Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) vs. Salesforce CPQ

What is Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA)?

• Definition: Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) is an all-in-one, next-generation revenue management solution on the Salesforce platform. It combines the capabilities of Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ), contract lifecycle management (CLM), subscription management, billing/invoicing, e-signature, document generation, and more into a unified offering. In essence, RCA supports the entire quote-to-cash process on Salesforce, from product catalog and pricing design through quoting, contracting, order fulfillment, billing, and even revenue recognition. Salesforce’s focus has shifted to RCA as the strategic future of its CPQ and billing offerings, effectively positioning it as the successor to the legacy Salesforce CPQ product.
• Core Capabilities: RCA is built around seven key pillars – Product/Service Design, Pricing Management, Configure-Price-Quote, Contract Lifecycle Management, Order Management, Billing, and Revenue Intelligence/Analytics. This means a single Salesforce solution can handle product catalogs (with complex bundles and attributes), sophisticated pricing (including usage-based or tiered models), guided quoting with approvals, automated contract generation, order fulfillment and asset management, invoice generation and payment processing, and analytics/AI insights on revenue. It eliminates the need for multiple disparate systems (e.g. replacing separate CPQ, billing, or subscription tools) by providing a one-stop platform.
• Fully Native & Modern Platform: Unlike legacy CPQ which was a third-party managed package, RCA is built natively on Salesforce’s core (Einstein 1) platform. This native architecture allows it to leverage Salesforce’s latest technology for performance and AI. RCA was designed with an API-first approach and uses Salesforce’s advanced data architecture, making it highly extensible and ready for integration of AI components (like Einstein GPT and Agentforce digital sales agents) out-of-the-box. Because it runs on the Lightning platform, end users experience a seamless, modern UI as part of Salesforce – this is especially beneficial in a SaaS context where sales teams live in Salesforce for CRM and now have quoting/billing in the same environment.

How is RCA Different from Salesforce CPQ?

Platform Architecture (Managed Package vs. Core): Salesforce CPQ (originally SteelBrick CPQ) is delivered as a managed package on Salesforce – essentially a bolt-on set of objects, code (Apex/Visualforce), and features that sit on top of the platform. In contrast, CA is built natively into the Salesforce core platform (Einstein 1 data architecture) with a unified data model. This architectural shift brings significant scalability and performance improvements: RCA can handle high transaction volumes, very large quotes/orders, and extensive pricing data more efficiently than legacy CPQ. The core-native design also removes many limitations CPQ had (which often required workarounds due to being a managed package). In short, RCA is a truly integrated part of the Salesforce ecosystem, not an add-on – reducing complexity for admins and allowing more seamless upgrades and maintenance.

• API-First, Composable & Headless Capabilities: Revenue Cloud Advanced was built API-first, meaning all its functions are exposed via robust APIs, allowing flexible integration and extension. For example, quoting or pricing engines can be invoked from external e-commerce systems or custom UIs with ease – enabling headless CPQ use cases where quotes might be generated outside the standard Salesforce UI. This is crucial for omnichannel sales strategies: companies can use RCA’s engine to power self-service quoting portals for customers or partner channels, something that was harder with the tightly-coupled legacy CPQ UI. In CPQ, while some APIs existed, it wasn’t truly designed for headless operation or easy integration into other systems; RCA by design supports these modern use cases. Omnichannel consistency is a big advantage – the same pricing and product rules can run on your direct sales quotes, your website’s shopping cart, or even in a mobile app via RCA’s APIs
• AI and Advanced Analytics Integration: Because RCA is part of the Salesforce core, it is “AI-ready” and built to leverage Salesforce’s latest AI innovations natively. Salesforce CPQ has no built-in AI features and no announced AI roadmap. With RCA, organizations can apply Einstein AI and the new Agentforce digital assistant to the quoting process out-of-the-box. This enables features like AI-driven product recommendations (e.g. suggesting upsells based on past customer behavior), automated quote generation or explanations, and intelligent pricing optimizations to maximize margins. In a SaaS context, this might mean the system can recommend an upgrade from a monthly plan to an annual plan with appropriate discount based on usage patterns, something not possible with standard CPQ. The inclusion of Revenue Lifecycle Intelligence (one of RCA’s pillars) hints at reporting and analytics that span the whole revenue process, likely with AI insights – whereas legacy CPQ relied on custom reports or add-ons for similar analysis.
• Product Catalog & Configuration Enhancements: RCA introduces a more flexible, modern approach to managing products and bundles:

1. Catalogs and Categories: Instead of one long product list filtered by Product Family (as in CPQ), admins can create multiple product catalogs with hierarchical categories in RCA. This means sales reps (or customers in a self-service scenario) can intuitively browse, say, “Software Products > Cloud Subscriptions > SaaS Package A” rather than scrolling through an undifferentiated list. It improves user experience and speeds up finding the right product combinations. CPQ’s UI did not support category browsing; it was mostly driven by searching or filtering picklists. 
2. Dynamic Attributes (Metadata-Driven): Salesforce CPQ used custom fields and object records (like Product Options, Configuration Attributes) to define product features and variants, which could be cumbersome and repetitive. RCA instead uses standardized, metadata-based attributes that can be defined once and reused across many products. For example, one could define an attribute for “User Seats” or “Storage Capacity” and attach it to multiple products where relevant, without recreating fields for each product. This makes configuring new offerings faster and reduces admin overhead. It also allows more complex rules – attributes can drive pricing and even revenue recognition rules in RCA in a more flexible way. 
3. Visual Configuration & UX: RCA’s quote line editor and configurator offer a more visual, spreadsheet-like experience for building a quote. Users can see a “pricing waterfall” breakdown of how the final price is calculated (list price, discounts, taxes, etc.) in real time. They can also view product bundle structures with images for confirmation. Legacy CPQ’s configurator was functional but more form-based and less interactive; the new UI reduces friction and errors in the quoting process.
   

• Pricing Engine and Flexibility: Both CPQ and RCA provide robust pricing capabilities (discounts, tiers, formula-based pricing, etc.), but RCA extends this further:

1. Multiple Revenue Models: A single product in RCA can be sold in various ways (one-time, recurring subscription, usage-based) simultaneously without cloning the product record. CPQ required separate products or complex logic to handle multiple pricing models for one offering. This is especially useful for SaaS firms offering hybrid pricing (e.g., a base subscription plus overage usage charges). 
2. Advanced Pricing Procedures: RCA includes a new concept of pricing procedures and versioning – effectively more powerful pricing rules and the ability to maintain multiple price versions for different contexts or time periods. For instance, admins can prepare a new price book version with updated rates and activate it later, instead of overwriting prices live (CPQ often required carefeployment or use of multiple price books to achieve this). Thepricing waterfall in RCA gives transparency into how a price is computed across list price, discounts, markups, etc., which was not as readily visible in standard CPQ screens. 
3. Automated Approvals & Guidance: Salesforce CPQ had an add-on called Advanced Approvals and could do price guidance via custom logic, but RCA bakes in automated approval workflows and discount guidance as part of its pricing engine. For example, RCA can automatically route a quote for approval if a discount beyond a threshold is applied, or suggest an optimal discount based on AI – features that align with Salesforce’s vision of guided selling. These are now core to the platform rather than extra customization. 

• Customization vs. Configuration: Many companies found that Salesforce CPQ, while powerful, needed significant customizations (Apex triggers, custom plugins, formula fields, etc.) to handle edge cases or performance issues in large implementations. RCA is built to minimize this need by delivering more out-of-the-box functionality and flexibility for complex scenarios. For example, where a business might have written custom code in CPQ to handle a special pricing calculation, RCA’s dynamic pricing procedure might support it declaratively. Reducing custom code means lower technical debt and easier maintenance. In short, RCA was designed with enterprise needs in mind from the start, whereas CPQ evolved from a smaller-tool origin and often hit limits that required heavy lifting by developers. Companies adopting RCA should expect fewer workarounds, which is a major benefit for long-term agility and cost of ownership.
  
• User Experience and UI: Salesforce CPQ’s interface, while Lightning-compatible, includes legacy Visualforce pages (for the Quote Line Editor, configuration wizard, etc.) and can feel a bit dated or slow, especially as quote line count grows. RCA delivers a modern Lightning Web Component (LWC) based UI fully aligned with Salesforce’s latest design standards. This translates to a more intuitive experience (reps navigate quoting in a way that’s consistent with the rest of Salesforce, with less page reloads). New features like a configurable Excel-like grid for quote lines, drag-and-drop product configuration, and in-line guidance make quoting faster and more user-friendly. The improved UI/UX reduces training effort and mistakes – important for SaaS sales teams that may be configuring complex deals. In addition, because RCA is on core, features like Lightning Email (to send quotes) or integration with Slack (for quote approvals) can be leveraged more easily than with the old CPQ.
  
• Pricing and Licensing Differences: From a commercial standpoint, RCA is positioned as a premium offering relative to legacy CPQ:

1. Legacy CPQ Pricing: Salesforce CPQ was typically licensed per user, with tiers, offering a basic CPQ and CPQ+ editions, priced at $75USD/user/month and $150USD/user/month respectively. CPQ+ came with all the additional packages, such as Advanced Approvals and Billing. 
2. RCA Pricing: Salesforce now sells “Revenue Cloud” (RCA’s package) at ~$200 USD/user/month, which includes core CPQ functionality, product catalog, and CLM features bundled. The Revenue Cloud Billing module is an additional cost (not publicly listed, custom-quoted) for those who need full billing capabilities. The net effect is that the entry price for Salesforce’s CPQ capabilities has gone up with RCA. This higher price reflects the greater scope of RCA but may be a consideration for cost-sensitive customers. This price difference between the old CPQ and the new RCA packages could put small businesses in a tough spot if they only need basic CPQ features. Some SMBs may seek alternatives if they don’t require the full breadth of RCA and find the cost prohibitive. On the other hand, larger enterprises may find value in the broader functionality despite the higher price point. (Note: Existing Salesforce CPQ customers likely will negotiate migration pricing with Salesforce – this is a factor to be discussed with Salesforce account reps as part of transition planning.)
   
   

Impact of the Shift to RCA on Existing Salesforce CPQ Implementations

• Salesforce CPQ Entering End-of-Sale: Salesforce has confirmed that the legacy Salesforce CPQ (SteelBrick) product is now in an “End of Sale” (EOS) phase. Practically, this means Salesforce is no longer selling CPQ to new customers as of 2025. If a new or existing Salesforce customer wants CPQ capabilities, Salesforce will direct them to buy Revenue Cloud Advanced (and Billing, if needed) instead.
  Important: EOS is not the same as End-of-Life (EOL); current CPQ customers are not being shut off. They can continue to renew their CPQ licenses and will still receive support for the time being.
  However, the EOS milestone is a strong signal of Salesforce’s future direction and is often the first step toward eventual retirement of a product.
  
• No New Features or Innovations in CPQ: Even before the official End-of-Sale, Salesforce CPQ had stagnated in terms of updates – there have been no major feature releases or improvements in several years.
  
• Salesforce has also not invested in any AI or next-gen enhancements for CPQ, focusing all innovation on RCA. The result is that while CPQ still functions, it will become increasingly outdated. Users won’t get new capabilities (for example, if your company wanted to implement AI-based pricing or a new subscription model, those enhancements would only be available in RCA, not in CPQ). Salesforce is ensuring that all current CPQ functionality (and more) is available in Revenue Cloud as it continues development. Thus, sticking with CPQ long-term means falling behind the state-of-the-art – an especially important consideration in fast-moving industries like SaaS, where pricing models and sales strategies evolve quickly.
  
• Support and Bug Fixes Timeline: Currently, Salesforce has stated that CPQ customers will “continue to receive full access – including customer support”. So in the short term, nothing changes for existing implementations; you can log cases and get assistance as before. Over time, however, support for CPQ is expected to diminish. With no new customers and no new revenue flowing into CPQ, Salesforce’s incentive is to eventually migrate everyone to RCA.
  
• Implications for Existing Implementations: If your company has Salesforce CPQ in place, the shift to RCA means you will eventually need to migrate or replace that functionality. There won’t be an automatic upgrade path where CPQ just turns into RCA – it’s a different product, so it will be a project to move over. Companies should view this as an opportunity to reassess their quote-to-cash processes. In many cases, CPQ implementations have accumulated custom code, technical debt, or process gaps over the years.
  
• Since moving to RCA is effectively a reimplementation, it’s a chance to redesign for best practices (and hopefully use more out-of-the-box RCA features, reducing customizations). However, this also means significant effort: data migration (product catalogs, pricing data, open quotes/contracts), re-building configuration rules in the new system, user training, and change management. Those who wait until Salesforce announces a hard EOL date may find themselves in a time crunch to execute this migration.
  
• Migration Complexity: Transitioning from Salesforce CPQ to RCA is not a simple patch or version upgrade – it’s a complex migration project. Early insights indicate that while some concepts overlap (e.g., products, price books, quotes exist in both), many elements are different enough that you must reconfigure them in RCA. For example, price rules in CPQ will become pricing procedures in RCA; product options might become part of the new attribute-driven bundles. Salesforce has designed RCA to coexist with CPQ during a transition, meaning you could run both in parallel in your org while migrating piece by piece. A recommended approach is to start in a sandbox, load a subset of products into RCA and test quoting to understand the differences, and then incrementally migrate more, rather than a big-bang switch. All this adds up to a sizable effort, so planning ahead is crucial.
  
  

When Should Companies Consider Transitioning to RCA?

• When complexity and scale have outgrown Legacy CPQ: If your business is experiencing challenges with Salesforce CPQ performance (e.g. slow quote generation due to large product catalogs or many price rules) or you’re expanding to new lines of business that require significantly different pricing models, it’s a sign to consider RCA. RCA is built for enterprise-scale quoting, high transaction volumes, and complex product structures.
  
• If you require a unified platform for end-to-end revenue operations: Companies that currently use Salesforce CPQ plus several other tools (maybe a separate billing system like Zuora or an external contract management tool) will benefit from consolidating onto RCA.
  
• Complex revenue processes spanning multiple systems – for instance, opportunity in Salesforce, quoting in CPQ, then order fulfillment in an ERP, and billing in another system – cause inefficiencies. RCA (with its add-ons) can unify many of these steps.
  
• When technical debt in your CPQ implementation is high: Over years of use, many Salesforce CPQ orgs become heavily customized to meet business needs – e.g., custom code to handle special pricing, complex approval flows, or integrations. Such technical debt increases maintenance costs, and risks of bugs.
  
• If AI-driven selling or advanced analytics are on your roadmap: For organizations looking to leverage AI to optimize sales (for example, using machine learning to recommend the best product bundles or to forecast revenue), RCA is the way forward. Legacy CPQ has no pathway to integrate AI like Einstein natively.
  
• When planning a self-service or omnichannel selling model: Modern B2B buyers often expect self-service options (e.g., a customer can configure and get a quote online without always speaking to sales). If your company wants to expose CPQ functionality in a customer portal or e-commerce site, or enable partners to quote deals directly, RCA’s headless architecture is built for that.
  
• Around key Salesforce or contract milestones: Timing-wise, companies often align major system changes with contract renewals or big Salesforce releases. If your Salesforce CPQ contract term is ending in the next 12-18 months, it’s wise to start evaluating RCA now – Salesforce may offer incentives to transition, and you can avoid renewing a product that might retire before your next cycle. Additionally, Salesforce’s multi-year roadmap suggests CPQ support will eventually wane, so you don’t want to invest in a large CPQ enhancement project in 2025/2026 only to have to replace it soon after. Plan ahead for a transition before the last possible moment.
  
• Size and complexity of the business: In general, larger enterprises and fast-scaling SaaS companies should be early adopters of RCA, because they stand to gain the most from its advanced features (and they are also most at risk from CPQ’s limitations in scale). These companies often have the resources to undertake the migration and will benefit from improved efficiency and future-proofing. On the other hand, smaller companies with very simple CPQ needs (e.g. a straightforward price list and minimal discount rules) might choose to hold off a bit. They can continue using their current CPQ (which is stable for their use case) and monitor RCA as it evolves. They should still stay informed – at minimum, ensure they have a plan if Salesforce announces an EOL – but they may not need to rush if the cost/benefit isn’t there yet. In some cases, a small SaaS business that finds RCA’s cost too high might evaluate third-party CPQ alternatives in the interim.The key is to weigh the urgency (are CPQ’s deficiencies actively harming your project now?). If the answer leans toward needing what RCA offers, sooner is better to maintain a competitive edge and avoid being caught on unsupported software down the road.

Conclusion: Why Now Is the Time to Start Planning Your Move to Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA)

Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) is the strategic successor to legacy CPQ, offering a modern, native solution with advanced features like AI, headless architecture, and full quote-to-cash integration. CPQ is entering end-of-sale and will no longer receive innovation, making it less viable long-term. 

Larger or fast-growing companies should begin planning their migration to RCA now to future-proof operations and avoid getting stuck on outdated tools. Smaller businesses with simpler needs may wait, but should stay informed and be ready to transition when the time is right.