PandaDoc automates authoring and e-signing. HookDoc automates review and reply.

Compare them as a proposal journey

Follow the flow — preparing the proposal, sending it, the reviewer reading and asking, the sender replying and updating — and compare side by side.

1. 1. Preparing the proposal

   The sender needs to prepare a proposal with pricing, timeline, and scope. Where it's authored shapes everything that follows.

   PandaDoc

   The sender builds the proposal inside PandaDoc's editor with content blocks and templates. Pricing tables, variables, and brand themes are tuned in one place, and the same template can be reused for the next proposal.

   HookDoc

   The sender uploads the PDF — built in familiar tools like PowerPoint, Keynote, Canva, or Word — to HookDoc as-is. No need to rebuild the proposal — review questions and page reactions land on top of the existing PDF.

2. 2. Setting permissions before sending the link

   The proposal contains sensitive content like the pricing table, timeline, and scope. Before sending the link, the sender decides who can open it, whether to allow downloads, and when to close the link.

   Who can open the link?

   PandaDoc

   Each recipient can be assigned a role like signer, approver, or CC, with a defined signing order. Additional identity verification — SMS PIN, Google or Microsoft account — can be required.

   HookDoc

   Reviewers view anonymously, without any sign-up or email entry.

   What can they do with the link and PDF?

   PandaDoc

   Managed with content locking, audit trail, document expiration, and approval workflows.

   HookDoc

   Managed with PDF download restriction, link expiration, instant link cut, and no search-engine indexing.

3. 3. The reviewer clicks the link from email

   The client contact clicks the proposal link from their inbox. If there are too many steps like sign-up, login, or email entry at this point, they may stop before reading the PDF.

   PandaDoc

   The reviewer can view the document right away without a PandaDoc account. Depending on settings, identity verification — SMS PIN or an external account — may be required when reaching the signing step.

   HookDoc

   The reviewer views without sign-up or email entry.

4. 4. The reviewer hits a sentence they want to ask about

   The reviewer pauses on the pricing table, the timeline, or a scope sentence. Questions appear: 'Is onboarding included in this cost?', 'Can it start in June?', 'Is this work included or separate?'

   PandaDoc

   Reviewers can leave questions or comments in the side comment panel on the right of the document.

   HookDoc

   When the reviewer drags a sentence in the proposal, AI suggests fitting questions. The reviewer clicks a suggestion or types their own and leaves it on the PDF.

5. 5. As review reactions pile up

   The reviewer leaves questions or lingers on certain pages and exits. Now the sender needs to check not just whether they 'viewed it,' but which pages raised concerns and which questions remain.

   PandaDoc

   The sender sees who opened the document, when, which pages they lingered on, and how far signing has progressed — all in one place. Audit trail and real-time status track the workflow stage.

   HookDoc

   Per anonymous reviewer, the sender sees long-dwell pages, questions left, review time slots, and review outcome status. It doesn't stop at view records — what questions to reply to is visible on the same screen.

6. 6. Preparing the next outreach

   The sender needs to reply. Rather than just asking 'have you reviewed it?', they should know which question — pricing, timeline, or scope — to address before reaching out.

   PandaDoc

   The sender can send automatic reminders and notifications to non-responding reviewers. What sentences to actually put in the email has to be decided by the sender.

   HookDoc

   The sender checks open questions, long-dwell pages, and what reviewers left, all in one view. With HookDoc AI suggested replies for each question as a reference, the sender organizes what to propose around pricing, timeline, or scope, and prepares a more concrete follow-up.

7. 7. Updating the proposal

   The reviewer asked about pricing, timeline, and scope. The sender needs to decide which tables to add, which explanations to add, and which sentences to fix in the next-version PDF.

   PandaDoc

   The sender goes back to PandaDoc's editor and edits pricing tables, variables, and content blocks directly. Which tables to add or what explanations to put in has to be judged by the sender.

   HookDoc

   Referencing reviewer questions and HookDoc AI replies, Claude/GPT proposes improved proposal updates. With Claude, PowerPoint proposals can be edited and updated automatically.

When HookDoc fits better

If you're not looking for proposal authoring and e-signing automation, but want to keep your existing PDF proposal flow and turn reviewer questions, stuck pages, replies, and next-version updates into one connected loop — HookDoc fits better. HookDoc accepts PDFs built with external tools like PowerPoint, Keynote, Canva, or Word as-is, and turns them into a review link that captures questions, suggested replies, and revision rationale.