Let me tell you a story about a tax accountant named Hannah.

Hannah runs a six-person firm in Austin. She is brilliant with numbers. She catches errors that software misses. Her clients adore her.

But every Thursday afternoon, Hannah wants to throw her laptop out a window.

Thursday is proposal day. It is the day she translates her brilliant brain into engagement letters. It is the day she explains her value to potential clients. It is the day she fights with her proposal software.

Hannah uses Ignition. And Ignition works. It really does. It sends proposals. It collects signatures. It handles billing.

So why is Hannah so frustrated?

Because Ignition pricing has become a puzzle she did not sign up to solve. She is spending more time understanding her software bill than understanding her clients’ businesses. She is paying for features she does not use and squinting at fine print that explains why her monthly invoice is $80 higher than last month.

Hannah is not alone.

This article is for everyone who has ever looked at their proposal software bill and thought, “Wait. What am I actually paying for?”

We are going to look at Ignition pricing with clear eyes. We are going to compare it to an alternative called Fresh Proposals – proposal software. And we are going to do this without any drama. Both tools help you win business. One of them might just help you keep more of your sanity.

The Real Question Nobody Asks

When you shop for proposal software, you ask the wrong question.

You ask, “How much does it cost?”

You should ask, “How much does it cost me?”

Those are two very different things. The first question looks at a pricing page. The second question looks at your workflow, your team size, your client volume, and your patience for complexity.

Ignition pricing looks reasonable on the surface. A few tiers. Monthly or annual billing. Some discounts if you pay upfront.

But here is what the pricing page does not tell you. It does not tell you how many clicks it takes to send a simple engagement letter. It does not tell you how much time you will spend configuring templates. It does not tell you which features are locked behind which paywall.

A study from the Software Advice Industry Report found that 62% of small business owners feel they overpay for software features they never use. That is not a failure of the software. That is a failure of fit.

So let us find your fit.

Ignition Pricing Breakdown: The Official Numbers

Here is exactly what Ignition charges as of their published pricing page. I have included both monthly and annual options because the discount differences matter.

Ignition Monthly Plans

Ignition Annual Plans (Billed Yearly)

Right away, you notice something interesting. The Core plan offers the biggest annual discount at 34%. The Pro plan offers the smallest at 18%. This is not random. Ignition wants firms to commit annually at the Core level, where many small to midsize businesses land.

But the monthly price is only the beginning of Ignition pricing. The real story is in the limits.

The Active Client Math That Changes Everything

Here is the detail that most proposal software buyers miss.

Ignition does not just charge you for users. It charges you for “active clients with signed agreements.” These are not the same thing.

An active client is anyone who has a signed agreement in your Ignition account. If you send a proposal today and the client signs it tomorrow, that client counts toward your limit. Even if they pay you nothing this month. Even if they are on a payment plan. Even if you have not spoken to them in six months.

If you exceed your active client limit, Ignition charges you an overage fee per additional client.

Let me give you a real example.

Imagine you are a growing firm on the Core plan at $149 per month. You have 50 active clients. That is your limit. You sign three new clients next week. You now have 53 active clients.

Ignition does not shut you off. It does not warn you loudly. It simply adds $Three\; extraclientsat$5 each means your 149 bill becomes164.

This is not a hidden fee. It is clearly disclosed on the pricing page. But how many people read the pricing page closely enough to notice “active client limits” before they sign up?

A 2026 survey by UserGems found that 67% of SaaS buyers do not fully understand usage-based pricing components before subscribing. They focus on the monthly headline number. The overage fees surprise them later.

This is not a moral judgment on Ignition. Different pricing models work for different businesses. But if you hate surprises on your software bill, the active client cap is worth understanding before you commit.

The E-Signature Limit Nobody Mentions

Here is another detail that changes how you think about Ignition pricing.

Look at the eSignatures per proposal column again.

If you are a solo accountant sending engagement letters to individual clients, a single signature is probably fine. One client. One signature. Done.

But if you serve couples filing jointly? That requires two signatures. A husband and wife need to sign the same engagement letter. That is two signatures.

On the Solo or Core plan, you cannot do this. You would need to upgrade to the Pro plan at $279permonth(or$229 annually) just to add a second signature to your proposals.

If you serve small businesses with multiple owners or board members requiring approval, you might need three, four, or five signatures. That pushes you toward the Pro+ plan at $499 per month.

Fresh Proposals includes unlimited e-signatures on every plan. Starter. Professional. Business. Same feature. Same unlimited signatures. No upgrade required for a second signer.

Again, this is not a trick from Ignition. They are upfront about the limits. The question is whether those limits match how you actually do business.

What You Get At Each Ignition Tier

Let me walk through each Ignition plan in plain English. Not marketing speak. Just what you actually get.

Solo Plan – $or$39 Annually

This plan is for one person. One user account. Twenty active clients. Single signatures only.

You get unlimited branded proposals. A pre-loaded services library. Proposal options up to three choices for clients. Automated payment collection through Stripe. Standard card processing at 2.5% plus 30 cents. Premium cards like AMEX at 3.6% plus 30 cents. ACH payments at 1% plus 30 cents capped at $5.

You also get proposal expiration dates. Custom branding on emails. Automated engagement letters. Single email template for sending proposals.

What you do not get? Bulk proposal creation. Multiple email templates. Custom domain. Proposal reviews and approvals. Additional document signatures beyond 500 per year. Fast ACH payouts (you get standard 5 to 7 days).

Support is email and in-app only with same day response. Live onboarding training is included. Weekly office hours are included.

Core Plan – $or$99 Annually

The Core plan is Ignition’s sweet spot. It offers the biggest annual discount at 34% and adds real team functionality.

You get three user accounts. Fifty active clients. Single signatures only (same as Solo).

New features include bulk proposal creation. Bulk proposal renewals. Additional document signatures become unlimited. Custom domain is added. You can add your existing landing page.

Payment processing remains identical to Solo. ACH payouts are still standard 5 to 7 days.

Support improves to a 4 hour average response time.

What is missing? Multiple signatures. Multiple email templates. Price insights (add-on). Deals pipeline (add-on). Online forms (add-on). Fast ACH payouts.

Pro Plan – 279 Monthly or 229 Annually

The Pro plan is where Ignition pricing starts to feel like enterprise software for growing firms.

You get fifteen user accounts. Three hundred fifty active clients. Up to two signatures per proposal.

New features unlocked include multiple email templates. Fast ACH payouts (3 days instead of 5 to 7). Online forms are now included. Payment surcharges are enabled.

You can now bill for out of scope work. Send one-off invoices. Use bulk payment requests.

Support improves to a 1 hour average response time.

What is still missing? Unlimited signatures (only two). Price insights remains an add-on. Deals pipeline remains an add-on.

Pro+ Plan – $499Monthlyor$399 Annually

The Pro+ plan is for scaling businesses that need maximum flexibility.

You get unlimited user accounts. Six hundred active clients. Up to ten signatures per proposal.

Deals pipeline is now included rather than an add-on. Everything else from Pro carries forward.

Payment processing fees are identical across all tiers. Standard cards always at 2.5% plus 30 cents. Premium always at 3.6% plus 30 cents. ACH always at 1% plus 30 cents capped at $5.

Support remains at 1 hour average response. No dedicated account manager unless you pay for it as an add-on.

Fresh Proposals Pricing: A Different Philosophy

Now let me show you how Fresh Proposals structures its pricing. Three plans. Clear feature boundaries. No active client counting. No per-signature math.

Fresh Proposals Annual Plans (Billed Yearly)

Wait. You might be noticing something. These prices are per user? Let me clarify.

Fresh Proposals pricing is per workspace. The prices above are for a single user. Additional users can be added. The feature set scales with the plan, not with the number of users.

Here is what each

 actually includes.

Fresh Proposals Starter Plan – $20 Monthly (Annual Billing)

This is the entry point. Designed for small businesses that need to start creating and signing proposals quickly.

You get ten active proposals at any given time. Electronic signatures on every proposal. A drag-and-drop editor that actually works. Standard variables for personalizing proposals. Proposal analytics to see when clients open your documents. An interactive pricing table that clients can actually use. Automated follow up emails so you do not have to chase signatures manually. PDF import and export.

What you do not get? Custom fields. Client input forms. Fee libraries or snippet libraries. Custom email templates. Custom branding (available as an add-on). Premium integrations.

For a solo freelancer or very small firm, Starter is plenty. Ten active proposals is a reasonable limit for most small businesses. And unlimited e-signatures mean you never have to think about upgrade math for a second signer.

Fresh Proposals Professional Plan – $40 Monthly (Annual Billing)

This is the most popular plan for a reason. It adds customization and client interaction features that growing firms need.

You get everything from Starter plus thirty active proposals. Custom fields for capturing specific client information. Client input forms that let clients provide information directly within the proposal. Fee library and snippet library for reusing common content. Standard integrations with popular tools. Custom email templates for branded communication.

Custom branding is available as an add-on. Premium integrations are available as add-ons.

The jump from Starter to Professional is $20. For that price, you triple your active proposal limit and unlock the ability to collect client input directly inside your proposals. For service providers who need client questionnaires or intake forms, this is a game changer.

Fresh Proposals Business Plan – $65 Monthly (Annual Billing)

This is the full experience. Unlimited active proposals. Automation features. Sales pipeline management. Everything designed to scale with your firm.

You get everything from Professional plus unlimited active proposals. Tiered pricing packages so clients can choose between service levels. A visual sales pipeline with an advanced dashboard. Internal approval workflows so proposals get reviewed before sending. Premium integrations included. The ability to reassign a client signee if the wrong person receives the proposal. Custom branding included (no add-on needed).

Workspace features are available as an add-on for teams needing multiple business units. Contract renewal automation is available as an add-on. Bulk send is available as an add-on for firms sending proposals at scale.

The Business plan at $Soloplan\; at$49? Let me do that math again.

Ignition Solo: $49 monthly for one user, twenty active clients, single signatures only.

Fresh Proposals Business: $65 monthly for one user, unlimited active proposals, unlimited signatures, tiered pricing, sales pipeline, approval workflows, custom branding.

The price difference is $16. The feature difference is substantial.

The Side By Side Comparison You Actually Need

Now let us put these two tools next to each other. Same features. Same lens. No spin.

Now let me show you the entry level comparison. Because not every firm needs the Business plan. Some firms are perfectly happy with Starter or Professional.

The Starter plan from Fresh Proposals costs roughly half the Ignition Solo plan. For that lower price, you give up custom branding and custom domain. But you gain unlimited e-signatures, a drag-and-drop editor, and automated follow up emails.

For a solopreneur just getting started, that trade-off might make a lot of sense.

The Add On Economy Comparison

Both tools use add-ons for advanced features. But the philosophy differs.

Ignition add-ons (partial list):

• Price insights (AI-powered benchmarks) – all plans

• Deals pipeline – all plans except Pro+

• Online forms – Solo and Core only

• 1:1 account management – all plans

• Custom brochure design – all plans

Fresh Proposals add-ons (partial list):

• Custom branding – Starter and Professional only (included in Business)

• Premium integrations – Professional only (included in Business)

• Workspace (multiple business units) – Business only

• Contract renewal automation – Business only

• Bulk send – Business only

Notice the difference? Ignition charges add-ons for features that many firms consider essential. Deals pipeline. Online forms. Even on the expensive Pro plan, you pay extra for a sales pipeline.

Fresh Proposals includes most essential features in the base plan. Add-ons exist primarily for the highest tier (Business) to handle specialized needs like bulk sending or contract renewals.

The Question You Should Actually Ask

After reading all of this, you know more about Ignition pricing than most of their own customers. You know about active client caps. You know about per-signature limits. You know about add-ons for basic features like deals pipelines.

You also know that Fresh Proposals offers a different path. Three plans. Clear limits. Unlimited signatures on every plan. A drag-and-drop editor instead of form fields. Tiered pricing packages included at the Business level.

Here is the question you should actually ask yourself.

What is my time worth?

Because the real cost of proposal software is not the monthly fee. It is the hours you spend understanding the pricing. The minutes you waste clicking through form-based editors. The frustration of realizing you cannot add a second signature without upgrading. The mental energy of tracking active client counts to avoid overage fees.

If you have the budget and the team to manage Ignition’s complexity, stay with it. It is powerful software. It serves large firms with complex billing needs. For the right customer, Ignition pricing is perfectly reasonable.

But if you want to send proposals, collect signatures, and get back to serving your clients, look at Fresh Proposals. The free trial is available on their website. The templates are ready. The pricing is transparent. And you will never pay an active client overage fee.

Either way, stop guessing about your software bill. You have clients to serve and proposals to win.