You win the discovery call. The buyer is engaged, the scope sounds clear, and budget does not seem like the obstacle. Then the quote arrives as a rushed spreadsheet, a generic Word file, or a PDF with vague line items and hard-to-scan pricing.
That is often the first moment confidence drops.
A weak quote creates extra work on both sides. Buyers pause when totals do not line up, terms are missing, taxes are unclear, or the validity period is buried. Sales teams then spend time answering preventable questions instead of closing. Operations inherits the same confusion later if the accepted quote was vague from the start.
A solid template quotation sample fixes the formatting problem. It gives your team a repeatable structure for company details, client information, pricing, taxes, terms, and expiration dates. For many small and mid-sized businesses, that is enough to speed up quoting and reduce avoidable back-and-forth.
But formatting is only part of the job.
The key decision is choosing the right quoting tool for your stage of growth. Some businesses only need a clean downloadable file in Word or Excel. Others need quotes tied to intake forms, approvals, accounting, and CRM records. In practice, quoting breaks down long before the document gets sent. It breaks down when reps receive incomplete requests, chase missing details, and build pricing from scattered notes. Teams using AI-powered workflow automation and tools for conversational AI for sales usually fix that upstream problem first.
That is the lens for this list. It covers both static templates and dynamic systems, so you can choose based on how your team sells today, and what needs to happen next.
1. Orbit AI
Orbit AI belongs at the top because most quoting problems start before the quote exists. If your team gets vague inbound requests, incomplete scope details, or low-intent leads asking for pricing, the bottleneck is intake.
Orbit AI turns the standard quote request form into a guided conversation. Instead of dumping every visitor into the same generic form, you can ask relevant follow-up questions, qualify the request, score the lead, and pass the data into the rest of your workflow. For sales leaders, that means reps spend less time chasing dead-end requests and more time building quotes for serious buyers.
Where it fits best
This is the best choice when you need a front-end system for quote requests, not just a template file. High-growth teams that route leads into CRMs, email automation, or sales handoff flows will get the most value.
The practical advantage is simple. You collect better information before anyone drafts a proposal.
- Better qualification upfront: Orbit AI asks for the details your reps usually have to chase later, which reduces messy follow-up.
- Useful routing logic: High-intent submissions can go straight to sales, while lower-intent requests can enter nurture flows.
- Strong workflow fit: It works well alongside AI-powered workflow automation if you’re trying to remove manual admin from lead handling.
- Good handoff into quoting tools: It’s especially effective when paired with document systems that create the final PDF or commercial quote.
Practical rule: If your reps complain that quote requests arrive incomplete, don’t start by redesigning the PDF. Fix the intake path first.
Orbit AI is also a useful bridge between static forms and a more conversational buying experience. If you want to see how that shift works in sales environments, Orbit’s guide to conversational AI for sales is a helpful companion.
Trade-offs
Orbit AI isn’t your final quote document generator. You’ll still need a downstream tool for formal proposals, estimates, or signed quote PDFs. That’s not a flaw. It’s the point. It handles the qualification layer most template libraries ignore.
Visit Orbit AI.
2. PandaDoc
PandaDoc is what many teams move to after outgrowing files and folders. If you need quotes to become signed, approved, and paid without jumping across five tools, PandaDoc is one of the cleaner all-in-one options.
Its strength is breadth. You can start with a quotation template, pull in catalog items, configure pricing tables, collect signatures, and move the deal forward in the same environment. For businesses selling packages, retainers, or configurable services, that’s much more efficient than emailing static attachments back and forth.
What works well
PandaDoc is strongest when quoting is part of a larger sales motion.
- Template depth: The platform offers a broad set of quote and estimate templates across industries.
- Interactive pricing: Optional items and pricing tables help when customers need to choose between tiers or add-ons.
- Sales workflow support: Approvals, e-signatures, and payment collection reduce handoff friction.
- CRM alignment: It makes more sense when your quote should be tied directly to deal records and customer data.
One reason teams choose tools like this is speed and consistency. Better Proposals says its market research quote template is tied to securing $133M in business, which speaks to the commercial value buyers place on polished, structured proposals, even if your own workflow and results will depend on process discipline.
A quote that includes choices, approval flow, and signature capture usually closes faster than a file the buyer has to print, sign, and return manually.
Trade-offs
PandaDoc has a learning curve. If all you need is a simple template quotation sample in Word or Excel, it’s more system than you need. The value shows up when your team wants one place to build, send, track, and close quotes.
It’s also not the cheapest route to basic quoting. Paid plans matter here because advanced automation is part of the reason to choose it in the first place.
Visit PandaDoc quote templates.
3. HubSpot
If your sales team already lives in HubSpot, using its quote themes is usually smarter than bolting on a separate quoting workflow. The main benefit isn’t just branding. It’s pulling deal, product, and contact data directly from the CRM into a quote layout you control.
That eliminates a common source of mistakes. Reps don’t have to copy customer names, line items, payment terms, or quantities from one system into another. For growing teams, that kind of duplication creates preventable errors.
Why CRM-connected quotes matter
HubSpot’s custom quote themes work best when your quote is part of an established pipeline, not a standalone document.
A few practical wins stand out:
- Data consistency: Line items and customer details come from the CRM instead of manual re-entry.
- Brand control: Teams can build quote layouts that feel closer to a polished sales asset than a generic export.
- Workflow continuity: Quotes stay close to deals, activities, and rep visibility.
If you’re already thinking about how quote workflows connect to sales infrastructure, Orbit’s article on sales workflows in Salesforce is useful reading even if your stack isn’t identical. The bigger lesson is that quote generation gets easier when your intake, CRM, and follow-up process are connected.
Trade-offs
HubSpot’s quote themes are a strong fit for businesses already invested in Sales Hub. They’re much less compelling if you’re outside that ecosystem or don’t have access to the necessary plan level.
Customization can also get technical. Standard users can go far, but deeper layout work may need a developer. That’s fine for larger teams. It’s overkill for a small business that just needs a clean downloadable template quotation sample and a quick send.
Visit HubSpot quote themes documentation.
4. QuickBooks
QuickBooks is the practical choice for owners who care less about proposal theatrics and more about getting paid accurately. If your estimate usually turns into an invoice and then into a payment collection flow, keeping that path inside one accounting system saves time.
This is especially useful for contractors, service firms, and local businesses that don’t need a fancy proposal builder. They need a quote that looks professional, tracks status, and converts cleanly into billing.
Best for operations-first teams
QuickBooks works because it links quoting to the money side of the business.
- Fast estimate creation: You can build estimates with your branding, terms, and discount structure.
- Clear status visibility: Teams can see whether an estimate was viewed or accepted.
- One-click invoicing: Accepted work can move directly into the invoice stage.
- Mobile convenience: Reps and owners can create estimates from the field.
For businesses in trades or field services, this often matters more than visual customization. A quote that feeds accounting correctly is more valuable than a beautiful PDF that your office staff has to rebuild by hand later. That’s also why some teams pair quoting with specialized estimating tools such as Exayard construction estimating software when job costing gets more complex.
QuickBooks also fits businesses that are still using manual forms for order capture and need to tighten that process. Orbit’s guide to creating an order form is a useful reference if quote requests and order requests currently blur together in your workflow.
Field note: If your admin team retypes accepted estimates into invoices, you’re carrying unnecessary risk. The fix isn’t a prettier template. It’s tighter system flow.
Trade-offs
QuickBooks isn’t the best option if presentation and buyer interaction are your top priorities. The layouts are functional, not especially flexible. But if finance accuracy and speed matter most, it’s hard to argue against.
Visit QuickBooks estimates and proposals.
5. Zoho Books
Zoho Books is a strong middle ground between static templates and heavier quote automation platforms. It lets you create, send, track, and convert quotes inside a broader business system, which makes it useful for teams that want process discipline without the overhead of more specialized proposal software.
The biggest reason to choose it is ecosystem fit. If you already use Zoho CRM, Inventory, or other Zoho finance tools, the quoting module feels like a natural extension instead of another disconnected app.
Where Zoho Books shines
A lot of business owners don’t need a highly designed proposal. They need a clear quote, customer visibility, and a reliable path into a sales order or invoice. Zoho Books handles that well.
Its client portal also helps. Customers can view and accept quotes online, which is cleaner than sending attachments around and hoping someone signs the right version.
A good quote should also include the basics that reduce confusion later. Formplus emphasizes that quotation templates work better when they include validity periods, detailed service descriptions, and pricing breakdowns. Zoho’s structured workflow supports that kind of clarity.
Trade-offs
Zoho Books is most compelling when you’re already in Zoho. If you aren’t, it can feel like adopting a larger stack just to solve quoting. That may still be worth it, but it’s a broader operational decision, not a simple template download.
There’s also a difference between having quoting inside your finance system and having highly flexible deal configuration. If your sales team needs advanced interactive pricing or proposal storytelling, a dedicated document platform may fit better.
Visit Zoho Books quote help.
6. Jotform
A prospect asks for a quote, but the job is not simple. They need to attach plans, pick service options, explain edge cases, and answer follow-up questions that depend on what they selected earlier. In that situation, a downloadable Word or Excel quote template slows the team down before pricing even starts.
Jotform fits that middle stage well. It sits between a static template and a full quoting platform by helping you collect cleaner request data first, then turn it into a branded document. For freelancers, agencies, field service companies, and custom project teams, that can remove a lot of manual rework.
The main advantage is intake quality. If your team is copying details from emails, attachments, and call notes into a quote by hand, mistakes and delays creep in fast. Jotform lets you structure the request at the source.
Where Jotform stands out
Its form builder is useful when quote requirements vary from one customer to the next. You can ask smarter questions without forcing every buyer through the same rigid form.
- Conditional logic: Show the next question only when it applies.
- File uploads: Collect briefs, photos, drawings, or spec sheets upfront.
- Automated notifications: Send the request to the right rep as soon as it comes in.
- PDF output: Turn submitted data into a client-ready quote document faster than rebuilding it manually.
This is the practical bridge between templates and automation. A static file works when the quote is straightforward. Jotform works better when the problem is messy intake, not pricing complexity. If you are trying to reduce admin time before a rep even starts quoting, this guide to quote request form automation is a useful companion.
Trade-offs
Jotform is strongest at collecting information and producing documents. It is weaker as a system for quote approvals, negotiation history, pipeline reporting, or multi-step sales coordination across a larger team.
That matters for growing businesses. If you need cleaner intake and faster document creation, Jotform is a good upgrade from downloadable templates. If you need reps, finance, and management working inside one quoting workflow, you may outgrow it and want a CRM or CPQ-style setup instead.
Visit Jotform quote templates.
7. Smartsheet
A lot of sales teams are not ready for full quote automation. They just need a quote template that looks professional, calculates correctly, and does not create cleanup work for ops or finance. Smartsheet fits that stage well.
Its template library is useful for businesses that still run quoting through files but want more consistency than a homegrown spreadsheet usually gives them. You can start with formats your team already uses, including Excel, Word, PDF, and Google Sheets, then standardize fields such as quote number, customer details, pricing, taxes, discounts, and terms.
That makes Smartsheet a practical middle option in this list. It sits between basic downloadable files and a fully managed quoting workflow. If your current problem is document quality and version consistency, it solves a real problem without forcing a system change.
Why Smartsheet works for file-first teams
The biggest advantage is adoption speed. Reps, coordinators, and office staff usually do not need training to edit a spreadsheet or send a PDF. That matters when you need a better quoting process this week, not after a software rollout.
Smartsheet is also a sensible choice when pricing is fairly stable. Service businesses with standard packages, distributors with repeat line items, and smaller B2B teams often get enough value from a clean template and a disciplined process.
- Familiar formats: Teams can work in tools they already know.
- Cleaner documents: Quotes look more consistent across reps.
- Faster setup: You can adapt a template instead of building a workflow from scratch.
- Room to grow: If you later need more collaboration, Smartsheet gives you a path beyond static files.
Trade-offs
File-based quoting still depends on process discipline. Someone has to manage versions, check formulas, apply approval rules, and make sure the final PDF matches the latest pricing. If those steps already create delays or pricing mistakes, a template library will help less than a connected CRM or quoting system.
That is the trade-off business owners should look at. Smartsheet is a strong option when your business has outgrown messy DIY documents, but has not outgrown manual quoting itself.
8. HubSpot free price quote template
A common sales bottleneck shows up before automation ever becomes the issue. A rep needs to send a quote quickly, opens an old file, edits a few fields, and sends a document that still carries outdated terms or inconsistent pricing. HubSpot’s free price quote template helps fix that early-stage problem without pushing your team into a full quoting system before you are ready.
It fits businesses that are still file-first but want more discipline. Solo operators, small service teams, and early B2B sales teams can use it to standardize what goes into a quote, how it looks, and what the customer needs to approve. That is often the right step between ad hoc documents and a connected CRM workflow.
Best for teams formalizing the basics
The practical value is structure. The template gives you space for line items, totals, terms, and signatures in a format that is easy to edit and send.
That matters because quoting errors usually start with missing basics, not advanced workflow failures. If your business is still proving out pricing, refining scope, or training reps on what a good quote should include, a simple template is often more useful than software with features your team will not use yet.
HubSpot sits in an important middle ground in this list. It is still a downloadable template, but it comes from a company better known for CRM and sales automation. For business owners, that makes it a useful checkpoint. You can start with the free file, build a repeatable quoting format, and later decide whether your volume justifies moving into a system that handles approvals, tracking, and customer data in one place.
Trade-offs
The limits are clear. You still rely on people to enter customer details correctly, apply current pricing, and keep versions under control. There is no automatic handoff from pipeline to quote, and no built-in protection against stale terms or manual mistakes.
Use this option if your current problem is quote consistency, not quote complexity. If your team sends a modest number of quotes and needs a cleaner process fast, this is a sensible starting point. If quotes already involve approval chains, product rules, or frequent revisions, move past static files and into a connected quoting workflow.
Visit HubSpot free price quote template.
9. FreshBooks
FreshBooks is a good fit for service businesses that want polished templates without dealing with heavier sales software. Its estimate templates come in familiar formats, which keeps the learning curve low for freelancers, consultants, and small agencies.
This kind of tool matters when your quoting process is still mostly manual but your brand presentation matters. A clean estimate with obvious tax, discount, and service lines gives the client confidence and saves you from rebuilding the same doc every time.
Best for service-led small businesses
FreshBooks is strongest when you want a quick-start template with a natural upgrade path.
- Familiar file types: Teams can work in Google Docs, Sheets, Word, Excel, or PDF.
- Service-friendly formatting: The layouts suit consulting, creative, and other project-based work.
- Easy migration path: If your volume grows, you can move into the FreshBooks software for sending and invoicing.
For businesses in this stage, the key isn’t advanced automation. It’s consistency. A quote that always includes the same branding, structure, and pricing logic reduces mistakes and makes the client experience feel more stable.
Trade-offs
The free templates are static, so approvals and acceptance workflows still happen outside the file unless you move into the paid platform. If your team already has deal stages, multiple approvers, or product bundles, you may outgrow this setup quickly.
Still, if you need a practical template quotation sample that looks better than a homemade spreadsheet and doesn’t force a system overhaul, FreshBooks is a reasonable pick.
Visit FreshBooks estimate templates.
10. Spreadsheet templates from Vertex42 and Wise
Spreadsheet templates remain the default quoting tool for a lot of businesses because they’re flexible, familiar, and cheap. That’s not always a bad thing. In the early stages, a well-built spreadsheet can outperform a poorly implemented sales platform.
Vertex42 and similar spreadsheet-driven resources are best for teams that want full control over calculations, branding, and file ownership. If your products, services, or discounts change often, a spreadsheet can be adapted quickly.
When spreadsheets are still the right answer
The best spreadsheet templates reduce the manual math while keeping the file easy to audit. Spreadsheet123’s professional template, for example, uses a central settings database for automatic tax and discount calculations and lets users create a simple quote in minutes by entering descriptions and line totals, with subtotals and grand totals calculated automatically in its Excel price quote template.
That kind of setup is useful when you need:
- Simple ownership: Your team controls the file outright.
- Automatic calculations: Totals, taxes, and discounts update without manual math.
- Offline usability: Quotes can be built without relying on a platform login.
- Easy branding: Logos, colors, and fields can be edited directly.
If you’re still managing quote workflows inside spreadsheets, Orbit’s article on how to create a fillable form in Excel is relevant because it helps extend a spreadsheet-based process without replacing it immediately.
Don’t confuse familiar with scalable. A spreadsheet works until too many people edit it, duplicate it, or break the formulas.
Trade-offs
Version control is the weak point. So is collaboration when multiple reps need to update quotes at once. Spreadsheet templates also don’t give you built-in approvals, digital acceptance, or buyer engagement tracking.
But for owner-led businesses or lean operations teams, they still offer a strong low-cost starting point.
Visit Vertex42 quote template resources.
Top 10 Quote Template Comparison
| Product | Core features | UX & performance | Value / USP | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orbit AI - AI-Powered Quote Request Forms | AI conversational forms, real-time lead scoring & enrichment, conditional logic, 50+ integrations | Fast load times, visual builder, high-conversion forms, continuous AI qualification | Turns every form into a qualified conversation; reduces friction and speeds sales handoff, recommended | Sales & marketing teams that need pre-qualified quote requests | Start free (no card); paid tiers for advanced features |
| PandaDoc | 100+ templates, interactive pricing tables, e-sign, payments, analytics | Mature UI, CPQ-style builder, tracking & approvals | End-to-end quote → sign → pay workflow with product catalog capabilities | Teams wanting integrated quoting, e-signature, and payments | Paid plans for advanced quoting & CRM automations |
| HubSpot (Sales Hub Quote Themes) | Custom quote themes, CRM merge fields, PDF/print rendering, developer docs | Seamless CRM data merge, branded output, within HubSpot workflow | Dynamically branded quotes tied to HubSpot CRM and deals | Companies embedded in HubSpot Sales Hub (Pro/Enterprise) | Requires Sales Hub Pro/Enterprise for live custom themes |
| QuickBooks (Estimates/Quotes) | Custom estimate templates, status tracking, convert to invoice, mobile support | Familiar accounting UI, tight invoice/payment flow | Quote-to-cash inside accounting platform; simple conversion to invoice | Small businesses wanting quoting tied to accounting | Included in QuickBooks subscription (paid) |
| Zoho Books | Quotes module, multiple templates, one-click conversion, customer portal | Integrated with Zoho apps, straightforward workflow | Streamlines quote → order → invoice inside Zoho ecosystem | Teams standardizing on Zoho finance & CRM | Included in Zoho Books plans (paid) |
| Jotform | Drag-and-drop form builder, PDF Editor, conditional logic, file uploads | Great for complex intake, large template library, generous free plan | Capture detailed project requirements and auto-generate branded PDFs | Projects requiring detailed intake forms prior to quoting | Free tier; paid for high volume/features |
| Smartsheet | Downloadable templates (Excel/Word/PDF/Sheets), calculators, industry packs | No-cost editable files, professional layouts, optional Smartsheet collaboration | Ready-to-use, industry-specific static templates for full control | Teams needing editable files or offline quoting templates | Templates free; Smartsheet collaboration requires subscription |
| HubSpot (Free Price Quote Template) | Simple Word/PDF quote template with itemized sections & terms | Clean, manual document; easy to edit in Word | Quick, professional one-off quote template with zero setup | Small teams needing a no-fuss, manual quote document | Free download |
| FreshBooks | Multi-format estimate templates (Docs/Sheets/Word/Excel/PDF), itemization, tax support | Polished templates for service businesses, upgrade path to automation | Professionally designed templates with clear path to invoicing software | Freelancers & small service businesses | Templates free; FreshBooks subscription for automation |
| Spreadsheet Templates (Vertex42 & Wise) | Excel/Google Sheets templates, automatic calculations, brandable layouts | Offline use, full control, familiar spreadsheet UX | Maximum control without new subscriptions; easy customization | DIY users comfortable with spreadsheets | Free downloads |
Turn Your Quotes into a competitive advantage
A good quote template does more than make your document look tidy. It shapes how buyers judge your professionalism, how fast your team responds, and how often pricing mistakes slip into live deals. If your current process still depends on copying information from emails into a Word file or spreadsheet, you’re not just wasting time. You’re creating unnecessary friction at one of the most important moments in the sale.
The right tool depends on where your business is today.
If you’re early-stage or sending a low volume of straightforward quotes, a downloadable template from Smartsheet, HubSpot, FreshBooks, or a spreadsheet library can be enough. These options give you a clear structure for line items, pricing, terms, and validity dates without forcing software changes before you’re ready. For many small businesses, that’s the right first step. Clean up the quote. Standardize the format. Stop reinventing every document.
If your team is further along, static files start showing their limits quickly. Quotes get lost in inboxes. Sales reps duplicate data entry. Finance rebuilds accepted estimates into invoices. Managers have no reliable view of what’s pending, approved, or stalled. That’s where platforms like QuickBooks, Zoho Books, HubSpot, and PandaDoc become much more valuable. They don’t just produce a quote. They place quoting inside a repeatable commercial workflow.
The biggest mistake I see is treating quoting as a document-only problem. It usually starts earlier. The quote request comes in with incomplete scope, weak qualification, or no buying context. Then your team spends time clarifying basics that should’ve been captured at the start. By the time the quote goes out, momentum is already gone.
That’s why Orbit AI stands out as the most important tool in this list, even though it isn’t the final quote PDF builder. It improves the beginning of the process. It helps you capture better information, ask smarter follow-up questions, qualify intent, and route the right requests into sales fast. That changes the quality of every quote your team sends after that point.
The strongest setup for most growing teams looks like this:
- Lead capture first: Use a smarter intake layer so buyers submit complete, relevant quote requests.
- System handoff next: Push that data into your CRM, finance stack, or quoting platform instead of retyping it.
- Document generation last: Create the actual quote using the tool that matches your sales motion, whether that’s a simple template, an accounting platform, or a full proposal workflow.
That sequence matters because it reduces manual work, protects accuracy, and keeps your team focused on live opportunities rather than admin cleanup.
A template quotation sample is useful. A connected quoting system is better.
If you’re choosing tools right now, don’t just ask which quote template looks best. Ask which setup helps your team gather the right information, generate a clear offer, and move the buyer forward with the least friction. The answer will usually tell you whether you need a static file, a finance-linked estimate workflow, or a more modern intake-to-quote process.
The businesses that win with quoting aren’t always the ones with the flashiest proposals. They’re the ones that make buying feel easy, accurate, and fast.
If you want to stop chasing incomplete quote requests and start sending better-qualified opportunities into your sales process, try Orbit AI. It gives your team a smarter front end for quoting with conversational forms, lead qualification, routing, and integrations that connect cleanly to the tools you already use.