Apearl vs Manual Proposals (Word, Excel & Email)
Most project businesses still sell the manual way: a Word document, a spreadsheet for pricing, and email threads for follow-up. It works — until a deal goes quiet and nobody knows why.
This page compares that workflow with Apearl, feature by feature, so you can decide what the manual approach actually costs you.
What matters
Apearl
The alternative
Drafting
AI drafts from your brief, rate card, and company knowledge; you review and edit inline.
Written from scratch or pasted from old documents; figures and terms re-typed each time.
Client view tracking
See when a client opens the proposal, which sections they read, and when they return.
No visibility — attachments give no signal after sending.
Signing
Clients sign online through a secure public link; no account needed.
Print, sign, scan, or separate e-signature tool with its own subscription.
Follow-up timing
Engagement signals and reminders surface exactly when to follow up.
Calendar reminders and 'just checking in' emails with no timing signal.
Pricing consistency
Line-item quotations stay consistent from quote to proposal.
Quote and proposal maintained in separate files that drift apart.
Pipeline visibility
Every opportunity, proposal, and quotation in one workspace with statuses.
Spreadsheet or inbox memory; status lives in someone's head.
Manual proposals cost nothing in software and everything in time: re-typing, blind follow-ups, and deals that stall silently.
Apearl starts free, and every paid plan includes a 7-day trial with no credit card — run one real deal through it and compare the hours.
Test it with a real deal
Free plan, no credit card — draft, send, track, and sign one live proposal.
Start free