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Customer Success · head to head

Better Proposals vs Cone

Better Proposals logo

Better Proposals

Customer Success

Create Proposals That Win

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Cone logo

Cone

Proposals

Proposal to payment software for accounting and bookkeeping firms, with engagement letters and direct debit

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Better Proposals has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Better Proposals documents are metered by tier, at 10 a month on Starter and 50 on Premium; Cone the product is shaped around accountancy engagements, so a freelancer or agency outside professional services pays for engagement letter and compliance features they will never open.
  • They diverge on capability: Better Proposals covers Proposal templates, Cone covers Engagement letters.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Better Proposals and Cone actually diverge.

Attributes where Better Proposals and Cone differ
AttributeBetter ProposalsCone
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
CategoryCustomer SuccessProposals
Founded2016Unknown

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Better Proposals

  • Proposal templates
  • Digital signatures
  • Analytics
  • Payment collection
  • Custom branding
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Stripe

Only in Cone

  • Engagement letters
  • Electronic signature
  • Recurring billing
  • Direct debit collection
  • Scope creep flagging
  • Service line templates
  • Client onboarding tasks

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Better Proposals

  • Sending branded sales proposals with digital signaturesnot Cone
  • Taking payment at the point of signaturenot Cone
  • Tracking when a prospect opens and reads a proposalnot Cone
  • Reusable content library and templatesnot Cone
  • Approval workflows before a proposal goes out, on the Enterprise tiernot Cone

Cone

  • A bookkeeping practice moving clients from ad hoc invoicing onto signed recurring fee agreementsnot Better Proposals
  • An accountancy firm that needs engagement letter wording attached to every proposal for compliance reasonsnot Better Proposals
  • A practice losing revenue to out of scope work that is never billed because nobody notices itnot Better Proposals
  • Standardising pricing across a firm so that partners stop quoting the same service at different ratesnot Better Proposals

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Better Proposals

  • Documents are metered by tier, at 10 a month on Starter and 50 on Premium
  • The Starter plan at $13 a month is a single user
  • Custom domains, CRM integrations and the API all need Premium at $21 per user per month
  • Approvals, content locking and advanced permissions are Enterprise only at $42 per user per month
  • The Nudge follow-up feature is a $10 per user per month add-on, and custom design starts at $1,495

Cone

  • The product is shaped around accountancy engagements, so a freelancer or agency outside professional services pays for engagement letter and compliance features they will never open.
  • Recurring collection depends on which payment rails are supported in your country, and direct debit coverage varies enough that the headline benefit may not apply to your client base.
  • Practice management integration is shallower than the incumbents, so client records often exist in two systems and have to be reconciled.
  • Pricing is not published, which makes it hard to compare against a general proposal tool without entering a sales process first.
  • As a younger vendor in a market that consolidates through acquisition, roadmap continuity carries more risk than choosing an established practice software supplier.

Pricing, plan by plan

Better Proposals

Free
  • Starter$13/month
    • 1 maximum user seat
    • 10 monthly send limit
    • Digital signatures, interactive pricing, payment integrations
  • Premium$21/month
    • Unlimited user seats
    • 50 monthly send limit
    • Custom domain, CRM integrations, API/Zapier access
  • Enterprise$42/month
    • Unlimited user seats
    • Unlimited monthly sends
    • Content locking, simultaneous editing, manager approvals

Cone

On request
  • Cone$undefined/year
    • Proposals and engagement letters
    • Electronic signature
    • Recurring billing and direct debit mandates

Which should you pick?

Choose Better Proposals if

  • You need proposal templates.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want digital signatures.
Better Proposals review

Choose Cone if

  • You need engagement letters.
  • You also want electronic signature.
Cone review

Questions people ask

Is Better Proposals or Cone better?
Neither clearly leads. Better Proposals starts at Free and Cone at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Better Proposals or Cone?
Better Proposals has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Better Proposals and On request for Cone.
Does Better Proposals or Cone run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Better Proposals for free?
Yes. Better Proposals has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cone starts at On request.
What is Better Proposals best used for?
Better Proposals is most often used for sending branded sales proposals with digital signatures, taking payment at the point of signature, tracking when a prospect opens and reads a proposal, reusable content library and templates. Of those, sending branded sales proposals with digital signatures and taking payment at the point of signature are not what Cone is typically brought in for.
What can Better Proposals do that Cone cannot?
Better Proposals covers Proposal templates, Digital signatures, Analytics, Payment collection. Cone covers Engagement letters, Electronic signature, Recurring billing, Direct debit collection.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Better Proposals: Does Better Proposals charge per user or per team?

Starter tier ($13/month) is limited to 1 user seat. Premium ($21/month) and Enterprise ($42/month) allow unlimited user seats at their respective prices.

Source
Cone: Is this only for accountants?

It is designed for accounting and bookkeeping firms. Other professional services firms use it, but general freelancers will find most of it irrelevant.

Better Proposals: How much can I save with annual billing on Better Proposals?

Annual billing saves up to 35% compared to monthly billing. Starter becomes $19/month (billed annually), Premium becomes $29/month, and Enterprise becomes $49/month.

Source
Cone: Does it handle recurring fees?

Yes, and that is the main reason firms adopt it. Acceptance creates the fee schedule and the collection mandate together.

Better Proposals: Is there a free trial for Better Proposals?

Yes, 14-day free trial available with no credit card required to get started.

Source
Cone: How are payments collected?

Through supported card and direct debit providers, whose processing fees apply on top of the subscription.

Cone: What is scope creep flagging?

It compares work performed against the scope agreed in the proposal and surfaces the difference so it can be billed rather than absorbed.

Cone: Is pricing published?

Not in a form that can be quoted reliably. Expect a sales conversation before you can compare it on cost.

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