For “old-school” companies, creating a quote is easy.
The deals are usually one-and-done, the products are standardized, and the process is more or less the same for everyone.
But for a company selling complex SaaS products, a quote can turn into a logistical nightmare.
How do you include every possible product configuration, pricing option, discount, and customer detail reliably every time?
By using a dedicated SaaS CPQ software, that’s how.
Read this article to learn about the nature of CPQs, how they help SaaS businesses, and the best options on the market.
What is CPQ?
CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) systems are software tools that businesses use to simplify the sales process.
The primary objective is to assist companies with automation for tasks such as identifying customer needs, customizing sales proposals, generating pricing models, and creating sales quotes.
In short, CPQ systems enable businesses to close deals efficiently and quickly.
CPQ functionality is divided into three main parts.
Configure
The configuration part of CPQ involves selecting the products or services the customer wants or needs and adjusting them to meet the customer’s specific requirements.
Next, the sales rep presents the customer with a suggested configuration, including a delivery timetable. Then, the system automatically calculates the price using predefined pricing rules.
Price
The price portion of CPQ involves setting the correct price for the solution or product bundle the rep has configured for the customer, considering any applicable rules, discounts, or volume-based pricing.
CPQ software typically has built-in algorithms that help to calculate it based on customer details, contracts, discounts, and sales history.
Quote
Lastly, the Quote piece of CPQ involves presenting the customer with a highly detailed and personalized proposal.
This quote includes a description of exactly what the customer is purchasing, as well as any applicable warranty or maintenance agreements, payment terms, or other contract details.
What is CPQ in Saas?
While regular CPQ systems apply to a wide range of businesses, a CPQ platform for SaaS (Software as a Service) business have some key differences.
The first is that they typically integrate with other cloud-based systems that the SaaS business uses, such as customer relationship management (CRM) or enterprise resource planning (ERP) software.
These integrations can be native or through APIs, allowing CPQ systems to quickly and accurately pull critical data from these systems and incorporate it into sales proposals.
For example, PandaDoc integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and other commonly used sales tools, speeding up the sales process with CPQ pricing for SaaS.
Another difference is that SaaS-focused CPQ systems have a high degree of flexibility to accommodate the specific requirements of each customer.
This is because SaaS solutions often have a variety of pricing models, including subscription-based plans, usage-based fees, and pay-per-use options.
The SaaS CPQ engine can accurately calculate pricing for each of these models, ensuring customers receive accurate quotes.
CPQ systems streamline the quoting process across different sales channels.
Your company can acquire leads through road shows, content marketing, paid ads, or word-of-mouth — and redirect them to the CPQ.
People who come through digital channels can even use the self-service option, if applicable.
Why SaaS companies need CPQ software
For SaaS companies, quoting isn’t just paperwork — it’s strategy. Unlike traditional businesses that sell one-time, standardized products, SaaS businesses deal with dynamic, ever-evolving offerings: think subscription plans, usage-based pricing, feature bundles, and limited-time trials. Manually quoting in this environment is inefficient and can be a liability.
CPQ software provides the automation and intelligence needed to handle this complexity at scale. It helps SaaS sales teams generate precise, professional, and compliant quotes in minutes—not hours—while maintaining consistency across departments and channels. That speed and accuracy can make all the difference in competitive deal cycles, especially when selling to enterprise buyers with complex needs.
CPQ tools also integrate with CRMs, ERPs, and billing systems, creating a seamless flow from lead to quote to close. The result? Faster deal cycles, fewer errors, happier customers, and more predictable revenue.
But not just any CPQ will do. SaaS companies need a solution that reflects their business model. That’s where modular CPQ comes in.
Modular CPQ: Handling add-ons, tiers, and trials
SaaS offerings are rarely one-size-fits-all. Most businesses offer a combination of pricing tiers, feature-based add-ons, custom SLAs, and limited-time trials. Without the right systems in place, chaos can ensue.
A modular CPQ system is made to manage this complexity. It enables sales teams to build tailored quotes by stacking components, from user seats and advanced integrations to extended support and premium analytics.
Here’s how it solves common SaaS quoting challenges:
Managing add-ons
Whether it’s an extra integration, a reporting feature, or a premium support package, add-ons are a key revenue driver.
Modular CPQ platforms make it easy to select, apply, and price add-ons accurately. The system validates compatibility, automates pricing, and prevents sales reps from building invalid configurations.
Simplifying tiered pricing models
SaaS companies typically offer multiple subscription tiers, each with different feature sets and user limits. Modular CPQ tools allow reps to instantly generate quotes based on these tiers, suggest upgrades, or apply volume-based pricing rules.
If a customer wants to jump from Basic to Enterprise mid-year, the system recalculates everything, including pro-ration, discounting, and usage-based fees.
Managing trial conversions
Free trials are great — until it’s time to convert them into revenue. With modular CPQ, sales teams can automatically trigger conversion quotes, tailor them to the trial user’s activity, and include special upgrade offers.
Boosting sales team efficiency
Instead of spending hours manually assembling quotes and verifying compliance, sales reps can focus on what they do best: building relationships and closing deals.
Modular CPQ handles the heavy lifting, calculations, validation, and document generation, so your team stays productive.
Maintaining standardization and control
From the customer’s perspective, consistency builds trust. With modular CPQ, every quote follows the same formatting, branding, and legal compliance.
For finance and RevOps teams, this also makes auditing, reporting, and forecasting easier.
Enabling seamless collaboration
Sales rarely operates in a vacuum. Pricing approval from finance, feature validation from product, legal review on custom terms are all part of complex SaaS deals.
Modular CPQ automates approvals and creates visibility across teams, ensuring smooth handoffs and faster decisions.
Top 5 SaaS CPQ solutions
The following CPQ products for SaaS are the cream of the crop, some of the best systems on the market.
We have chosen them based on their popularity, user testimonials, and professional reviewers’ opinions.
1. PandaDoc CPQ
PandaDoc is a reliable and popular CPQ solution, used by companies such as Autodesk, Rakuten, Konica Minolta, and Bonusly, among others.
We’ve made a name for ourselves in the e-signature and document template space, which has proven invaluable in the development of this product.
PandaDoc’s CPQ solution is web-based, making it accessible on almost any device with a screen and an Internet connection. Its competitive advantages include:
Self-serve, low-cost implementation
Unlike traditional CPQ platforms that require expensive consultants and months-long rollouts, PandaDoc CPQ can be deployed quickly by your team, with no coding required. This makes it accessible and cost-effective for both startups and enterprises.
Flexible deal sizes
PandaDoc CPQ can accommodate teams of any size, unlike competitors that impose higher minimum deal sizes.
End-to-end value
PandaDoc goes beyond quoting. It combines CPQ, eSignature, contract management, and payments in one platform—features that competitors often sell separately. This creates a seamless quote-to-cash process that accelerates revenue recognition.
Dynamic proposals and quotes
Instead of static PDFs, with PandaDoc CPQ, you can create editable quotes that update in real time. Sales teams can adjust pricing, add cross-sells or upsells, or tailor packages instantly, giving prospects a more engaging buying experience.
Many integrations
It seamlessly exchanges information with CRMs (e.g. HubSpot and Sugar), ERPs, and other business software.
This helps optimize the sales process and decrease the time it takes to present a quote.
PandaDoc CPQ for HubSpot is the only natively integrated end-to-end workflow tool within HubSpot.
Sales reps can configure, price, and quote complex product catalogs without ever leaving their CRM—reducing errors and dramatically speeding up deal cycles.
This valuable integration seamlessly connects with core PandaDoc capabilities, like eSignatures and payments, so you can go from proposal to deal-closing quickly, accurately, and professionally.
User-friendly interface
PandaDoc is easy to understand and use.
This means your sales reps will quickly start generating quotes with it, bringing you all the benefits of a CPQ.
Moreover, the templates are easy to modify, which helps adjust the work for any new products or add improvements to existing ones.
Collaboration and approval workflows
Multiple team members can collaborate on quotes, and managers can set up automated approval rules. This keeps deals moving quickly while ensuring compliance and pricing accuracy.
Recurring billing and SaaS alignment
Built with SaaS in mind, PandaDoc CPQ natively supports subscription-based and usage-based pricing models. This allows SaaS companies to easily quote, manage, and scale recurring revenue deals without custom workarounds.
Payment integration
Close deals and collect payments in the same system. By embedding payment processing directly in your proposals, you shorten the buyer’s journey and improve cash flow.
Want to increase close rates with CPQ software?
PandaDoc CPQ empowers SaaS sales teams to quote faster, sell smarter, and close deals sooner—all without the complexity and costs of traditional CPQ solutions.
Utilize PandaDoc’s CPQ software to enhance the customer experience and save time by creating a streamlined and efficient workflow.
2. Salesforce CPQ
Salesforce CPQ is a leading CPQ software for SaaS businesses already using Salesforce as their CRM.
Salesforce CPQ is being replaced by Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) for new customers. RCA will integrate quoting, billing, and revenue recognition on a single platform. In the past, users may have needed additional products or add-ons.
Salesforce users appreciate the intuitive user interface, which makes it easy to configure pricing and quotes, and it is highly customizable to meet specific business requirements. According to some reviews, users report a steep learning curve compared with other platforms.
Salesforce CPQ can also integrate with other Salesforce solutions, such as Sales Cloud and Service Cloud, making it an excellent choice for businesses that are already using Salesforce as their CRM.
3. Oracle CPQ
Oracle CPQ is another popular choice for SaaS businesses, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for managing the entire quote-to-cash process.
It features a powerful rules engine that enables businesses to create complex pricing and quote configurations, and it can integrate with Oracle’s other cloud solutions, including Oracle Sales Cloud and Oracle Marketing Cloud.
Oracle CPQ is also highly scalable, making it suitable for businesses of different sizes and in various industries.
4. Apttus CPQ
Apttus CPQ is a cloud-based, enterprise-class CPQ solution that can automate complex quote-to-cash processes.
It has a powerful rules-based engine that enables businesses to create complex pricing and quote configurations, and it is also highly customizable to meet specific business requirements.
Because it is native to Salesforce (built to operate within the Salesforce platform), Apttus CPQ can encounter Salesforce platform limits or require more careful design in large-scale or high-volume scenarios. Some articles mention “governor limit” constraints when pushing a lot of logic within Salesforce. Integrating with non-Salesforce systems is feasible, but may require middleware or custom connectors.
Apttus CPQ can also integrate with various other enterprise applications, such as SAP, Oracle, and Salesforce, making it an ideal choice for businesses with large, complex workflows.
5. PROS CPQ
PROS CPQ is a powerful, cloud-based CPQ solution that provides advanced pricing optimization capabilities.
It has a machine learning-based pricing engine that enables businesses to optimize pricing based on customer behavior, market trends, and other factors. Some reviews mention that the advanced AI features are add-ons or only available in higher tiers.
PROS CPQ also features a user-friendly interface that facilitates easy configuration of pricing and quotes, and it can integrate with various other enterprise applications, including ERP and CRM systems.
PROS CPQ is an excellent choice for businesses that want to implement advanced pricing strategies and maximize revenue.
Using PandaDoc CPQ to drive revenue
A CPQ solution allows sales reps to generate complex quotes in minutes.
CPQ for SaaS helps close deals, streamlines quoting for customizable products, and fosters client goodwill and enhances customer satisfaction.
If you’re looking for the best SaaS CPQ, PandaDoc CPQ is one of the best user-friendly options that integrates with many of the tools your teams already use to speed up the qutoing process and close deasl faster.
Just click, quote, and close with PandaDoc
PandaDoc CPQ allows sales teams to generate quick, accurate quotes that boost buyer confidence and close deals ASAP.
Ready to see how PandaDoc CPQ can simplify your quoting process and help you close more deals? Start your 14-day trial today!
Disclaimer
PandaDoc is not a law firm, or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. This page is not intended to and does not provide legal advice. Should you have legal questions on the validity of e-signatures or digital signatures and the enforceability thereof, please consult with an attorney or law firm. Use of PandaDocs services are governed by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Originally published May 15, 2023, updated July 25, 2025
