Small businesses require configure, price, quote (cpq) that are easy to deploy and manage without dedicated IT staff. With teams typically ranging from 5 to 50 employees, small businesses need solutions that offer straightforward setup, intuitive interfaces, and transparent pricing. The ideal platform should provide professional-grade features while remaining accessible to non-technical users.

What makes a solution ideal for small businesses includes transparent per-user pricing under $30/month, setup that takes minutes instead of days, and management interfaces that don't require technical training. The platform should offer reliable customer support without forcing you into premium support tiers, and should scale naturally as your team grows without requiring complex migrations or rearchitecture.

Quick Answer

For small businesses, Proposify ($19-41/user/month) offers the best value with professional templates and e-signatures at an affordable price. Qwilr ($35-39/user/month) creates interactive, modern proposals that stand out from competitors. DealHub ($50-100/user/month estimated) provides true CPQ functionality for growing businesses with complex products.

Last updated: 2026-01-30

Our Rankings

Best Overall

Proposify

Proposify wins for small businesses with Basic plan at just $19/user/month (annual) or $29/month (monthly billing). Team plan at $41/user/month adds advanced features like approval workflows and custom branding. Extensive template library gets teams creating professional proposals immediately. Built-in e-signatures, content library, and analytics included even at Basic tier. 14-day trial allows thorough evaluation. Integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Pipedrive. Business plan ($3,900/year for 5 users = $65/user/month) suits growing teams.

Price: Contact for pricing
Pros:
  • Free tier available
  • Most comprehensive feature set
  • Strong customer support
Cons:
  • Higher learning curve than alternatives
Best Alternative

Qwilr

Qwilr creates stunning, interactive web-based proposals at $35/user/month (annual) or $39/month (monthly). Business tier provides everything most small businesses need: unlimited pages, e-signatures, payment acceptance, and analytics. Enterprise plan at $59/user/month (5 user minimum) adds team collaboration and advanced integrations. Unique interactive format with embedded videos, pricing calculators, and acceptance buttons increases engagement. 14-day trial included. Best for businesses prioritizing modern, branded proposal experience over traditional document-based quotes.

Price: Contact for pricing
Pros:
  • Free tier available
  • Excellent balance of features and price
  • Intuitive user interface
Cons:
  • Some advanced features require higher tiers
Best for Growing Teams

DealHub

DealHub offers CPQ+ tier estimated at $50-100/user/month with guided selling and basic contract management. While pricing isn't publicly disclosed, 14-day trial allows evaluation before commitment. Entry tier includes product catalog, pricing rules, and approval workflows that exceed capabilities of proposal-focused tools. CPQ + CLM tier adds contract lifecycle management. Best for small businesses with complex product configurations or those planning rapid growth into mid-market. Higher cost justified by more robust CPQ capabilities than Proposify/Qwilr.

Price: Contact for pricing
Pros:
  • Free tier available
  • Strong integration ecosystem
  • Reliable performance
Cons:
  • Mid-tier pricing may be steep for small teams
Best for Technical Teams

Salesforce CPQ

Salesforce CPQ offers solid capabilities for Small businesses need affordable, easy-to-implement CPQ solutions that create professional quotes quickly without extensive training or IT resources. Ideal tools offer templates, e-signatures, and basic pricing automation while keeping costs under $50/user/month. with competitive features and reliable performance. While it may not lead in every category, it provides good value for teams seeking cpq solutions. Contact for pricing.

Price: Contact for pricing
Pros:
  • Free tier available
  • Specialized capabilities for specific use cases
Cons:
  • May lack some features of top competitors
  • Smaller community compared to leaders
Best for Specific Use Cases

Conga CPQ

Conga CPQ offers solid capabilities for Small businesses need affordable, easy-to-implement CPQ solutions that create professional quotes quickly without extensive training or IT resources. Ideal tools offer templates, e-signatures, and basic pricing automation while keeping costs under $50/user/month. with competitive features and reliable performance. While it may not lead in every category, it provides good value for teams seeking cpq solutions. Contact for pricing.

Price: Contact for pricing
Pros:
  • Free tier available
  • Specialized capabilities for specific use cases
Cons:
  • May lack some features of top competitors
  • Smaller community compared to leaders

Evaluation Criteria

  • Affordable pricing under $50/user/month
  • Quick setup with minimal IT involvement
  • Intuitive interface requiring little training
  • Professional proposal and quote templates
  • E signature capabilities included
  • Basic CRM integrations (HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce)
  • Mobile friendly for on the go sales teams
  • Free trial to evaluate before purchasing

How We Picked These

We evaluated 5 products (last researched 2026-01-30).

Price Weight: 5/5

Monthly cost per user and total team cost

Ease of Use Weight: 5/5

Intuitiveness for non-technical users

Setup Time Weight: 4/5

Time to deploy without IT support

Support Quality Weight: 4/5

Responsiveness and helpfulness of support team

Features Weight: 3/5

Essential features for small business workflows

Frequently Asked Questions

01 What's the difference between CPQ and proposal software for small businesses?

Proposal software like Proposify and Qwilr focuses on creating beautiful documents with basic pricing tables and e-signatures, ideal for simple service-based businesses. True CPQ like DealHub handles complex product configurations, automated pricing rules, and multi-tier discounting for businesses with variable product catalogs. Small B2B service companies typically need proposal software ($19-39/user/month), while product companies with configurable offerings benefit from CPQ ($50-100/user/month).

02 Can small businesses use Salesforce CPQ?

Salesforce CPQ at $75/user/month plus required Sales Cloud licenses ($80-165/user/month) costs $155-240/user/month total, making it prohibitively expensive for most small businesses. Implementation costs ($30K-$100K+) and steep learning curve add barriers. Small businesses should consider Salesforce CPQ only if already using Sales Cloud and selling complex, configurable products where CPQ ROI justifies costs. Otherwise, Proposify, Qwilr, or DealHub provide better value.

03 Do affordable CPQ tools integrate with common small business CRMs?

Yes, small business CPQ tools offer robust integrations. Proposify connects with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho, and Insightly. Qwilr integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zapier for hundreds of additional connections. DealHub supports HubSpot, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and Pipedrive. Most integrations sync contacts, deals, and proposal status bidirectionally. Zapier integration on Qwilr provides flexibility to connect virtually any small business tool stack.

04 What's the setup time for small business CPQ software?

Small business CPQ tools are designed for quick setup. Proposify and Qwilr typically take 1-2 days to configure templates, add products/pricing, and connect CRM integrations. DealHub requires 1-2 weeks for product catalog setup and pricing rule configuration. Most vendors offer onboarding calls and template libraries to accelerate deployment. Unlike enterprise CPQ (3-9 months), small business solutions are operational within 1-14 days, often with self-service setup.

05 Should small businesses pay monthly or annually for CPQ software?

Annual billing provides 20-30% savings versus monthly. Proposify Basic costs $19/user/month annually versus $29/month on monthly billing (34% savings). Qwilr charges $35/user/month annually versus $39/month (11% savings). Small businesses confident in their choice should pay annually. However, monthly billing makes sense during initial evaluation or if cash flow is constrained. Use 14-day free trials to thoroughly test before committing to annual contracts.

06 Do small businesses need enterprise configure, price, quote (cpq)?

Most small businesses don't need enterprise features like SSO, advanced compliance, or dedicated support. Small business tiers typically provide all necessary features at lower cost. Upgrade to enterprise only when you truly need those specific capabilities.

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