X-twitter Youtube Instagram Video

Quip

Verified

Quip is a collaborative workspace combining documents, spreadsheets, and chat for enterprise sales teams. It allows users to update Salesforce CRM records directly from a text document. But its spreadsheet functionality lacks advanced features like pivot tables, making it a poor fit for complex financial modeling.
  • Pricing: Paid
Website

What is Quip?

Quip is a productivity suite that forces documents, spreadsheets, and team chat into a single window. It exists to solve a specific problem for enterprise sales teams. Reps hate updating CRM records. Quip lets them update Salesforce data directly from their meeting notes.

Salesforce developed this tool to keep account executives inside its ecosystem. It targets large sales organizations that need standardized account planning. If your team lives in Salesforce, Quip connects your unstructured conversations to your structured CRM data.

  • Primary Use Case: Collaborative account planning with live Salesforce data syncing.
  • Ideal For: Enterprise sales teams using Salesforce CRM.
  • Pricing: Starts at $10 (paid). Expensive unless you need the CRM connection.

Key Features and How Quip Works

Document and Chat Integration

  • Integrated Chat: Every document has a dedicated chat sidebar. But high-traffic documents generate overwhelming notification spam.
  • Live Apps: Users can embed Kanban boards and calendars into text files. Yet the library of third-party integrations remains small.
  • Version History: The system logs unlimited revisions. Finding a specific change from three months ago is tedious.

Data and Spreadsheets

  • Embedded Spreadsheets: You can drop a spreadsheet directly into a text document. But it lacks pivot tables and advanced macros.
  • Cell Referencing: Users can link spreadsheet cells to inline text. If the cell updates, the text updates. Complex formulas sometimes lag.

Salesforce CRM Syncing

  • Bi-directional Sync: Updating a field in Quip updates Salesforce. You need the $100 Advanced plan for live editing inside the CRM.
  • Template Library: It includes 50 templates for deal reviews. Visual formatting options are rigid compared to modern wikis.

Quip Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Deep Salesforce integration lets sales reps update CRM fields without opening a new browser tab.
  • Offline mode works reliably on mobile apps and syncs changes automatically upon reconnection.
  • The consolidated interface merges chat, documents, and spreadsheets to reduce software sprawl.
  • Real-time collaboration shows character-by-character updates with extremely low latency.

Cons

  • Spreadsheets lack advanced data analysis features like pivot tables found in Excel.
  • Document formatting options are rigid compared to Notion or Microsoft Word.
  • Pricing is prohibitively expensive for teams that do not use Salesforce.
  • The notification system becomes chaotic when multiple users edit a single document simultaneously.

Who Should Use Quip?

  • Enterprise Sales Teams: Account executives can collaborate on deal strategies while keeping CRM data accurate.
  • Remote Field Workers: The mobile app allows offline editing (a rare feature for cloud docs) when traveling.
  • Non-Salesforce Users: This tool is a terrible choice for you. You will pay a premium for CRM features you cannot use.

Quip Pricing and Plans

Quip does not offer a free tier or a free trial. You must pay to test it.

The Starter plan costs $10 per user monthly when billed annually. It includes unlimited documents, spreadsheets, and group chat. You do not get single sign-on (SSO) at this tier.

The Plus plan costs $25 per user monthly. It adds SSO via Okta or Ping Identity. It also unlocks the Enterprise API for custom integrations.

The Advanced plan costs $100 per user monthly. This massive price jump unlocks the core value proposition. You can edit live documents directly inside Salesforce and access advanced CRM integration features.

How Quip Compares to Alternatives

Similar to Notion, Quip combines text and databases into a single workspace. But Notion offers far superior formatting and database customization. Notion targets knowledge management and company wikis. Quip targets sales workflows. Notion costs $10 per user, making it a better choice for general documentation.

Unlike Google Workspace, Quip attaches a chat thread to every single file. Google Docs forces you to use comments or switch to Google Chat. However, Google Sheets destroys Quip in data analysis. Google supports complex financial modeling and pivot tables. Quip spreadsheets only handle basic lists and simple math.

The Verdict for Enterprise Sales Teams

Quip justifies its high price tag for one specific group. Large sales teams using Salesforce will save hours of administrative work. The bi-directional sync eliminates duplicate data entry. Account executives can write notes and update deal stages simultaneously.

Small businesses and solo users should ignore this tool. The formatting is too rigid. The spreadsheets are too basic. The entry-level plans lack the CRM features that make the software useful.

If you want a modern collaborative workspace without the Salesforce tax, choose Notion. It provides better design tools and flexible databases for a fraction of the cost. The honest limit of Quip is its dependency on Salesforce. Without the CRM connection, it is just an overpriced word processor.

Core Capabilities

Key features that define this tool.

  • Salesforce Integration: Syncs CRM records bi-directionally from docs, but requires the $100 tier for full live editing.
  • Live Apps: Embeds calendars and Jira tickets into documents, though third-party app options remain limited.
  • Spreadsheets: Supports 400+ functions and links cells to text, but lacks pivot tables.
  • Mobile App: Provides native iOS and Android apps for offline editing, though large spreadsheets load slowly.
  • Team Chat: Attaches chat rooms to every document, which can create overwhelming notifications in large teams.
  • Version History: Keeps unlimited revision history, but finding specific older changes takes time.
  • Security: Offers enterprise encryption and SSO, but SSO requires the $25 Plus plan.
  • Templates: Includes 50+ templates for sales and projects, though visual customization is rigid.
  • Export Options: Exports to PDF, Word, or HTML, but complex layouts often break during Word export.

Pricing Plans

  • Quip Starter: $10/user/mo (billed annually) or $12/user/mo (monthly) — Unlimited documents, spreadsheets, and group chat
  • Quip Plus: $25/user/mo (billed annually) — Includes SSO, Enterprise API, and customization
  • Quip Advanced: $100/user/mo (billed annually) — Edit live documents in Salesforce and advanced CRM integration

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Q: Is Quip included in Salesforce licenses? No. Quip requires a separate subscription starting at $10 per user monthly. You need the $100 per user Advanced plan to edit live documents inside Salesforce.
  • Q: How to export Quip documents to PDF? Open the document menu, select Export, and choose PDF. You can also export files to Microsoft Word or HTML formats.
  • Q: Can Quip work offline? Yes. The native iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows apps support offline editing. Your changes sync automatically once your device reconnects to the internet.
  • Q: What is the difference between Quip and Google Docs? Quip attaches a dedicated chat thread to every document and integrates directly with Salesforce CRM data. Google Docs offers better formatting options and advanced spreadsheet functions.
  • Q: How to integrate Quip with Slack? You can install the Quip app from the Slack App Directory. This lets you preview documents, receive update notifications, and create new files directly from Slack channels.

Tool Information

Developer:

Salesforce, Inc.

Release Year:

2013

Platform:

Web-based / Windows / macOS / iOS / Android

Rating:

4