Top 10 CPQ Software: Which Configure Price Quote Tool is Best

Based on Accenture Interactive’s study, 83% of salespeople used some form of Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) software in 2021. And Superoffice survey shows that companies that use CPQ tools can experience a 105% larger average deal size.

So, probably, it’s time to give CPQ software a shot and consult a CRM expert to select the best tool to enhance the sales force system. Keep reading to find out how this can help you have higher proposal volume and a greater reduction in proposal generation errors.

Our comparison of top CPQ solutions is based on 3,000+ software reviews on Gartner.com, Capterra, G2, and Trust Radius to make the process of selection much more informed and unbiased.

But first, let’s explain what CPQ stands for.

What is CPQ?

CPQ stands for Сonfigure, Price, Quote and is typically used to describe integrated software applications that help sales reps quickly and accurately generate quotes for complex configurable products. Currently, there are over 130+ CPQ software and tools of several types with pricing ranging from $15 to $150.

Benefits of CPQ Software

• Improved business process agility and outcomes
• Steady revenue growth and innovation
• Enhanced operational efficiencies
• Improved compliance & risk management
• Reduced time to market
• Improved customer relations and supplier or partner relationships
• Proven increase in revenue and decrease in costs
• Faster moving from quote to cash
• Sales process automation that relieves sales teams from manual and tedious tasks
• No need to dig through various spreadsheets to get information
• Specification of every conceivable configuration, price, discount
• Straightforward product configurations based on company capability
• Lightning-fast, complete, accurate quote generation via a customized template
• Reduced time for quotes routing to the correct parties for approval

When is CPQ Used and How it Works

Core capabilities of CPQ tools allow:

• Support for the digital commerce channel via prebuilt UIs, integrations, and/or APIs.
• Support for sales users, including integration with salesforce automation solutions.
• Searching for and selecting products and services to sell.
• Selection of product options and features.

Besides that, most configure price quote (CPQ) software can standardize the following processes:

• Consistent pricing and discounting control
• Multicurrency support
• Contract pricing, subscription pricing (also known as recurring billing or usage-based pricing) as well as channel and partner pricing
• Advanced discounting and approval workflows.

Top 10 CPQ Solutions: Features Over Price Software Comparison

Based on data found on company and review websites, the top CPQ solutions are Salesforce CPQ Cloud and Oracle CPQ Cloud with an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5. Out of both options, Salesforce has better features – price balance. Besides that, Salesforce offers more flexible pricing plans.

Among all 10 CPQ software, the lowest starting price has Conga CPQ – $35 per user per month. The most expensive is Oracle CPQ Cloud – $240 user/month.

Top CPQ Software & Tools

1. Salesforce CPQ Cloud

Salesforce CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) is software for sales teams designed to provide precise pricing for any product configuration scenario.

In 2015 SteelBrick CPQ was acquired by Salesforce to fill the CPQ gap in its product ecosystem and enhance its key products: Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Einstein AI.

Compared to most CPQ software on the market, it offers almost infinite customization and integration capabilities and can scale along with your business.

Moreover, you can boost Salesforce CPQ core functionality with more niche-specific CPQ for Partner and Customer Communities.

Besides that, Salesforce has a huge partners’ community that includes hundreds of professional consulting agencies like Ascendix that can implement, integrate, and configure the solution to align functionality with your individual needs.

Ascendix has over 200+ professionals on board including Salesforce admins, consultants, and developers, and for 21 years we have worked on 250+ projects of various sizes. Among our clients were both family-owned agencies and Fortune 500 enterprises.

So, if you have difficulties or don’t have enough time to explore software functionality, you can contact us, and we’ll drive your implementation project for you!

Salesforce CPQ Benefits

Total CPQ Software Reviews Number: 1191

Average Rating: 4.4 out of 5

CPQ Software Starting Price: $75user/month

Available Plans: CPQ, CPQ+, CPQ & Billing Growth, CPQ+ with Billing

SFDC CPQ Supported Languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Brazilian, Portuguese.

Salesforce CPQ Functionality Overview:

• Enhanced Product Catalog and Price Book
• Advanced Approvals and Order Management
• Usage-Based Pricing
• Invoicing and Revenue Schedules, Complex Revenue Reporting
• Automated Payments, Allocations, and Renewals
• Product Catalog & Bundles
• Quote Line Editor & Contract Amendments
• Multidimensional Quoting & Bill Now Invoicing
• Proposal Document Generation
• Invoice Presentation and Credit Notes
• Line-Level Allocations
• Multielement Revenue Recognition
• Discount Controls
• Conditional Quote Terms & Advanced Approvals
• Legal Entity Rollups.

Watch a demo of Salesforce CPQ software:

Salesforce CPQ Pros & Cons

Pros

• Mobile support allows working from anywhere
• Secured login through multiple checks
• Ability to configure the specifications with predefined templates
• Salesforce CPQ has a high level of scalability and reliability
• Virtually appealing dashboards
• Salesforce CPQ easily integrates with other tools
• Pricing actions automation of discounts, pricing campaigns
• This CPQ product allows capturing of necessary approvals.

Cons

• High maintenance cost
• Quite a difficult implementation process
• Not very intuitive functional UI of the system.

2. Oracle CPQ Cloud

In 2013 BigMachines was acquired by Oracle and became Oracle CPQ Cloud.

The main advantage of this CPQ software is that it can be deployed stand-alone or integrated with leading CRM, eCommerce, Service, and ERP solutions. Moreover, Oracle CPQ Cloud takes advantage of the Oracle Adaptive Intelligence Apps, which provide machine learning capabilities.

Total CPQ Software Reviews Number: 389

Average Rating: 4.4 out of 5

CPQ Software Starting Price: $240 user/month

Available Plans: not openly stated

Supported Languages: 105+ languages

Features:

• Product and Service Configuration and Nested System Configurations
• Real-time Quote Collaboration
• Subscription Ordering
• Pricing, Rating, Discounting, and Deal Management Engine
• AI-based Price Optimization
• Multi-site Document Designer
• Workflow Approvals
• List and Customer-specific Pricing.

Oracle CPQ Cloud Pros & Cons

Pros

• When implemented right, Oracle CPQ Cloud use is very intuitive
• The Configuration Engine is very powerful
• This CPQ software can import existing products from a file using the Product Import section
• System support is very helpful.
• Oracle CPQ requires zero downtime for regular deployments.

Cons

• Oracle CPQ Cloud has limited analytics features.
• The steep learning curve of the CPQ product
• Customizations/configurations can be rather complicated
• Lack of training capability
• A review of new functionality is left as much as self-discovery, as well as a test instead of training
• Improvements in the core CPQ product, are difficult to install if we have already configured a solution.

3. SAP Configure, Price, Quote

SAP CPQ (formerly known as CallidusCloud CPQ) is another CPQ software perfectly suited for other SAP products, however, it focuses more on the consumer-based e-commerce side and not purely on direct sales teams.

At an additional price, you can get extra storage from $1.1 per GB of storage/month, standard additional test tenant from $4,7 per tenant/month, and professional additional test tenant from $5,9 per tenant/month.

Total CPQ Software Reviews Number: 132

Average Rating: 4.3 out 5

CPQ Software Starting Price: $71 user/ month

Available Plans: Standard, Professional

Supported Languages: 70+

Features:

• Configuration Optimization and Branded Generation of Quotes of 10,000 Lines
• Automated Approval and Exception Workflows
• Margin Protection and Expansion
• Product, Customer, and Channel Price Controls
• Rules-driven Eligibility and Margin-protecting Guardrails
• Intelligent Up-sell, Cross-sell, and Pricing Recommendations
• Connected Quote-to-fulfillment Processes
• Variant Configuration Models and ERP Data
• Integration with SAP Sales Cloud, SAP Commerce Cloud, and SAP Service Cloud

SAP CPQ Pros & Cons

Pros

• SAP CPQ’s reports are fairly easy to read and understand.
• Rapid implementation of the CPQ tool,
• A dynamic way of pricing in multiple perspectives from the product, quotes, price books (pricelists).
• Reliable service of the system

Cons

• There is no graphical interface to custom the look and feel of the UI
• SAP CPQ sometimes requires more manual intervention in the process design
• No flexible pricing or pricing plans
• Time-consuming configuration of the CPQ solution

4. Configure One

Configure One is another CPQ solution for salespeople that helps them create unique configurations, calculate pricing, incorporate production data, send quotes to customers, and secure orders from a single application.

The top features of this CPQ software enable viewing and editing bills of material from the quoting interface, managing customers, and generating dynamic quote documents.

Total CPQ Software Reviews Number: 240

Average Rating: 4.3 out of 5

Starting Price: $150 user/month

Available Plans: not openly stated

Supported Languages: English

Features:

• Automated Quoting & Cataloging/Categorization
• Client Portal
• Pricing & Discount Management
• Product Configurator for Bill of Material and Option-Based Pricing
• Proposal Generation & Sales Forecasting
• Discounting Rules and Workflows
• Multi-Currency Support
• Integrated CAD Automation
• Item & Part Creation.

Configure One Pros & Cons

Pros

• Configure One has highly active security
• The system helps to create unique, detailed proposals
• CPQ tool integrates well with other systems
• The user interface of the software is appealing and simple to use.

Cons

• A lack of training materials
• High maintenance cost of the system
• Certain limitations in automation of order-generating procedures.

5. FPX CPQ

FPX is one of the leading CPQ software providers with more than 200k global users spanning 182 countries quoting over $40B through the platform.

For more than 30 years, FPX has focused on delivering CPQ software for manufacturing and sellers of pumps, compressors, motors, valves, and much more.

Total CPQ Software Reviews Number: 57

Average Rating: 4.3 out of 5

CPQ Software Starting Price: $150 user/month

Available Pricing Plans: not openly disclosed

Supported Languages: 18

Features:

• 2D Drawing & 3D Digital Asset Management
• Approval Workflow
• Cataloging/Categorization
• Channel, Contact, and Opportunity Management
• Generation of Instant Budgetary Quotes
• Seamless Integration with Leading CRM Solutions
• Generation of Professional Sales Proposals
• eCommerce, Discount, and Field Service Management
• Electronic Signature
• Performance Metrics
• Price and Cost Calculations
• Product Configurator and Proposal Generation
• Quotes/Estimates and Renewal Management
• Self-Service and Client Portal.

FPX CPQ Pros & Cons

Pros

• Quick and accurate generation of quotes
• The ability to customize the output fields
• The navigation bar allows easy navigation of FPX CPQ.

Cons

• This CPQ tool has a cumbersome interface
• Uneasy setup of the solution
• Not simple quoting pre-packaged/previously quoted items.

6. Conga CPQ

Conga CPQ (formerly known as Apttus CPQ) was initially built on Salesforce’s platform and quickly became one of the most well-known and widely used CPQ products.

Conga CPQ poses itself as an end-to-end CPQ tool, however, it still requires integration with CRM systems like Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics for some functions.

It is designed to make complex product sales simple on various channels, break bottlenecks and barriers in the sales process, and manage product & service combos without separate quotes.

Total CPQ Software Reviews Number: 534

Average Rating: 4.2 out of 5

CPQ Software Starting Price: $35 user/month

Available Plans: not openly stated

Supported Languages: 15

Features:

• Product Availability Rules (Location/Channel/User)
• Machine Learning Insights & Alerts
• Real-time Deal Scoring and Configurable UI
• Quote Collaboration Across Teams with Audit Trails
• Asset-based Ordering for Subscriptions, Reorders & Renewals
• Cross-sell & Upsell Insights with Full Contract Visibility
• Multiple Rule Types & Constraints
• Unlimited Attributes for Configuration, Including Nested Bundles
• Integrated Configuration Calculations
• True Margin Visibility with Price Waterfall & Cost Analysis.

Conga CPQ Pros & Cons

Pros

• CPQ software syncs up seamlessly with Salesforce
• Efficiency and performance of resources in handling large data sets
• High level of engagement of the Customer Service
• Robust configuration options for quoting capabilities and the main product structure
• Exciting product development roadmap to improve the UI and user efficiency.

Cons

• The CPQ solution frequently breaks
• Level of documentation available for functionality and depth of release notes
• Communication of known defects across different versions
• The current instance of Ideas for Product Management feedback.

7. IBM CPQ

IBM CPQ serves mainly the e-commerce sphere and allows for localization of the pricing engine as well as distinct geographies support.

This CPQ software can become a dynamic pricing engine for sales teams, call-center representatives, and partners.

Total CPQ Software Reviews Number: 111

Average Rating: 4.2

CPQ Software Starting Price: not openly disclosed

Available Pricing Plans: not openly disclosed

Supported Languages: 11

Features:

• Product Catalog
• Configuration Rules & Configured Pricing
• Visual Configuration
• Pricing Flexibility
• Commercial Rules & Approval Workflow
• Renewals
• Quoting, Grouping, Ordering

IBM CPQ Pros & Cons

Pros

• IBM CPQ has easy to use interface
• Functions are self-explanatory
• Data security and customization features.

Cons

• Can be a little bit complex
• Too many software hiccups
• No visible prices, plans, and service areas on the IBM website.

8. PROS Smart CPQ

PROS entered the CPQ market with its acquisition of Cameleon CPQ and now is a part of the SellingPRO sales suite. PROS is for the manufacturing domain. It offers algorithmic cross-selling and fast pricing configurations as well as intelligent recommendations for spot-on pricing.

Total CPQ Software Reviews Number: 106

Average Rating: 4.2 out of 5

CPQ Software Starting Price: $60 user/month

Available Pricing Plans: Essentials, Advantage, Ultimate

Languages Supported:

• German
• English
• French.

Features:

• Multi-level Quote Approvals
• Rules-Driven Price Recommendations
• Sales Agreement Terms/Prices
• Product and Solution Bundling
• Product Catalog & Comparison
• Quote Analytics
• Price List Management & Price-Discount Waterfall
• Constraints-based Product/Service Configuration
• Order Submission to ERP
• Parts, Performance, and Multi-dimensional Quoting
• Creation of Bills of Materials (BOMs)
• Microsoft Excel Import/Export
• Access to CPQ APIs for eCommerce and Custom Applications
• CRM Integrations
• AI-Driven Churn Detection & Cross-Sell/Up-Sell Recommendations
• Automated CRM Opportunity Recommendation and Creation
• Word-Based Document Generation
• 2D/3D Product Visualization
• Advanced Search
• Agreement Lifecycle Management.

PROS Smart CPQ Pros & Cons

Pros

• Flexibility in implementing business rules and constraints
• The configuration of the tool is easy and intuitive.

Cons

• The current cart model is based on old technology
• Using the tool requires too many clicks
• Poor documentation on APIs
• Poor reporting capability.

9. Zuora CPQ

Zuora CPQ is a billing and invoicing software provider for quoting any combination of subscriptions, products, and services from sign-up to upgrades and renewals.

It also helps launch and manage subscription-based services of businesses. Zuora CPQ is created to automate recurring billing, collections, quoting, revenue recognition, and subscription metrics.

Total CPQ Software Reviews Number: 362

Average Rating: 4.1 out of 5

CPQ Software Starting Price: not openly disclosed

Available Plans: not openly disclosed

Supported Languages: 15

Features:

• ACH Payment Processing
• Configure Terms, Conditions, and Ramp Deals
• Adjust pricing and discounting inline
• Billing & Invoicing Portal
• Contingency, Hourly, Deferred Billing
• Customizable Invoices
• Debit/Credit Card Processing
• Discount Management
• Electronic Signature
• Multi-Currency and Multiple Payment Options
• Multi-Period Recurring Project Billing
• Online Invoicing and Payments
• Payment Processing Services Integration
• Refund Management
• Reporting/Analytics
• Self Service Portal
• Tax Calculation and Management.

Zuora CPQ Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Easy Integration with other 3rd party software like Salesforce
• Reliable and transparent transcriptions.

Cons:

• Zuora CPQ’s cost is high
• API is not well documented
• It takes too much time to deploy the solution
• Processes seem overly complex.

10. ConnectWise CPQ

ConnectWise CPQ is a cloud-based solution with a highly intuitive user Interface and some attractive features. It also provides multichannel support for both direct sales and self-service customers with multiple integrations.

Total CPQ Software Reviews Number: 320

Average Rating: 3.8 out of 5

CPQ Software Starting Price: $99.00 user/month

Available Plans: Basic, Standard, Premium

Supported Languages: English

Features:

• Distributor Quote Import
• Built-in eSignature
• Real-time Distributor Pricing & Availability
• Recurring Revenue Management
• ConnectWise Manager & Autotask integrations
• Sales Coaching Automation
• Reporting & Business Analytics
• Email Integration & Management
• Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics & NetSuite Integrations
• Procurement Automation
• Pricing & Product rules
• E-Payment.

ConnectWise CPQ Pros & Cons

Pros

• ConnectWise CPQ has simple and customizable templates
• The easy client-approval process from the web portal
• Pricing engine integrations work seamlessly and are easy to set up.

Cons

• It’s difficult to use for a full Managed Services Proposal
• You may need to pay for professional services to get the exact look and feel
• Fails with third part integrations like Azure and REST API
• The solution requires about 1000 hours of involvement to set up.

11. PandaDoc CPQ

PandaDoc CPQ is an automated sales quoting platform that streamlines the process of creating customized proposals and contracts. It saves time by generating fast and smart quotes, eliminating the need for tedious paperwork. With features like pricing rules and product customization, PandaDoc CPQ helps businesses build faster and more tailored quotes.

Total CPQ Software Reviews Number: 217

Average Rating: 4.7 out of 5

CPQ Software Starting Price: starts with $49/ month

Available Plans: Business plan, Enterprise plan

Supported Languages: 7

Features:

• Advanced quote builder
• Smart content
• Advanced product catalog and product bundling
• Integrations with other popular software tools such as CRM, billing systems, etc
• CPQ analytics with real insight
• Secure eSignature solution
• 24/7 customer support

Bottom Line

Each CPQ software has its pros and cons in functionality, pricing, support, or training. So, there is no clear leader in the race. However, if you are looking for native enhancement for the Salesforce platform to boost your sales processes and that will smoothly work with Sales or Service Clouds, Salesforce CPQ Cloud is your best choice.

But, if you still have difficulties with the implementation of Salesforce CPQ Cloud or any other Cloud, our expert team of consultants will be happy to assist you with all Salesforce services like:

• Salesforce implementation from scratch
• Re-implementation, optimization, or adoption of Salesforce CRM after years of usage
• Migration to Salesforce Lightning.

Why can you rely on Ascendix in Salesforce implementation services?

• We have 21 years of expertise in Salesforce CRM consulting, deployment, customization, and custom development.
• Our extensive expertise in various industries guarantees an understanding of your niche CRM requirements.
• We will offer your project our complete set of technical skills confirmed by internationally recognized certification.
• Our global delivery capacity will ensure competitive cost structures with blended or offshore staffing models.

Ready to start with us? Get your custom quote on Salesforce implementation cost and timeline.