TL;DR
- PandaDoc is a proposal and document automation platform for sending, e-signatures, and CRM-connected workflows. 60,000+ organisations use it.
- RuleDox is a rules-based scope assembly tool that works inside Google Docs. It calculates hours, pricing, and conditional sections from defined rules.
- Choose PandaDoc if you need polished proposal sending, e-signatures, viewing analytics, and CRM integration.
- Choose RuleDox if your bottleneck is assembling the scope — deciding what to include, calculating hours/pricing, and keeping scopes consistent across your team.
- They solve different problems. Many teams can use both.
What PandaDoc is built for
PandaDoc is a document automation platform focused on the sending and signing workflow. It helps sales teams create proposals, contracts, and quotes, send them to clients, track engagement, and collect e-signatures — all connected to CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot.
PandaDoc core features:
- Drag-and-drop document editor with templates
- E-signatures (legally binding)
- Proposal viewing analytics (who opened, time per section)
- Approval workflows
- CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive)
- Content library for reusable sections
- Payment collection
- AI-assisted content suggestions
PandaDoc pricing: $35-65/user/month (Business and Enterprise tiers). Free e-signature plan available.
Best for: Sales teams that need an all-in-one tool for creating, sending, tracking, and signing proposals and contracts.
What RuleDox is built for
RuleDox is a rules-based scope assembly tool focused on what happens before sending. It helps agencies and service teams generate accurate, consistent scopes of work from defined variables and rules — inside Google Docs.
RuleDox core features:
- Rules-based conditional sections (include/exclude based on project variables)
- Automatic hours and pricing calculation from rules
- Google Docs-first (assembled scope lives in your Google Drive)
- Variable-driven assembly (answer questions, get a scope)
- Safe delegation (rules are in the system, not in someone's head)
What RuleDox does not do:
- E-signatures
- Proposal sending or viewing analytics
- CRM integration
- Payment collection
Best for: Agencies and productised service teams whose scopes vary between projects and who need consistent hours, pricing, and conditional sections — especially teams that work in Google Docs.
Key differences
| Feature | PandaDoc | RuleDox |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Proposal sending and signatures | Scope assembly from rules |
| Document editor | Own drag-and-drop editor | Google Docs (native) |
| E-signatures | Yes (legally binding) | No |
| Viewing analytics | Yes (opens, time per page) | No |
| CRM integrations | Yes (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) | No |
| Rules-based conditional sections | No | Yes |
| Automatic hours/pricing calculation | No (manual pricing tables) | Yes (from variables and rules) |
| Content library | Yes (reusable sections) | Rules define what's included |
| Payment collection | Yes | No |
| Google Docs integration | Limited (import/export) | Native (scope is a Google Doc) |
Decision rules
Choose PandaDoc if:
- You need e-signatures and legally binding documents
- Viewing analytics (who opened, time per section) matter to your sales process
- You want CRM integration for pipeline tracking
- Your proposals are relatively standard and don't require complex conditional logic
- You need payment collection within the document
Choose RuleDox if:
- Your scopes vary significantly between projects (different sections, different pricing)
- You need conditional sections that appear or disappear based on project variables
- Hours and pricing need to be calculated from rules, not estimated manually
- Your team works in Google Docs and wants scopes to stay there
- Multiple team members write scopes and consistency is a priority
- You want to delegate scoping safely — anyone who answers the variables gets a correct scope
Use both if:
- RuleDox assembles the scope (the structured, rules-based part)
- PandaDoc sends, tracks, and collects signatures on the final proposal
- The scope feeds into the proposal as a section or attachment
FAQ
Can PandaDoc do conditional sections? PandaDoc has a content library where you can save reusable sections and drag them into documents. But it does not have a rules engine that automatically includes or excludes sections based on variables. The decision of what to include is still manual.
Can RuleDox collect e-signatures? No. RuleDox assembles the scope in Google Docs. For e-signatures, you would use a dedicated tool like PandaDoc, DocuSign, or Google's built-in requesting feature.
Does PandaDoc work with Google Docs? PandaDoc has its own document editor. You can import content from or export to Google Docs, but the editing happens in PandaDoc's interface, not in Google Docs natively.
Is RuleDox cheaper than PandaDoc? They serve different purposes, so a direct price comparison may not be useful. PandaDoc starts at $35/user/month. RuleDox pricing is available on the RuleDox website. Many teams use both for different parts of the workflow.