Better Proposals is solid proposal software for freelancers. It's been around since 2015, has 200+ templates, and gets good reviews. The two reasons people look for an alternative: there's no free tier, and there's no AI writing. If those things matter to you, keep reading.
BidMaker has a free plan: 3 proposals a month with AI generation included (1 free/month). If you're testing whether proposal software actually moves your close rate, starting free before paying $19-$29/month is a reasonable way to find out. Pro is $29/month for unlimited proposals and 20 AI generations.
Six attributes of your business that should drive the choice. Use this matrix before reading the feature table — most teams know the answer once they see the signals.
| Your situation | Switch to BidMaker if… | Stay on Better Proposals if… |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly proposal volume | 1–40 proposals/month — free tier covers light use, Pro covers everything else | 10–50 proposals/month, predictable enough to pick a tier (Starter, Premium, Enterprise) |
| How you start a proposal | Describe the job in 2–3 sentences, AI drafts it | Pick a template from a library of 200+ and fill in fields |
| Payment collection at acceptance | Not built in — invoice separately via Stripe/Square | Stripe integration collects payment when client accepts |
| Vertical focus | Cleaning, landscaping, contracting, consulting, freelance trades | Generalist freelance — design, dev, marketing, consulting, agencies |
| Integrations you depend on | None — standalone tool | HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zapier, QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks |
| Budget posture | Test free first, $29/mo only when proposals are clearly working | Comfortable committing $19+/mo from day one for a known tool |
BidMaker
Free (3 proposals/mo), Pro $29/mo, Business $59/mo
Better Proposals
Starts at $19/mo (Starter, 10 proposals/mo)
| Feature | BidMaker | Better Proposals |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan Better Proposals starts at $19/mo for 10 proposals/month | ||
| AI proposal generation Better Proposals doesn't have AI generation | ||
| E-signatures Better Proposals includes e-signatures on all plans | Business ($59/mo) | |
| PDF export | ||
| Shareable proposal link | ||
| Proposal templates Better Proposals has 200+ templates across many industries | ||
| Client acceptance tracking | ||
| Custom branding | Pro ($29/mo)+ | |
| Payment collection (Stripe) Better Proposals integrates with Stripe for payment at acceptance | ||
| CRM integration Better Proposals integrates with HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zapier | ||
| Proposal expiry / follow-ups Both support proposal expiry dates | ||
| Template library for service trades Both have cleaning, landscaping, contracting templates |
Choose BidMaker if...
Choose Better Proposals if...
Per-seat pricing changes the math fast. Three buyer scenarios — solo, small team, larger team — with annual cost for each tool and our take on which one actually wins.
Solo operator (1 person, ~5 proposals/mo)
BidMaker
$0/yr (Free) or $348/yr (Pro)
Better Proposals
$228/yr (Starter, 10/mo cap)
Verdict: BidMaker Free wins if 5/mo holds; Better Proposals Starter wins if you want predictable templates + Stripe without AI
Growing solo / small team (1–2 people, ~20 proposals/mo)
BidMaker
$348/yr (Pro, unlimited proposals + 20 AI gens)
Better Proposals
$588/yr (Premium, 50/mo cap)
Verdict: BidMaker — saves $240/yr and AI drafts cut the per-proposal time roughly in half
Agency / generalist freelancer (3+ people, 50+ proposals/mo, payment collection matters)
BidMaker
$708/yr (Business)
Better Proposals
$1,188/yr (Enterprise, unlimited)
Verdict: Better Proposals — Stripe payment at acceptance, Zapier/HubSpot, and the larger template library justify it for generalists with diverse client types
Six steps. Total time: 30–60 minutes for a solo operator with 3–8 templates and an active subscription. Test before you cancel.
1. Export your Better Proposals templates as PDFs
Open each template in Better Proposals and use Export → PDF (or print-to-PDF). You won't recreate them one-for-one in BidMaker, but the section structure and any pricing-table refinements are useful reference once you start drafting.
Time: 10–15 min for 3–8 templates
2. Save your past sent proposals as PDFs
Batch-export the last 12 months of accepted Better Proposals docs. They won't transfer to BidMaker. Treat them as an archive for renewals, repeat clients, and any client who later asks for a copy.
Time: 5 min, mostly automated
3. Decide what happens to Stripe payment-at-acceptance
This is the BP feature with no BidMaker equivalent. If clients currently pay via Stripe at the moment of acceptance, plan a separate invoice flow — Stripe Invoicing, QuickBooks, or Square all work. Confirm clients are fine with one extra step before you switch. If pay-at-acceptance is what closes deals for you, stop here and stay on BP.
Time: 5–15 min to confirm your invoicing alternative
4. Create a BidMaker free account
Free plan: 3 proposals/month, 1 AI generation/month, no credit card. Use this tier to send a real proposal to a real client before you commit to canceling BP — this is the test that decides whether the switch holds.
Time: 2 min
5. Generate your first BidMaker proposal
Don't recreate your BP templates upfront. Pick a current job, describe it in 2–3 sentences, let the AI draft the full proposal. Edit and send. For most service-trade users the AI draft is a better starting point than a generic template — it's already written in your job's specifics.
Time: 5–10 min for the first one
6. Cancel Better Proposals
Once you've sent 1–2 BidMaker proposals successfully, cancel BP. Monthly billing: cancel today. Annual billing: set a calendar reminder for 7 days before renewal so you don't auto-pay for another full year.
Time: 2 min
Five honest reasons to stay on Better Proposals. We'd rather lose you to a clear-eyed "no" than churn you in 60 days because we oversold the fit.
Stripe payment-at-acceptance is part of how you close — clients tap accept, pay, and you skip an invoicing step. BidMaker has no equivalent and you'll be adding a step to your sales close
Your workflow runs on HubSpot, Pipedrive, or Zapier automations triggered by proposal events (sent, viewed, accepted) — BidMaker is standalone with no integration story
You're a generalist freelancer working across design, dev, marketing, or consulting and you actually use the breadth of Better Proposals' 200+ template library — BidMaker's template focus is service trades
You just renewed annual and have more than 6 months prepaid — the savings don't beat the disruption cost mid-cycle. Bookmark BidMaker for your renewal date
You send 30–50 proposals/month consistently and BP's Premium tier ($49/mo, 50/mo cap) fits cleanly — the ~$20/mo gap to BidMaker Pro takes months to recover once switching cost is in
3 proposals/month. AI generation included. Takes about 5 minutes to get a proposal out.
Try BidMaker freeTwo things: AI generation and free tier. BidMaker writes a proposal from your job description — you fill in a few fields and get a full draft. Better Proposals doesn't have this. BidMaker also has a free plan (3 proposals/month); Better Proposals requires a paid subscription from day one.
If you're a generalist freelancer working across many industries, yes. Better Proposals has 200+ templates for everything from graphic design to architecture. BidMaker's templates are focused on service trades. More templates matters less when the AI can generate a custom first draft in 30 seconds.
Depends on volume. Better Proposals Starter is $19/mo for 10 proposals/month. BidMaker Free is $0 for 3 proposals/month. BidMaker Pro is $29/mo for unlimited proposals. If you send more than 10 proposals a month, Better Proposals Starter runs out and you'd need their $49/mo Premium plan — at which point BidMaker Pro is actually cheaper.
No. You can accept a proposal and collect an e-signature, but payment happens separately. Better Proposals lets clients pay via Stripe at the moment of acceptance, which removes a step from your close process.
Want a side-by-side breakdown of features and pricing? See the full BidMaker vs Better Proposals comparison