Salesforce Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) vs. 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.)