The dedicated proposal builders — Better Proposals, Qwilr, Proposify, Bidsketch, Prospero, Nusii, Fresh Proposals, Bonsai — are all trial-only, so free proposals in 2026 are assembled from three kinds of tool: a free e-sign quota (PandaDoc 5 documents a month, Zoho Sign 5 envelopes, Dropbox Sign 3 requests), a free quoting ledger that turns quotes into paid invoices (Zoho Books, Zoho Invoice, Wave) and a design or document tool for the proposal itself (Canva, Google Docs, Jotform). Indy is the one all-in-one with a free tier: three proposals a month. Prices are USD and were checked on 23 October 2026. How we score · All Kurums Free lists
TL;DR — the free proposal tool that fits
- A few signable proposals a month, properly: PandaDoc Free eSign — 5 documents and 5 templates a month, no card; no payment collection.
- Freelancer who wants proposal, contract and invoice in one: Indy free — 3 of each a month, 10 GB storage.
- Quotes that become invoices and get paid online: Zoho Books free (under $50K revenue) or Wave Starter (unlimited estimates, card fees only).
- A beautiful PDF proposal with no workflow: Canva Free — proposal templates, 5 GB, one brand kit.
- Quote requests collected by form, signed in the same tool: Jotform Starter — 100 submissions and 10 signed documents a month (vendor support figures).
Which proposal & quote builders tools have a free plan in 2026?
Every tool below gets a proposal or quote in front of a client at no monthly cost, indefinitely. They do different parts of the job. E-sign tools (PandaDoc, Zoho Sign, Dropbox Sign, Jotform Sign) build and sign within a monthly quota of 3 to 10. Quoting tools (Zoho Books, Zoho Invoice, Wave) produce unlimited quotes that convert to invoices and take card payment, without signatures. Document and design tools (Canva, Google Docs) make the proposal look good and leave sending and signing to you. Indy is the only all-in-one with a free tier, at three documents a month.
What is missing is every tool with ‘proposal’ in its name: Better Proposals, Qwilr, Proposify, Bidsketch, Prospero, Nusii and Fresh Proposals run 14-day trials (Nusii requires a card), Bonsai’s trial needs a card to continue and its cheapest plan excludes proposals, and HubSpot’s legacy quotes tool is closed to new accounts. If you want templates, analytics and payments in one proposal tool, the cheapest paid routes are Better Proposals at $13 and Bidsketch at $15 a month.
The table shows the monthly cap, whether e-signature and payments are included, and the Free Score. Open a row for the full Scorecard.
| Company | Free as | Key limit | Card | Free Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P |
Free forever | 5 docs/mo · 5 templates · no payments | No | 82 | Scorecard ↓ |
| I |
Free forever | 3 proposals · 3 contracts · 3 invoices/mo | No | 74 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Z |
Free forever | Quotes + payments · revenue < $50K/yr | No | 72 | Scorecard ↓ |
| W |
Free forever | Unlimited estimates · card fees · no e-sign | No | 70 | Scorecard ↓ |
| J |
Free forever | 100 submissions · 10 signed docs/mo (support) | No | 64 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Z |
Free forever | 5 envelopes/mo · 1 user | No | 62 | Scorecard ↓ |
| Z |
Free forever | 500 invoices/yr · 2 users · branded | No | 60 | Scorecard ↓ |
| C |
Free forever | 5 GB · 1 brand kit · no e-sign | No | 58 | Scorecard ↓ |
| G |
Free forever | Google account · e-sign availability unclear | No | 52 | Scorecard ↓ |
| D |
Free forever | 3 requests/mo · vendor page unreachable | No | 44 | Scorecard ↓ |
Free tiers verified 23 October 2026 on each vendor’s pricing page (third-party sources named in the Scorecard where the vendor page was silent). Order is by Free Score only; sponsorship never changes it.
What do the free proposal tool plans actually include?
Open any row for the eight-field Scorecard. The “Why it ranks here” note under each row explains the score in plain terms.
1P
PandaDoc Free eSignUS · create and e-sign documents free for you and your team: 5 documents and 5 templates a month with a signature certificate, no cardFree forever5 docs/mo · 5 templates · no paymentsNo card82⌄
- What’s free
- $0 for you and your team: create and e-sign documents, up to 5 templates, signature certificate, eIDAS and ESIGN compliance
- Hard limits
- 5 documents a month shared across the app, API and automations · 5 templates · payment collection not available · user cap not stated
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- No. ‘No credit card required’ is stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A sixth document in a month, payments or more templates
- Cheapest paid step
- Starter $19/seat/month billed annually (annual saves up to 46%)
- Best free for
- A consultancy sending a handful of signable proposals a month
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · pandadoc.com/pricing
2I
IndyUS · a freelancer suite free at three proposals, contracts, invoices and clients a month, with 10 GB storage, projects and time trackingFree forever3 proposals · 3 contracts · 3 invoices/moNo card74⌄
- What’s free
- $0: 3 proposals, 3 contracts, 3 invoices and 3 clients a month, 10 GB storage, projects, calendar, forms, tasks, time tracker
- Hard limits
- 3 of each document type a month, no rollover · 10 GB at 200 MB a file · e-sign and payments not mentioned for the free tier
- Time limit
- None; Pro has a 7-day trial
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A fourth proposal, contract or invoice in a month
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro Bundle $12.50/month billed $300 every two years
- Best free for
- A freelancer with a few new clients a month who wants one tool for the paperwork
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · weareindy.com/pricing (page says ‘unlimited basic tools’ and lists 3/month caps)
Why it ranks here. The only end-to-end free proposal tool here — proposal to contract to invoice — at a volume that suits a freelancer and nobody else. The page’s wording on caps contradicts itself; we quote the numbers.
3Z
Zoho BooksIndia · free accounting for one user with quotes that convert to invoices and take online payment, for businesses under $50K revenueFree foreverQuotes + payments · revenue < $50K/yrNo card72⌄
- What’s free
- Free plan: 1 user plus 1 accountant, up to 1,000 invoices a year, quotes, online payment acceptance
- Hard limits
- Revenue must stay within $50,000 per financial year · 1 user plus an accountant · 1,000 invoices a year · quote cap not stated · gateway fees not named · no e-signature on quotes
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Revenue above $50K or a second user
- Cheapest paid step
- Standard $15/organisation/month billed annually ($20 monthly)
- Best free for
- A small business whose proposal is really a quote that needs to become a paid invoice
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zoho.com/books/pricing
Why it ranks here. Quotes, acceptance and payment in one ledger, free — the right shape for product and service quotes rather than consulting proposals. The revenue ceiling is the unusual cap.
4W
WaveCanada · unlimited estimates and invoices on the $0 Starter plan, with optional online payments at 2.9% + 60¢Free foreverUnlimited estimates · card fees · no e-signNo card70⌄
- What’s free
- Starter at $0: unlimited estimates, invoices, bills and bookkeeping, mobile invoicing, optional online payments
- Hard limits
- Card payments 2.9% + $0.60 (Amex 3.4% + $0.60) · adding users is Pro only · no e-signature · no proposal design
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Team users or lower fees
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro $19/month or $190/year per business
- Best free for
- A sole trader sending unlimited quotes and collecting card payment on acceptance
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · waveapps.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. No caps at all on estimates, which nothing else here offers free; no signature and no design keep core job low. Pair it with Canva or Docs for the proposal body.
5J
Jotform SignUS · the Starter plan runs quote-request forms, payment integrations and Jotform Sign with branding; caps are in a support article, not on the pricing pageFree forever100 submissions · 10 signed docs/mo (support)No card64⌄
- What’s free
- Starter: standard features including form templates, payment integrations, widgets, the PDF Editor and Jotform Sign, with Jotform branding
- Hard limits
- 100 submissions a month and 10 signed documents a month (vendor support) · 5 forms, 10 payment submissions a month, 500 stored submissions (third-party) · the pricing page states no numbers
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Removing branding, or more submissions and signatures
- Cheapest paid step
- Bronze — ‘paid plans start at $19 per month’ (vendor); $34 a month billed annually (third-party) — conflicting
- Best free for
- A business that collects quote requests by form and wants the acceptance signed in the same tool
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · jotform.com/pricing; limits from Jotform support, 10 Jun 2026, and activepieces.com, 15 Oct 2026
Why it ranks here. Ten free signatures a month is double PandaDoc’s document quota, and the form-to-signature flow is unique here. Scored down because the caps and the paid price had to come from support pages and a third party.
6ZZoho SignIndia · five signing envelopes a month for a single user; an envelope can carry several documentsFree forever5 envelopes/mo · 1 userNo card62⌄
- What’s free
- Free plan: 5 envelopes a month, single user
- Hard limits
- 5 envelopes a month · 1 user · templates appear unavailable (table ambiguous) · signer limit not stated for the free plan · no proposal builder
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A sixth envelope, templates or a team
- Cheapest paid step
- Standard — per user per month, 25 envelopes; price not confirmed
- Best free for
- Getting a few quotes signed a month when the quote itself lives elsewhere
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zoho.com/sign/pricing
Why it ranks here. Same quota as PandaDoc without the document builder, which is why it sits lower. The paid price could not be confirmed.
7ZZoho InvoiceIndia · a forever-free invoicing tool with quotes, payment links and 24/5 support for two users, with ‘Powered by Zoho Invoice’ brandingFree forever500 invoices/yr · 2 users · brandedNo card60⌄
- What’s free
- Forever-free: quotes and estimates, invoices, multiple payment options, 24/5 support, no ads
- Hard limits
- 2 users · 3 projects · 500 invoices a year · 2 organisations · ‘Powered by Zoho Invoice’ branding · quote cap not stated · data deleted after 180 days of inactivity · no e-sign
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Outgrowing it, which points to the separate paid Zoho Billing
- Cheapest paid step
- None — Zoho Billing, price not stated
- Best free for
- A freelancer who sends quotes and invoices with payment links and does not mind the badge
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · zoho.com/invoice/pricing
Why it ranks here. Free with no revenue ceiling, unlike Zoho Books, in exchange for branding and a 180-day inactivity deletion rule worth knowing about.
8C
CanvaAustralia · proposal templates among 1.6 million designs, 5 GB storage and one brand kit free; no sending, signing or paymentFree forever5 GB · 1 brand kit · no e-signNo card58⌄
- What’s free
- Canva Free: 1.6M+ templates including proposal layouts, 5 GB storage, 1 brand kit with 3 colours, up to 20 AI uses a month
- Hard limits
- 5 GB · 1 brand kit, 3 colours · 20 AI uses a month · no e-signature · no proposal workflow
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Brand kits, premium assets or more AI
- Cheapest paid step
- Pro $144/year for one person billed yearly (Canva Teams is closed to new sign-ups)
- Best free for
- Making the proposal look like it cost money, then sending the PDF through one of the sign tools above
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · canva.com/pricing
Why it ranks here. The best-looking proposals on this list start here and are signed somewhere else. Scored for the design job, which is not the core job.
9G
Google DocsUS · proposal templates and collaborative editing with any Google account; the eSignature feature’s availability on free accounts is not statedFree foreverGoogle account · e-sign availability unclearNo card52⌄
- What’s free
- Docs for anyone with a Google account: templates and building blocks, collaborative editing; eSignature is described on the product page
- Hard limits
- Personal-account limits not stated · eSignature plan requirements not stated · some features need Workspace
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- Business features or a custom domain
- Cheapest paid step
- Workspace Business Starter $7/user/month (50% intro offer from 5 Nov 2026)
- Best free for
- A DIY proposal written with a client in the document
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · workspace.google.com/products/docs and /pricing
Why it ranks here. Where most small-business proposals are actually written; whether the built-in eSignature works on a free account is the question the page does not answer.
10D
Dropbox SignUS · formerly HelloSign: three signature requests a month free, per third-party sourcesFree forever3 requests/mo · vendor page unreachableNo card44⌄
- What’s free
- Free: 3 signature requests a month, unlimited self-signing (third-party)
- Hard limits
- 3 requests a month · no templates · 1 user — all third-party
- Time limit
- None
- Card required
- Not stated.
- Upgrade trigger
- A fourth request or templates
- Cheapest paid step
- Essentials $15/month billed yearly ($20 monthly), unlimited requests, 5 templates (third-party)
- Best free for
- Signing the occasional quote, once the vendor page is readable again
- Verified
- Oct 2026 · Jotform guide, 14 Oct 2026, and goodsign.io, Sept 2026
Why it ranks here. A well-known free quota we could not confirm from Dropbox itself. Listed on third-party evidence, scored down for it, and marked for re-verification.
Which free proposal tool has no credit-card requirement?
PandaDoc states no card. Everything else — Indy, the three Zoho tools, Wave, Jotform, Canva, Google and Dropbox Sign — does not state it for the free plan. None auto-converts; Indy’s Pro trial is separate from its free tier.
Among the excluded trials, Nusii requires a card to start and Bonsai requires one to continue; the rest (Better Proposals, Qwilr, Proposify, Prospero, Fresh Proposals) do not, but end after 14 days.
When does the free plan stop being enough?
Kurums Match: which free proposal tool fits your situation?
Consultant, four proposals a month
PandaDoc Free eSign.
Freelancer, three new clients a month
Indy free.
Trades business quoting jobs
Wave Starter or Zoho Books free.
Agency collecting briefs by form
Jotform Starter.
Proposal must look designed
Canva Free, signed through PandaDoc.
Co-writing the proposal with the client
Google Docs.
One signature a month
Zoho Sign or Dropbox Sign.
How we score free tiers
Duration (30): free forever scores 30, a 30-day-plus trial 15, a trial of 14 days or less 8, credit-based tiers 12. Capacity (30): whether the limits carry a team of three for twelve months. Core job (25): whether the free tier does the category’s main work — here, producing a branded proposal or quote, sending it, getting it signed and, ideally, paid. Friction (15): no card 15; card but no auto-charge 8; auto-charge 0; self-hosting deducts for setup and maintenance.
Each free tier was checked on the vendor’s pricing page on 23 October 2026; where the vendor page was silent, the Scorecard names the third-party source used. Free tiers change, so this list is re-verified every quarter and a discontinued free plan stays listed for one month with a notice. Order is by Free Score only. Kurums Free sells no placement; sponsorship, affiliate links and vendor requests never change a score, a rank or a label. Vendors can submit corrections to the Kurums editorial team.
How did we verify these free tiers?
We opened each vendor’s pricing page and recorded monthly document, envelope or submission caps, e-signature and payment inclusion, user limits and the paid step. Jotform’s pricing page states no numbers; its caps come from a Jotform support answer dated June 2026 and a third-party guide dated October 2026, which disagree on the Bronze price. Dropbox Sign’s row is third-party and marked unverified. Zoho Sign’s Standard price could not be confirmed. Better Proposals, Qwilr, Proposify, Bidsketch, Prospero, Nusii, Fresh Proposals and Bonsai were excluded as trial-only; HubSpot Quotes because the legacy tool is closed to new users and quotes now require Revenue Hub Professional.
Prices are USD.
Frequently asked questions
Which proposal software is free?
No dedicated proposal builder has a free plan. PandaDoc’s Free eSign (5 documents a month) and Indy (3 proposals a month) are the closest; the rest of the list combines free quoting, signing and design tools.
Is PandaDoc free?
PandaDoc Free eSign is free with no card: 5 documents and 5 templates a month with a signature certificate. Collecting payments requires Starter at $19 a seat a month annual.
Is Qwilr or Proposify free?
No. Both offer 14-day trials with no card; Qwilr Starter is $35 a user a month annual and Proposify Build is $39.
Which free tool lets me quote and get paid?
Zoho Books (free under $50,000 revenue), Zoho Invoice (branded, 500 invoices a year) and Wave (unlimited estimates, 2.9% + 60¢ card fees) all convert quotes to invoices with online payment.
Can I e-sign a proposal for free?
Yes, within quotas: PandaDoc 5 documents a month, Zoho Sign 5 envelopes, Jotform Sign 10 documents (per Jotform support), Dropbox Sign 3 requests (unverified from the vendor this month).
Does HubSpot’s free CRM include quotes?
Not for new accounts. HubSpot’s legacy quotes tool is no longer available to new users; quotes now require Revenue Hub Professional or Enterprise, and e-signature requires Sales Hub Professional.
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