Key Takeaways
AutoRFP.ai: Best for teams needing AI automation that learns from your responses across RFQs, RFPs, DDQs, and security questionnaires, especially when handling 10+ requests monthly
Salesforce CPQ: Ideal for enterprises already using Salesforce CRM who need complex pricing configurations and subscription billing
PandaDoc: Best for small businesses wanting simple document workflows with eSignatures at accessible pricing
Loopio: Perfect for organizations managing high response volumes with distributed subject matter experts who need centralized content
Another manufacturer just sent the same question you answered three times last month. Your team is fielding duplicate inquiries because nobody knows what was already answered. And the RFQ package that "clearly explains everything" apparently wasn't shared with their entire team.
RFQ software stops this cycle by automating repetitive content and coordinating cross-functional input in real time. We compare 4 solutions that handle everything from basic document workflows to AI-powered automation. You'll see which tool fits your team size, response volume, and budget
Tool | Best For | Standout Feature | Starting Price |
AutoRFP.ai | AI automation & multi-format responses | Learns from every approved response automatically | $899/month |
Salesforce CPQ | Complex enterprise pricing | Guided selling within existing CRM | $150/user/month |
Loopio | High-volume response management | Centralized content library with collaboration | $20,000/year |
PandaDoc | Document workflow & eSignatures | Real-time tracking with payment collection | $19/month |
AutoRFP.ai: Best for AI RFQ Automation & Responses
When MedeAnalytics received a 1,000+ question security questionnaire, they faced a choice: dedicate weeks to manual completion or find a better way.
They chose AutoRFP.ai and automated 75% of answers while eliminating administrative overhead entirely.
That's what happens when software is built specifically for RFQ responses rather than adapted from generic document tools. AutoRFP.ai processes requests for quotation across any format (Excel spreadsheets with multiple tabs, 500-page Word documents, web portals like SAP Ariba) and generates accurate first drafts using your existing content.
Rather than maintaining massive content libraries, AutoRFP.ai's response management captures every approved answer automatically, learning your company's voice and win themes without manual updates.
Key Features
Three core AI capabilities separate AutoRFP.ai from platforms that simply store content.
AI Response Engine with Trust Scoring
The system searches your previous responses and company documentation to find relevant content. You also see exactly how confident the AI is through trust scores from 0-100.
This transparency prevents the "black box" problem where you're unsure whether AI-generated content is accurate or hallucinated.
Multi-Format Document Processing
Your digital RFQ document arrives however the buyer prefers sending it.
Complex Excel workbooks? AutoRFP.ai detects requirements across all tabs automatically. Word documents with intricate tables? PDF forms? Filled directly in the original format.
The browser extension handles web portals too, meaning you can work directly in procurement platforms without copying content between systems.
This matters when buyers require responses submitted through their specific portal.
Workforce.com used this flexibility to expand into 50+ markets, responding in over 30 languages while maintaining consistent win themes.
They doubled their participation rate and won 50+ new bids by working in whatever format each buyer required.
Real-Time Collaboration & Response Management
Your procurement specialist assigns technical questions to engineering with two clicks. Comments appear instantly and progress updates in real time.
This is just software designed around how cross-functional teams work. You can see all your RFPs, DDQs, security questionnaires, bids, and tenders through one centralized dashboard instead of hunting through email threads and shared drives.
Side Note: Organizations with strong knowledge-sharing practices are 52% more productive and 17% more profitable than their peers. Your software should facilitate this sharing rather than obstruct it.
Pricing
Plan | Monthly Cost | Key Inclusions |
Scale | $899 | Unlimited AI, users, content, and integrations |
Accelerate | $1,299 | Everything in Scale plus advanced analytics |
Enterprise | Custom | Tailored security and compliance features |
AutoRFP.ai includes a 30-day risk-free trial with full money-back guarantee. Plus all plans come with unlimited users; no per-seat fees that scale costs as your team grows.
Where AutoRFP.ai Shines
Automated learning from responses: The system captures approved answers without manual library maintenance. This creates a reinforcing cycle where better responses lead to better automation.
Multi-language support: Respond in 30+ languages with automated translation while maintaining consistent win themes across all markets.
Private AI with zero model training: Your commercially sensitive data never trains public AI models. AutoRFP.ai processes confidential information through Azure AI with ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification, maintaining data security through regional data centers.
Where AutoRFP.ai Falls Short
Fewer native integrations: Although AutoRFP.ai integrates with major procurement and workflow tools, its integration library is smaller than some legacy platforms.
Pricing for occasional users: Very small businesses handling only one or two RFQs quarterly might find the starting price high, though unlimited users make per-person costs competitive for growing teams.
Customer Reviews
"This really is a brilliant time-saving tool. It's very clever, and the range of answer types, criteria and scenarios it handles is impressive, as well as highly configurable, by RFP." - Verified G2 review
Who AutoRFP.ai Is Best For
Mid-to-large B2B organizations: Companies responding to 10+ RFPs, RFQs, or security questionnaires monthly who need to scale response capacity without proportionally scaling headcount
Global teams: Organizations operating across multiple regions requiring multi-language support and strict data security standards
Experience your first fully automated RFQ - Try for 30 days, risk-free
Salesforce CPQ
Salesforce CPQ automates the quote-to-cash cycle for organizations managing complex pricing configurations. The platform guides your team through product selection, applies pricing rules automatically, and generates quotes within your existing Salesforce CRM environment.
Key Features
Guided selling with product configuration
The system walks through compatibility questions, ensuring teams select appropriate product combinations while visual configurators show exactly what prospects are purchasing.
Dynamic pricing with approval workflows
Pricing matrices calculate discounts based on volume, contract terms, or customer specifications. Complex approvals route quotes to the right managers based on discount thresholds.
Pricing
Plan | Monthly Cost (per user) | Key Features |
Growth | $150 | Core CPQ with guided selling |
Advanced | $200 | Advanced contract management and billing |
Where Salesforce CPQ Shines
Deep CRM integration: If you already use Salesforce, CPQ integrates seamlessly without synchronization issues.
Revenue recognition automation: Built-in billing connects quotes to invoices to revenue recognition, creating end-to-end financial workflows.
Where Salesforce CPQ Falls Short
Implementation complexity: Setup requires significant time investment due to downstream system dependencies, with implementation costs potentially substantial when integrating with existing ERP systems.
Cost barrier: Between per-user licensing and implementation costs, Salesforce CPQ makes most sense for larger organizations where investment scales across significant volume.
Customer Reviews
“Allows flexibility for customers with franchise models, however the implementation can become costly and time consuming.” - Verified Software Advice Review
Who Salesforce CPQ Is Best For
Existing Salesforce customers: Teams already invested in the Salesforce ecosystem wanting unified CRM and CPQ data
Loopio
Loopio positions itself as software built specifically for teams managing high response volumes with distributed subject matter experts. The platform's Response Intelligence feature draws on years of response data to help you find relevant content and maintain consistency.
Key Features
Searchable content library: Store approved responses in a centralized repository where the "Magic" AI feature automatically suggests relevant content for new requirements.
Integration ecosystem: Connect with Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Teams, and internal systems to track responses alongside normal sales processes.
Pricing
Plan | Annual Cost | Seats Included |
Foundations | $20,000 | 10 |
Enhanced | Custom | Custom |
Enterprise | Custom | Custom |
Where Loopio Shines
Collaboration for distributed teams: Multiple contributors work simultaneously without conflicts while approval workflows keep stakeholders informed.
Intuitive interface: Reviewers consistently praise Loopio's user-friendly design that helps new team members get productive quickly.
Where Loopio Falls Short
AI accuracy concerns: Users report inconsistent AI suggestions with occasional inaccuracies even at high confidence settings, requiring human review on most AI-generated responses.
Customer Reviews
"Loopio enables us to draft and respond to new solicitations much faster than we did before we adopted it. We love being able to access and revise our content library quickly and easily." - Verified G2 review
Who Loopio Is Best For
Sales-led organizations: Mid-to-large companies where teams regularly respond to RFPs, RFIs, DDQs, and security questionnaires
PandaDoc
While not purpose-built for RFQ management, PandaDoc streamlines contracts and agreements for smaller teams needing professional results without enterprise complexity.
Key Features
Drag-and-drop editor: Build professional documents quickly using templates with built-in CPQ handling basic product quoting and pricing calculations.
Embedded eSignatures: Collect signatures and payments without leaving the platform, reducing friction in closing and processing purchase orders.
Pricing
Plan | Monthly Cost | Key Features |
Starter | $19 | Basic document creation and eSignatures |
Business | $49 | Advanced templates and CRM integrations |
Enterprise | Custom | Custom workflows and dedicated support |
Where PandaDoc Shines
Speed to value: Small teams get professional document capabilities without lengthy implementation, creating polished documents within hours.
Where PandaDoc Falls Short
Performance issues: Users report occasional platform lag, particularly with larger documents during peak usage times.
Limited customization on lower tiers: Starter and Business plans restrict certain customization options and advanced workflow automation.
Customer Reviews
"As a small company with 21 employees, we can’t afford to waste time learning overly complex software or paying for features we’ll never use. PandaDoc’s balance of usability and functionality fits us perfectly." - Verified G2 review
Who PandaDoc Is Best For
Teams focused on closing: Organizations prioritizing signature collection over highly complex RFQ responses or technical questionnaires
How to Choose the Right RFQ Tool for Your Business
The wrong RFQ software becomes shelfware within three months. Here's what separates RFQ tools that help from ones that sit unused.
Consistency Across Requirements
Weak platforms force you to choose between copy-pasting generic answers (which buyers notice) or writing everything from scratch (which wastes time).
Strong platforms like AutoRFP.ai tackle this through its AI Response Engine, which understands the intent behind each requirement, finds relevant content from your past responses, and generates new text that uses the buyer's terminology while maintaining your win themes.
For example, if a buyer asks for "cost breakdown by deliverable" and your previous response detailed "pricing structure by milestone," the system recognizes these as related concepts and adapts your proven pricing framework to match their terminology.
You end up sending answers with matched language without rebuilding your entire pricing justification from scratch.
Win back hours of your week - start your 30-day risk-free trial and see how fast RFQs can really move
Pricing Accuracy
That "best price" often comes down to demonstrating value while staying competitive.
"RFQ is when I want you to show me you've got a handle on the need that I have and how you're going to deliver it, but really you're giving me the best price—that's what I'm looking for." - Neil McDonnell, Government contracting expert
Your software needs to help you pull accurate pricing from previous similar requests while adapting to the specific requirements in front of you.
With AutoRFP.ai, when a new RFQ arrives, the system surfaces what you quoted for similar requirements, the scope differences, and which responses led to successful outcomes. This historical intelligence helps you price competitively without leaving money on the table.
Real-Time Collaboration
Choose platforms that offer real-time collaboration where multiple contributors see changes instantly. Assignment workflows should let you designate editors and reviewers with minimal clicks.
Integrations with your existing tools like the kind AutoRFP.ai offers (CRM, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Drive) mean people work where they're already comfortable. Your sales team works in the main interface while subject matter experts receive notifications through Slack or Teams when their input is needed.
Bonus: Download and use this pre-submission checklist to ensure you're submitting complete, compliant responses every time.
Get faster quotes, cleaner data, and fewer emails - Try AutoRFP.ai free for 30 days
AutoRFP.ai: Save Hours and bid faster with AI Automations
The right RFQ software depends on your organization's size and priorities.
AutoRFP.ai offers the deepest AI automation with learning that improves over time, making it ideal for teams responding to 10+ requests monthly who want to scale without proportional headcount increases.
RFQ tools like PandaDoc better serve small-to-medium businesses that want streamlined document workflows with eSignatures at accessible pricing.
Choose the tool that aligns with your volume of RFQs, supplier ecosystem and tech stack. With AutoRFP.ai, you get next-gen automation with AI, full visibility into every quote, deadline, and decision, and real-time collaboration with your team, all in one place.Create your next RFQ with AutoRFP.ai and watch your entire process run itself.
About the Author
Robert Dickson
RevOps Manager
Rob manages Revenue Operations at AutoRFP.ai, bringing extensive go-to-market expertise from his previous roles as COO at an early-stage HealthTech SaaS Company. Having completed 100s of RFPs, Security Questionnaires and DDQs, Rob brings that experience to AutoRFP.ai's RFP process.
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