Salesforce CPQ vs Revenue Cloud - Which One Won’t Slow You Down?

Stuck deciding between CPQ vs Revenue Cloud? Read on for a simple side-by-side that shows which tool belongs in your sales stack.
Fatima
August 4, 2025
Salesforce Revenue Cloud vs CPQ

Growing a business usually means tightening up pricing, speeding up quotes, and keeping customers happy. That goal has pushed a lot of companies toward Salesforce CPQ and Revenue Cloud. On paper, the two bundles look nearly identical. In practice, picking the wrong one can trip your team to the worst moment.  

 Configuring, pricing, and quoting- simple, right? That part is where most teams start because it nails the everyday grind of creating customer quotes. Over time, however, reporting needs, revenue recognition, and multi-cloud billing chores start piling up. That rising demand is exactly where Revenue Cloud stands out.  

 In this blog, you will explore key differences between Salesforce Revenue Cloud vs CPQ. Whether you’re in sales, operations, or stuck choosing the stack, this comparison will help you figure out what fits best now and in the long run.

What is CPQ, and why was it a Big Deal?

Salesforce CPQ is short for Configure, Price, Quote. It speeds up the quoting process by slashing the old back-and-forth over spreadsheets. That means pricing, discounts, and fine print appear on the page without any extra keystrokes.

Teams that manage tangled product lines once spent hours, even days, drafting quotes by hand. Now, reps hit send in a matter of minutes and still look professional. Those lightning-fast documents are both accurate and identical every time. 

 Businesses usually see the biggest win when they have:   

  • A sales crew that is adding new faces every month   
  • Request lists that repeat like clockwork    
  • Pricing formulas that won't wiggle into the grey zone    

 For groups like that, CPQ cuts the guesswork and turns chaos into order. It fixed one piece of the puzzle, yet the same companies soon piled on subscriptions, renewals, and billing. CPQ alone started to puff and wheeze under the load.

What is Revenue Cloud and How It’s Different

Sometimes a single quote isn't enough. Salesforce Revenue Cloud takes that quote and follows the money trail right to the final payment and then out to the next renewal. 

 

 Revenue Cloud bundles the standard CPQ features but also tacks on: 

 

  • Straightforward billing and invoicing 
  • Hands-on subscription management 
  • Simple tools for renewals and upgrades 
  • Payment options are as flexible as your customers want. 

 

 Because the whole thing runs on Salesforce's recent Einstein 1 platform, users get fresh waves of automation, built-in AI, and no-log-jam links to the rest of the Salesforce toolbox. One-click, and it pulls together what once lived in three different tabs.

To sum it up, CPQ pushes the send button on a quote, while Revenue Cloud steers every step that follows: billing, payment collecting, renewal tracking, and reporting on top of it all.

Side-by-Side: CPQ vs Revenue Cloud

Curious about the real difference between Salesforce CPQ and Revenue Cloud? A side-by-side peek makes it easy to see why the choice matters. 

Feature Salesforce CPQ Revenue Cloud
Quoting Yes Yes
Billing & Invoicing No Built-in
Subscription Support Limited Yes
AI & Automation Add-on only Native
Future Support Being phased out Actively developed

So, what does the table mean for your sales desk? If your world is mostly quotes and price lists, CPQ still gets the job done. On the other hand, billing cycles, subscription tags, and a plan to ride the next software wave, Revenue Cloud hands you a bigger toolbox right out of the box.

When to Use CPQ, When to Go for Revenue Cloud

Many companies don’t start ready to pour every dollar into Revenue Cloud, and that’s perfectly okay. Your next move should match your current size and the horizon you can see. The two products meet different needs, so settle on the one that fits. 

 

Choose Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) if you: 

  • The sales crew is small or is still finding its stride.
  • The main headache is figuring out which products, prices, and quotes match together.
  • Billing and renewal schedules are pretty straightforward, not a monthly maze of changes.

This tool trims the wait for quotes and lets businesses keep most of their old revenue setup. That quick win can buy time to plan the next upgrade.

Revenue Cloud makes more sense if:

Most companies want their money stuff to be easy to run, not a second job. If that sounds familiar, Revenue Cloud might be your next click. 

  • You juggle subscriptions and monthly bills, or switch pay methods every other week. 
  • Chasing renewals and hand-writing invoices feels like rinsing and repeating. 
  • Big plans are on the whiteboard, whether that’s new zip codes or fresh lines of business. 

However, a single system keeps quotes, invoices, and revenue counts in one tidy folder.

Planning to switch? Here's What to Expect

Many small-to-medium businesses get curious about moving from plain old CPQ to Revenue Cloud. The idea usually sounds exciting, yet the journey feels bigger than just hitting an upgrade button. Here’s what you should know:

A Brand-New Setup Awaits

Jumping from CPQ to Revenue Cloud isn’t as easy as flipping a switch. You basically start over with a brand-new setup, so fresh planning and fresh training are both required.

Migration Demands a Calendar

How long will it take? That depends. For some teams, the switchover stretches over a few weeks; for others, it can edge into several months while you sort out data mapping and process hand-offs.

Worth Every Minute

Still, many people say the hassle pays off. If your business needs tighter automation or handles a lot of recurring billing, Revenue Cloud lays down a sturdy platform that won’t crack under new demands.

Long-Term Efficiency Beckons

Once the dust settles, features like automated billing and streamlined revenue processes let growing teams scale without their systems collapsing.

Final Thoughts

New trends pop up every month, and in sales tech, that sparkle can be hard to resist. Still, what matters is finding a tool that fits your process, not whatever is grabbing clicks on Twitter. 

 Salesforce CPQ isn’t disappearing anytime soon. Plenty of teams still count on their quote-to-cash flow, and it works well enough for the daily grind. Even so, Salesforce itself keeps nudging customers toward Revenue Cloud because the bundle adds out-of-the-box billing, easy subscription management, and a fair bit of automation. 

Jumping on any platform without a baseline assessment invites avoidable friction. Shifting from CPQ to Revenue Cloud later can chew through both budget and bandwidth. Speaking with a Salesforce professional often clarifies requirements faster.

Wondering if you should leap into Salesforce Revenue Cloud, or stay on the familiar path with CPQ? It's a tricky call. 

 PixelConsulting can help you sort it out. Just pick a time, sit down, book a free session with our experts, and see how the platform can turn selling into something almost effortless.

FAQs

Is Salesforce CPQ part of Revenue Cloud? 

Yes, Salesforce CPQ lives inside Revenue Cloud. Moreover, Revenue Cloud does a lot more, though. It also takes care of billing, subscriptions, renewals, and sprinkling some revenue automation on top. 

What is the difference between Sales Cloud and CPQ in Salesforce?

Sales Cloud is your day planner for leads, deals, and customer chats. CPQ zooms in on pricing tables, discount buttons, and quote documents. Both can hang out together, yet each one fixes a different headache. 

Is Salesforce discontinuing CPQ? 

Salesforce isn’t flipping off the CPQ lights just yet, so don’t panic. The company is quietly planting new features in Revenue Cloud while the old CPQ keeps humming along. 

What is replacing Salesforce CPQ? 

Most of the people would say Revenue Cloud is the heir apparent. It carries every CPQ trick and adds billing, automation, and subscription tools, plus a side of the Einstein 1 platform. 

What is the old name of Salesforce CPQ? 

Before Salesforce made the purchase, the software went by SteelBrick. The label disappeared once the deal closed, and the cloud giant stamped its name on the product.



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Author Insights:
Fatima
Hi! I’m an SEO Content Writer and Brand Copywriter who turns complex ideas into engaging and easy-to-understand content. Lately, I’ve been simplifying Salesforce, helping businesses navigate their CRM systems with confidence. My goal? To make tech and marketing feel simple, clear, and impactful.
August 4, 2025

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