Better Proposals vs Cone

Better Proposals is a web service for preparing and sending proposals and other documents, with built-in electronic signatures, payment collection, and client activity tracking. Its analytics can show whether a document was received, opened, read, forwarded, downloaded, or signed, as well as time spent on individual sections. Users can take payments through documents and proposals, with integrations including Stripe, GoCardless, and PayPal. Advanced CRM integrations are available for HubSpot and Salesforce. The service supports custom branding and offers more than 260 free document templates. Teams can assign roles, manage access and permissions, track progress, and control who can send documents. Signatures are stated to comply with EU and US electronic signature legislation. Proposals are designed for phones and computers, and the service is accessible wherever there is an internet connection. Starter costs $13 per user per month when billed annually and allows one seat and 10 documents each month. There is no free plan; a 14-day trial requires no credit card or cancellation.

Cone combines proposals, billing, payments, and practice management in one platform for professional service businesses. Users can create branded web proposals with customizable sections, engagement tracking, electronic signatures, and multiple pricing packages. Proposals can generate invoices, while recurring billing and payment collection can be automated. Practice-management tools cover projects, tasks, templates, client requests, time tracking, and document management. A client portal supports chat, file uploads, forms, and document signing. Listed integrations include QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zoho Books, Stripe, and GoCardless; Growth also lists Zapier and email among advanced integrations. Cone provides analytics, reporting, custom branding, and client activity tracking. It is available on web, Android, and iOS, with white-labelled mobile apps for client portals. Cone states SOC 2 Type 1 and GDPR compliance and advertises free migration support. There is a 14-day trial but no free plan.