up the process and ensures accurate quotes.
Ask vendors whether integrations are third-party or native and if additional integrations cost more.
Deployment: Not everyone has the hardware for on-site deployment. Cloud deployment is cheaper and more convenient for smaller organizations. Alternatively, larger companies with a robust tech team and multiple sites may need a more hands-on approach. Think about your budget and current needs.
Data Security: Depending on your industry, you may need to abide by certain rules and regulations. Vet data security protocols, and ask vendors if they have experience with other businesses in your industry.
Compare Top CPQ Software Leaders
Next Steps
When it comes to quoting software, there is such a thing as a free lunch. We hope this article helps you navigate the influx of information that inevitably follows a search for new software. Still not 100% sure? Check out our free comparison report to see how the best systems match up.
How do you think quoting software will improve operations at your company? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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Comparison Report: An interactive analyst report with comparison ratings, reviews and pricing for CPQ software