What Is Quip?
Quip is a relatively young productivity tool, created in 2012 as a collaborative note-taking app. After a few rounds of funding, Salesforce acquired Quip to add to its software as a way for its users to communicate and collaborate easily in the app. It’s also available as a separate app that you can use with Slack or integrate with other software using Zapier.
What Sets Quip Apart
Quip is a lot like other tools you’ve likely used, such as Google Docs, Evernote or even Notion, but it’s better as a specific solution for Salesforce users because it is a Salesforce-branded app and integrates seamlessly. With that said, Quip is a thin program with few integrations and features. It also can be a bit buggy and it’s overpriced for what it offers.
Pros
Quip offers some improved features within its document collaboration tool, such as the ability to have a conversation with others on any document. You can also have one-on-one chats with colleagues. It’s great for note taking and planning for sales pipelines, presentations and roadmapping on a smaller scale.
Cons
Although you can easily integrate Quip with Slack, it’s almost unnecessary now that Slack offers a similar collaborative note-taking feature. Also, Quip is inordinately expensive considering the few features and integrations that are available, so its value-to-cost ratio is low compared to its competitors. There’s no free plan (though there is a free trial) either. On top of all this, we experienced multiple bugs over several days of testing.
Featured Partners
1
monday sales CRM
Free; $9 per user per month for basic features
14 days
Yes
2
HubSpot
Free; $15 per user per month (billed annually)
14 days
Yes
3
Pipedrive
$14 per user per month (billed annually)
14 days
Yes
4
Salesforce
$25 per month per user for basic features
30 days
Yes
Quip Core Features
The biggest benefit of Quip is how it works with Salesforce, but if you’re using it as a stand-alone app, its core features include collaborative documents and in-app chat. There are some features added to the documents that make Quip a better option than Google Docs. In fact, it’s more of a Notion competitor with its task management and collaboration features.
Document Collaboration
We found Quip’s document tool easy to use. As soon as you create a document, you get options to add elements to turn the document into a Kanban board, for example. However, it isn’t a full-featured project management tool, so it’s a bit more difficult to customize. You can add cards to columns, but there’s no way to add custom fields for more information or checklists for tasks.
The collaboration part is great though. Anyone on your plan can jump into a shared document to contribute on the same document, so you can all work on a project simultaneously. You can comment on literally everything, so the conversation can continue and you keep information corralled to one spot.
You can add files to a comment, so there is a workaround to not having a space in each card or event on a calendar to add information. We just treated each comment as the area in which we add notes, instructions, task assignments and files.
To get the most use out of Quip, it’s ideal to be a Salesforce user and you should opt for the Advanced plan. It’s at this level that you can connect Salesforce and Quip with a two-way data sync, so anything you add to a document or in Salesforce can move between the two apps.
Versioning
Quip includes document history, so you can see older versions of anything your team creates (unless it’s a private document). You can also roll back or restore older versions, as needed. However, the document history doesn’t show a complete view of what was added, rather it shows you the main additions such as a project tracker or a header. Information in a project tracker or Kanban board doesn’t show at all. This makes it difficult to know what you’re actually rolling back to.
Content Hierarchy
At first, we weren’t sure if content hierarchy was possible in Quip because it’s another option that’s a bit buried in menus. If you choose to insert a document in another document you’ve created, you can add one as a link that opens in the same window. Nesting content is easy enough with different header styles and bulleted lists, but you need to tab to create a visual nesting of content. And it doesn’t always work when you copy and paste content in the place you want it, which is a bit frustrating.
Software Integrations
Integrations work a little differently in Quip. There’s a native connection to Salesforce and Slack so you can add Quip as a productivity aid to your sales or communication hubs. There’s a built-in integration with Unsplash, a royalty-free stock photo site. And then there are templates and live apps, but there are some big issues there.
Every time we tried to use any template or app, we got an error message. This happened numerous times in several days during our testing period. We were never able to test any of the templates. However, some of the templates looked familiar from the insert menu in a document. We’d consider the options from the insert menu more as blocks that you can add information to, but they aren’t full-fledged templates like the roadmap or product launch plan template promised in the live app section.
It’s worth noting that Quip’s high-tier plans allow you to create your own live apps and use apps created by others, so this could be useful for teams with developers on staff. As for what’s available from the Salesforce app marketplace though, there’s a lot left to be desired. There are only eight listed on the site, but at least they’re all free to use.
Quip Pricing and Plans
Quip offers three pricing plans and no free plan. Pricing starts at $30 per month for five users, billed annually. Each additional user costs $10 each per month. You can get a free trial for 30 days to test drive Quip before you sign up for a subscription.
| Starter | Plus | Advanced | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Starting Price (Billed Annually)
|
$30 per month (first five users) $10 monthly per additional user
|
$25 per user per month
|
$100 per user per month
|
|
Documents
|
Unlimited
|
Unlimited
|
Unlimited
|
|
Group Chat
|
✔
|
✔
|
✔
|
|
Single Sign-On (SSO)
|
X
|
✔
|
✔
|
|
API
|
X
|
✔
|
✔
|
|
Custom Live Apps
|
X
|
✔
|
✔
|
|
Salesforce Two-Way Sync
|
X
|
X
|
✔
|
Starter
The entry-level plan for Quip is bare bones, but you get the most important tools for a note-taking app. Documents and spreadsheets are unlimited, and all the features that support those collaborative tools are present such as adding files, images, gifs and content blocks. You also get the chat feature. This plan costs $30 per month to start and is good for up to five users; each additional user is $10 per month, billed annually.
Plus
To make the most out of Quip as a stand-alone app, consider the Plus plan. It costs $25 per user per month, billed annually. You get everything from the Starter plan, plus SSO for added security and access to an API so you can build automations. There are also custom live apps for you to use or create to connect to Quip.
Advanced
The most useful plan is Advanced, which gives you the ability to connect Quip to Salesforce with a two-way data sync. You can also use an integrated chat that works between the two apps. Of course, you also get all the features from the other plans, so this is the most complete option. This plan costs $100 per user per month, billed annually, which is much more expensive than most other enterprise plans for note-taking apps.
Quip Setup and Customization
Quip is a bit confusing to set up at first. There’s pressure to use your work email address, which makes sense but it also forces you to sign up with a traditional work email (namely, one that includes your business’s website). We can safely assume why Quip would want that email address on record, but if you use something more anonymous, the app strongly suggests you use Quip for personal purposes and it won’t let you use it with a team.
Once we finally got past the restrictive screens, setting up our dashboard was easy. There’s a short walk-through to show you how to access and use documents and where to find mentions and notifications.
Quip Ease of Use
Once you get used to using Quip, it’s an easy program to use. There aren’t many options at first glance, but as you dig into menus, you’re likely to find more functionality. Because you have to dig to find templates, content blocks and apps, we’d say Quip is far from intuitive. There is no labeled menu for the features built into Quip, rather you have to poke around within a document to find them.
Quip Security
Security in Quip is essentially the same as security in Salesforce. In addition to standard encryption of data in any state, the app allows you to adjust privacy settings so you can adhere to specific laws regarding customer data. There are several ways that Salesforce and Quip ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and other guidelines.
Quip Customer Service and Support
Contacting customer support is just as confusing as using the app itself. At first, it seems like a no-brainer; there’s an icon at the bottom of the screen on the site to contact support, which looks like a live chat window. It isn’t. It’s a link that takes you to Salesforce support, which kind of makes sense given that Salesforce owns Quip. We didn’t appreciate the subterfuge though.
We were able to get to a live chatbot that routed us to an agent. We had to give our name, email address and a phone number before anyone would connect. The only option was to speak with a sales expert, who was a bit short with his responses. Clearly, he wasn’t the right person to chat with because the issue we asked about required tech support. He did give us a phone number, though.
Getting through to a support engineer was quick and easy. The call connection wasn’t the best quality and the agent, though friendly, was only helpful in telling me who we should contact next for support. Bottom line is that we went through three different support avenues and didn’t get a resolution at all.
Additional Features
The best collaboration software includes features beyond the basic tools you would need to work with colleagues. Quip offers light task management features so you can manage tasks within a project and assign those tasks to coworkers. Not every option works as you might expect or includes features you’re likely used to with full-featured project management software, but we considered these to be bonuses.
Task Management
We were surprised to find task management features within Quip because they’re a bit buried. When you create a document in the app, you have the option to insert something, such as an image, video or a project tracker or Kanban board. The project tracker is akin to a list view in a project management app. To get to this, you must select “Insert” from the top menu and navigate to it.
You can add a project or task name, the owner or assignee, a status (to do, in progress, done), a deadline and add a file, if needed. There is an option to add more columns for more information, but you’re limited to the aforementioned fields or text. Alternatively, you can add a comment to any of those fields to give added context.
Group Chat
The way communication works in Quip is similar to other chat apps you may have used. It’s set up as a direct message feature, so you just find the person you need to talk to and send a message for a one-on-one chat. Or you can add multiple people to the conversation for a group chat.
Quip Alternatives and How They Compare
| Quip | Notion | Slack | Confluence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Starting Price (Billed Annually)
|
$30 per month (for five users)
|
$8 per user per month
|
$7.25 per user per month
|
$6.05 per user per month
|
|
Free Trial
|
✔
|
✔
|
✔
|
✔
|
|
Real-Time Document Collaboration
|
✔
|
✔
|
X
|
✔
|
|
Versioning
|
✔
|
✔
|
✔
|
✔
|
|
Content Hierarchy
|
✔
|
✔
|
X
|
✔
|
|
Kanban Board
|
✔
|
X
|
X
|
X
|
|
Software Integrations
|
✔
|
✔
|
✔
|
✔
|
|
Whiteboard
|
X
|
✔
|
✔
|
✔
|
|
Group Chat
|
✔
|
X
|
✔
|
X
|
|
Read Reviews
|
Quip vs. Notion
As mentioned earlier, Quip’s closest competitor is Notion in that they’re both note-taking apps. If you consider the features available, they’re similar in their offerings. Both can work as knowledge management apps and you can collaborate on documents on either platform in real time. There’s no standard Kanban board in Notion or group chat, but Notion is overall more affordable when you consider the additional user cost of Quip. Notion is also more affordable at the higher tiers than Quip.
Quip vs. Slack
Although Slack is a team collaboration app, its focus is more on communication than document creation and real-time editing, which Quip is much better at. Comparing these two comes down to the note-taking features and how you can collaborate. Slack makes it much easier to talk, chat and meet with your team and external users than Quip, and it’s more affordable. However, Slack doesn’t offer real-time collaborative documents or content building for knowledge sharing.
Quip vs. Confluence
Confluence and Quip work similarly, but Confluence has a slight edge with its lower cost. They’re both viable options when it comes to real-time document editing and they offer features to help you build an internal knowledge base. However, Confluence doesn’t have great communication features built in. Really, the biggest difference between the two is how they integrate with apps you may already use. If you’re an Atlassian user, Confluence is a better fit; Salesforce users would be better off with Quip.
Featured Partners
1
monday sales CRM
Free; $9 per user per month for basic features
14 days
Yes
2
HubSpot
Free; $15 per user per month (billed annually)
14 days
Yes
3
Pipedrive
$14 per user per month (billed annually)
14 days
Yes
4
Salesforce
$25 per month per user for basic features
30 days
Yes
Who Is Quip Best For?
Given the narrow focus of what Quip can do, we suggest you only use this as a productivity app if you’re also using Salesforce. Quip is owned by Salesforce and as such you’re stuck with Salesforce support and documentation. The native integration makes it easy to incorporate Quip with your Salesforce data and work, though.
Our Expert Take
After spending several days using the features in Quip, we are confident in saying that there are better collaboration tools out there. Although Quip is easy to use, it buries its best features that you need to either read about in documentation or stumble upon as you use the app. Not everything worked as intended and we got errors constantly.
We like that you can add a Kanban board or a project list view to a document, but the content blocks are customizable. The spreadsheet options seem like they have some improvements compared to Google’s version, but we ran into issues there, too (such as trying to add a bulleted list in a cell because we couldn’t get it to format without merging cells, and even then, most of our content was deleted).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Does Quip have a free plan?
You can use Quip for free for personal use. However, if you sign up for a business account with other users, you’re limited to a free trial.
What’s the best use case for Quip?
Quip is a collaborative tool that allows multiple users to work together on documents and spreadsheets in real time. Its native integration with Salesforce allows you to pull and push data between the apps, which makes Quip a great productivity app for sales teams.
Is Quip owned by Salesforce?
Yes. Salesforce acquired Quip in 2016 to provide an easier way for teams to collaborate and communicate using data from their platform in a real-time document editor.
What is task management software used for?
Task management software is used to create, track and organize tasks and subtasks within projects. It’s used by individuals who complete tasks, managers who assign tasks and stakeholders who want to see overviews and reports on all projects and tasks.
