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.
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...
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