Range Yourself

Proposal Software Cost Index

Updated August 6, 2026 · 8 tools checked against their own pricing pages

The subscription is not the cost. 4 of the 8 tools in this index take a cut of every client payment that passes through them, and on $20,000 of monthly billing that cut is larger than any subscription on the page. So this index ranks on what a firm of 3 actually pays — subscription plus the vendor’s own fee on the money — and prints the subscription beside it. Among the 2 vendors that publish the whole charge rather than a slice of it, the firm’s share of card fees runs from $50 on Anchor to $503 on Ignition — and the gap is smaller than it looks, because Anchor states that its card fee is borne by the client instead, at $583 a month. The remaining 4 tools charge nothing on payments because they do not process any. Every figure is quoted from the vendor’s own page and dated.

The subscription is not the cost. 4 of the 8 tools here take a cut of every client payment that passes through them, and 2 of those publish the whole charge; the other 2 publish their own share and point at the payment processor for the rest, so no all-in figure for them appears on this site. Where a vendor states that a fee is borne by the client rather than the firm, it is reported in its own column and never folded into the firm’s total — and never dropped either, because it is still a real cost of collecting the money.

RangeYourself has no affiliate relationship with any tool on this page as of August 6, 2026: every link here goes straight to the vendor’s own site and earns us nothing. We may pursue one in this category, and if we do we will say so here. Either way the ordering follows published prices and published fees, and a vendor that pays nothing is listed on exactly the same basis as one that does. See how we make money and our editorial standards.

What a firm of 3 actually pays

Ranked by the total the firm pays month to month, cheapest first, priced across one identical month: a three-person firm with thirty active clients collecting twenty thousand dollars a month across ten payments of two thousand dollars. The last column is the one no other comparison in this category carries — what the vendor itself says the client pays, which is a real cost of collecting the money even though it never appears on the firm’s invoice.

#ToolSubscription for 3, month to monthWhat the firm pays on $20,000 of card paymentsTotal the firm pays a monthWhat the vendor says the client pays
1Nusii
The only tool in this set that asks for a card before a free trial starts, and the only one publishing its annual price as a yearly total.
$49/mo
Agency · one price for the account
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$49/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
2Anchor
The only tool here charging no subscription at all, and the only one taking a flat fee out of every payment you receive.
$0/mo
Anchor · one price for the account
$50/mo
the whole fee, published by the vendor
$50/mo
verified 2026-08-06
$583/mo
the vendor states this is borne by the client, not the firm
3Better Proposals
The cheapest per-seat entry price in this set, on a tier that will only ever hold one person.
$87/mo
Premium · 3 seats billed
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$87/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
3Proposify
Puts a quarterly commitment in the slot every other tool uses for a month-to-month price.
$87/mo
Basic · 3 seats billed
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$87/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
5PandaDoc
The only tool that publishes its own payments markup as exactly zero, and the only one whose free tier states two different allowances on the same page.
$105/mo
Starter · 3 seats billed
$0/mo
PandaDoc’s own share only — it does not publish the processor’s rate
At least $105/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
6Qwilr
The only tool here setting a seat floor, and the only one whose payment fee falls as the tier rises.
$147/mo
Starter · 3 seats billed
$50/mo
Qwilr’s own share only — it does not publish the processor’s rate
At least $197/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
7GoProposal
The only tool here whose published dollar figures are a currency conversion of prices it sets in pounds.
$255/mo
Premium · one price for the account
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$255/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
8Ignition
Prices per account rather than per seat, and publishes the whole payments fee schedule rather than its own share of it.
$149/mo
Core · one price for the account
$503/mo
the whole fee, published by the vendor
$652/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays

The same month, collected by bank transfer

For the vendors that publish a separate bank or ACH rate, this is the single largest lever in the category and it has nothing to do with which tool you pick. The ordering changes because one vendor caps its bank-transfer fee per transaction and the card rate has no equivalent.

ToolSubscription for 3, month to monthWhat the firm pays on $20,000 of bank paymentsTotal the firm pays a monthWhat the vendor says the client pays
Nusii
The only tool in this set that asks for a card before a free trial starts, and the only one publishing its annual price as a yearly total.
$49/mo
Agency · one price for the account
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$49/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
Anchor
The only tool here charging no subscription at all, and the only one taking a flat fee out of every payment you receive.
$0/mo
Anchor · one price for the account
$50/mo
the whole fee, published by the vendor
$50/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
Better Proposals
The cheapest per-seat entry price in this set, on a tier that will only ever hold one person.
$87/mo
Premium · 3 seats billed
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$87/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
Proposify
Puts a quarterly commitment in the slot every other tool uses for a month-to-month price.
$87/mo
Basic · 3 seats billed
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$87/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
PandaDoc
The only tool that publishes its own payments markup as exactly zero, and the only one whose free tier states two different allowances on the same page.
$105/mo
Starter · 3 seats billed
$300/mo
PandaDoc’s own share only — it does not publish the processor’s rate
At least $405/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
Qwilr
The only tool here setting a seat floor, and the only one whose payment fee falls as the tier rises.
$147/mo
Starter · 3 seats billed
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$147/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
GoProposal
The only tool here whose published dollar figures are a currency conversion of prices it sets in pounds.
$255/mo
Premium · one price for the account
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$255/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
Ignition
Prices per account rather than per seat, and publishes the whole payments fee schedule rather than its own share of it.
$149/mo
Core · one price for the account
$50/mo
the whole fee, published by the vendor
$199/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays

Ranked on subscription alone, for comparison

This is the number every other comparison in this category publishes, and it is a fair answer to a different question: what the software costs if you never collect a payment through it. On that basis the order is almost reversed at the top.

ToolSubscription for 3, month to monthWhat the firm pays on $20,000 of card paymentsTotal the firm pays a monthWhat the vendor says the client pays
Anchor
The only tool here charging no subscription at all, and the only one taking a flat fee out of every payment you receive.
$0/mo
Anchor · one price for the account
$50/mo
the whole fee, published by the vendor
$50/mo
verified 2026-08-06
$583/mo
the vendor states this is borne by the client, not the firm
Nusii
The only tool in this set that asks for a card before a free trial starts, and the only one publishing its annual price as a yearly total.
$49/mo
Agency · one price for the account
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$49/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
Better Proposals
The cheapest per-seat entry price in this set, on a tier that will only ever hold one person.
$87/mo
Premium · 3 seats billed
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$87/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
Proposify
Puts a quarterly commitment in the slot every other tool uses for a month-to-month price.
$87/mo
Basic · 3 seats billed
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$87/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
PandaDoc
The only tool that publishes its own payments markup as exactly zero, and the only one whose free tier states two different allowances on the same page.
$105/mo
Starter · 3 seats billed
$0/mo
PandaDoc’s own share only — it does not publish the processor’s rate
At least $105/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
Qwilr
The only tool here setting a seat floor, and the only one whose payment fee falls as the tier rises.
$147/mo
Starter · 3 seats billed
$50/mo
Qwilr’s own share only — it does not publish the processor’s rate
At least $197/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
Ignition
Prices per account rather than per seat, and publishes the whole payments fee schedule rather than its own share of it.
$149/mo
Core · one price for the account
$503/mo
the whole fee, published by the vendor
$652/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
GoProposal
The only tool here whose published dollar figures are a currency conversion of prices it sets in pounds.
$255/mo
Premium · one price for the account
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$255/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays

Every payment fee any vendor publishes

Four different shapes, which is why nobody publishes them side by side: a percentage of the transaction, a flat amount per payment received whatever its size, a platform fee layered on a third party’s rate, and an explicit zero markup with a minimum charge. Two of the 4 publish the whole charge; the other 2 publish their own share and point at the processor for the rest.

ToolChargeShapeWho pays itIs this the whole fee?
IgnitionCredit or debit card, domestic
"ccDomesticPercentage":"2.5"
2.5% plus $0.3
on card payments
The firmYes
the vendor publishes the full charge
IgnitionBank account, ACH or direct debit
"bankAccountPercentage":"1"
1% plus $0.3 capped at $5
on bank payments
The firmYes
the vendor publishes the full charge
PandaDocPandaDoc's own markup on card payments through Stripe
PandaDoc transaction fee: $0.00 (subject to change).
0%
on card payments
The firmNo
the vendor’s own share only; it points at the payment processor for the rest and does not restate that rate
PandaDocPay by Bank (ACH) through Stripe
Payments settle in 2–4 business days at up to 1.5% per transaction
1.5%
on bank payments
The firmNo
the vendor’s own share only; it points at the payment processor for the rest and does not restate that rate
AnchorAnchor's fee on each payment received
When you receive a payment, and only then, Anchor deducts $5 from the funds you receive.
$5 a payment, whatever its size
applies to a payment however it is made
The firmYes
the vendor publishes the full charge
AnchorCredit or debit card fee
2.9% + $0.30 Credit/Debit Card Fee
2.9% plus $0.3
on card payments
The clientYes
the vendor publishes the full charge
QwilrQwilrPay application fee, Starter
QwilrPay Application Fee: This may appear as an "application fee" or "platform fee" in the Stripe invoice. This is the fee that Qwilr charges, per transaction, for access to QwilrPay. At a base level: Starter: 0.25% per transaction
0.25%
on card payments
The firmNo
the vendor’s own share only; it points at the payment processor for the rest and does not restate that rate

Who bears it matters as much as the rate. Anchor states that a card fee is paid by the client rather than the firm. That is not a saving, it is a transfer, and this index keeps the two sides in separate columns rather than adding them together or dropping the one that does not land on the firm.

The tools that take nothing on payments

4 of the 8, and it is the correct state for what they are: proposal and document software that hands the payment to a processor you set up yourself. Their pricing pages say so.

Per seat or per account, and what that does to a growing firm

The split is even: 4 of the 8 charge per user (Proposify, PandaDoc, Better Proposals and Qwilr) and 4 charge once for the account (Ignition, GoProposal, Anchor and Nusii). For a firm of 3 the difference is modest; by ten people it is the whole comparison, because an account price stops moving and a seat price does not. Qwilr is the only tool here that also set a minimum seat count on at least one tier, so a small firm buying that tier pays for seats nobody occupies.

When a monthly price is not a monthly price

Three things on these pages change what a figure means, and all three are the vendor’s own presentation rather than anything hidden. 3 of the 8 pricing pages load with the annual option already selected, so the lower figure is the one most visitors remember.

The same firm on annual billing

Committing to a year moves the subscription and, on the vendor that says so explicitly, does not move the payment fees at all.

ToolSubscription for 3, billed annuallyWhat the firm pays on $20,000 of card paymentsTotal the firm pays a monthWhat the vendor says the client pays
Nusii
The only tool in this set that asks for a card before a free trial starts, and the only one publishing its annual price as a yearly total.
$40.83/mo
Agency · one price for the account · divided out of a yearly total
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$40.83/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
Anchor
The only tool here charging no subscription at all, and the only one taking a flat fee out of every payment you receive.
$0/mo
Anchor · one price for the account
$50/mo
the whole fee, published by the vendor
$50/mo
verified 2026-08-06
$583/mo
the vendor states this is borne by the client, not the firm
PandaDoc
The only tool that publishes its own payments markup as exactly zero, and the only one whose free tier states two different allowances on the same page.
$57/mo
Starter · 3 seats billed
$0/mo
PandaDoc’s own share only — it does not publish the processor’s rate
At least $57/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
Proposify
Puts a quarterly commitment in the slot every other tool uses for a month-to-month price.
$57/mo
Basic · 3 seats billed
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$57/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
Better Proposals
The cheapest per-seat entry price in this set, on a tier that will only ever hold one person.
$63/mo
Premium · 3 seats billed
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
$63/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
Qwilr
The only tool here setting a seat floor, and the only one whose payment fee falls as the tier rises.
$105/mo
Starter · 3 seats billed
$50/mo
Qwilr’s own share only — it does not publish the processor’s rate
At least $155/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
Ignition
Prices per account rather than per seat, and publishes the whole payments fee schedule rather than its own share of it.
$99/mo
Core · one price for the account
$503/mo
the whole fee, published by the vendor
$602/mo
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays
GoProposal
The only tool here whose published dollar figures are a currency conversion of prices it sets in pounds.
Not available
checked 2026-08-06
Nothing
publishes no payment fee of its own
Not calculable
verified 2026-08-06
Nothing the vendor states the client pays

Vendor-stated details worth knowing before you buy

Each of these comes from the vendor’s own page or is a plain reading of what it publishes. None is a claim about how any tool performs.

How this index is verified

Every figure on this page was read from the vendor’s own page and is stored with that page’s URL, a verbatim quote, and the date it was checked (most recent: August 6, 2026). 2 of these 8 pricing pages could not be read with a plain HTTP request and were read in a browser at the same URL, with each billing option selected in turn. Payment fees are only counted against a firm where the vendor states the firm bears them; where a vendor states the client bears one, it is published separately rather than added or hidden. Where a vendor publishes only its own share of a payment fee and points at a processor for the rest, no all-in total is computed, because the vendor has not published one. Totals are arithmetic on published figures only, and where a vendor prints a yearly total but no monthly equivalent, dividing that total by twelve is labelled where it appears. See our editorial standards and how we verify.

Which tools are in it. The eight proposal and engagement-billing tools an accounting, consulting or agency buyer is most likely to shortlist, chosen before any price was read and not filtered afterwards. The set deliberately spans both halves of the category: tools that produce a proposal and hand the payment to somebody else, and tools that bill the client through the proposal themselves. Nobody is excluded for being expensive, for charging nothing, or for paying nothing.

What the scenario is. Chosen before the fees were read: a firm size every vendor in this set sells to, and a payment volume above the point where a percentage fee and a flat fee diverge, so the difference between the two pricing shapes is visible rather than hidden. It is arithmetic on published rates, not a quote.

Frequently asked questions

How much does proposal software cost?

For a firm of 3 paying month to month, published subscriptions in this index run from $0 to $255 a month, verified August 6, 2026. That is only half the question: 4 of the 8 tools also charge on client payments collected through them, and on $20,000 a month those charges range up to $503 — more than any subscription here.

Which proposal tools charge payment processing fees?

4 of the 8: Ignition, PandaDoc, Anchor and Qwilr. The other 4 publish none — GoProposal, Proposify, Better Proposals and Nusii — because they produce proposals and hand the payment to a processor you set up separately. That is a product difference, not a disclosure one, and nothing here treats it as opacity.

Which tools publish the full cost of collecting a payment?

Only 2 of the 8: Ignition and Anchor. 2 more publish their own share and point at the payment processor for the rest — PandaDoc and Qwilr — so no all-in figure for those appears on this site. Publishing a zero markup honestly, as one of them does, is a good disclosure; it is still not the price of taking a card payment.

Is proposal software priced per user or per account?

Both, and the split is even: 4 of the 8 charge per seat and 4 charge one price for the account. That single difference decides more than any headline figure for a growing firm — a per-account tier stops costing more as people join, and a per-seat one does not. 1 of the 8 also set a minimum seat count on at least one tier.

What is the cheapest proposal software?

On subscription for a firm of 3, Anchor at $0 a month, verified August 6, 2026. Read the fee column before treating that as the answer: the cheapest subscription in this index belongs to a tool that charges a flat fee on every payment it collects instead, and the cheapest tools after it do not collect payments at all.

Do these prices include the payment processor’s fees?

A payment fee is only counted against a firm where the vendor states the firm bears it. Where a vendor states the client bears it, the amount is published and reported separately rather than added to the firm's total or quietly dropped. Where a vendor publishes only its own share and points at a payment processor for the rest, its share is shown and no all-in total is computed, because the vendor has not published one.

How are these figures verified?

Each one is read from the vendor's own page and stored with that URL, a verbatim quote, and the date it was checked (most recent: August 6, 2026). 2 of these 8 pricing pages could not be read with a plain HTTP request and were read in a browser at the same URL with each billing option selected in turn. Nothing is estimated, and no payment processor's published rate is ever substituted for a vendor that declines to state one.

Proposal software payment processing fees · Proposal software under $50 a month · How much does Ignition cost? · Is Ignition worth it?