What Variable Quantity is
Variable Quantity allows recipients to adjust the number of units for a product directly in the document during the signing process. When you enable this option on a pricing table row, recipients see an interactive quantity field instead of a fixed number.
This is useful for pricing models where quantity varies by deal, such as:
Software licenses or seats
Hourly services or consulting hours
Usage-based pricing (gigabytes, API calls, transactions)
Any service billed per unit where the customer determines the volume
For example, if you're selling software licenses at $50 per seat, you can set a default quantity of 10, but let the recipient change it to 15 or 25 depending on their needs. The total recalculates automatically.
What Optional Products are
Optional Products allow recipients to choose whether a specific product row should be included in the pricing total. When you enable this setting, the row displays a checkbox that recipients can check or uncheck.
This is useful for:
Add-on services or premium features
Training, implementation, or support packages
Complementary products the recipient may or may not want
Upgrades or optional configurations
For example, you might offer "Professional Support" as an optional add-on. Recipients can include it by checking the box, or exclude it by leaving it unchecked. The total adjusts accordingly.
Key Difference: Quantity vs. Optional
Variable Quantity = "How many of this product?" Recipients change the number of units.
Optional Products = "Do you want this product?" Recipients choose to include or exclude it entirely.
You can enable both settings on the same row. This lets recipients decide whether to include a product AND adjust how many units they want if they select it.
How to Enable Variable Quantity and Optional Products
Both settings are configured at the row level inside your pricing table. Follow these steps:
Open the document containing the pricing table in edit mode.
Click on the pricing table to select it.
Hover over the product row you want to modify, and click the menu icon (three dots) on the right side of that row.
Select Row Settings from the dropdown menu (or click the breadcrumb navigation at the top of the pricing table editor).
The Row Settings panel opens on the right side.
In the Row Settings panel, you'll see toggles for:
Allow Variable Quantity — turn this on to let recipients adjust the quantity
Make Row Optional — turn this on to let recipients include or exclude the row
Below these toggles, you'll see additional options depending on which setting you enable.
Setting Limits for Variable Quantity
When you enable Allow Variable Quantity, three additional fields appear in the Row Settings panel:
Default Quantity — the starting number recipients see (e.g., 10 licenses)
Minimum Quantity — the lowest number they can select
Maximum Quantity — the highest number they can select
For example, you might set:
Default: 10
Minimum: 1
Maximum: 100
This ensures recipients stay within acceptable bounds. If you leave the minimum and maximum fields blank, recipients can enter any whole number.
Setting Defaults for Optional Products
When you enable Make Row Optional, you'll see a toggle in the Row Settings panel:
Checked by Default — if ON, the checkbox appears pre-checked, and the product is included in the total until the recipient unchecks it. If OFF, the checkbox appears unchecked, and the recipient must check it to include the product.
Choose the default that matches your sales intent. For most add-ons, leaving it unchecked (OFF) is standard — the recipient opts in if they want it.
How Recipients Interact with Variable Quantity
When a recipient opens a document with a variable quantity row, they see:
The product name and unit price (fixed, non-editable)
A number input field showing the current quantity
Up/down arrows or direct text entry to change the number
The recipient can:
Click the field and type a new number
Click +/- arrows to increment or decrement
See the row total update instantly as they change the quantity
They cannot edit the unit price, discounts, or any other row settings. The recipient's changes are live — pricing summaries and totals update in real time as they adjust quantities.
How Recipients Interact with Optional Products
When a recipient opens a document with an optional product row, they see:
A checkbox next to the product name
The product description, unit price, and quantity
The row total (calculated only if the checkbox is checked)
The recipient can:
Check the box to include the product in the pricing total
Uncheck the box to exclude it
See the overall pricing total update immediately when they check or uncheck
If a row is both optional and has variable quantity, the recipient first decides whether to include it (checkbox), then adjusts how many units they want (quantity field).
How Pricing Updates with Recipient Choices
Unit prices remain fixed — recipients cannot change them. However, totals recalculate automatically based on recipient actions:
When quantity changes: The row subtotal updates (quantity × unit price)
When an optional product is checked: The product is added to the pricing total
When an optional product is unchecked: The product is removed from the pricing total
Pricing table summary: If your table includes a summary row, it updates in real time with all recipient selections
Discounts and taxes (if configured) apply based on the final selections. Recipients see accurate, up-to-date totals throughout their signing experience.
After Signing: Recipient Choices in the PDF and Audit Log
Once the document is signed, all recipient decisions are locked and stored:
Signed PDF: Shows the final pricing table with the recipient's chosen quantities and optional product selections
Audit log/Timeline: Records what quantities and optional products the recipient selected during signing
Activity details: You can review exactly what the recipient configured before they signed
This creates a clear record for contract management, billing, and fulfillment. You know precisely what the customer agreed to.
Using Variable Quantity and Optional Products Together
A single row can have both settings enabled simultaneously. This creates flexible pricing configurations:
Example: "Professional Implementation Services"
Make it optional so the recipient can choose whether to include implementation
Allow variable quantity so if they select it, they can specify how many hours they need (e.g., 10, 20, or 40 hours)
When both are enabled:
Recipient sees a checkbox for the product
If unchecked, the entire row is excluded and the total ignores it
If checked, the row becomes active and the quantity field appears
Recipient can then adjust the quantity as needed
Totals and pricing summaries automatically account for both the inclusion/exclusion decision and the quantity selection.
What These Settings Do NOT Affect
Variable Quantity and Optional Product settings apply only to individual rows in a specific document. They do not modify:
Product data in the Product Library — the library remains unchanged
Other documents using the same pricing table template
Pricing group configuration or structure
Discount or tax calculation logic (discounts/taxes still apply based on your overall pricing table setup)
Each document instance has its own row-level settings. You can enable variable quantity on a row in one document and disable it in another, even if both use the same product.
Best Practices
Use Variable Quantity for:
Products where volume directly determines price (licenses, seats, hours, transactions)
Services where customers typically negotiate or adjust quantity based on their needs
Cases where you want to empower recipients to self-serve without a back-and-forth email chain
Use Optional Products for:
Add-ons, upgrades, or premium features
Training, onboarding, or support packages that not all customers need
Complementary services where some customers always buy them and others don't
Combine both for maximum flexibility: Bundle optional add-ons with variable quantities to let recipients customize both whether they want something and how much of it they need.
Set sensible defaults: Choose default quantities and checkbox states that reflect typical customer behavior. This reduces friction during signing and increases the likelihood recipients leave your suggested configuration in place.
Related Articles