COMPARING DISTRO / PROTON.AI

More than quoting. Proton is  the whole sales picture.

Distro extracts line items for fast quotes. Proton goes further: apply your sourcing logic, contract pricing, and cross-references, then feed every order back into your CRM and product intelligence so the system gets smarter with every transaction.

100,000
lines processed in 24 hours
90%
Match-rate accuracy
85%
product match rate
Side-by-side comparison of a legacy CRM showing a basic list of accounts versus Proton AI's account view for Acme Supply, which displays YTD revenue of $842K, 62% wallet share, and AI-ranked next best actions — with an average outcome of 2.6x growth in your first year on Proton.
TRUSTED BY LEADING DISTRIBUTORS WORLDWIDE
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HEAD-TO-HEAD

How Distro and Proton compare on quote and order automation

Distro extracts line items for fast quotes. Proton goes further: apply your sourcing logic, contract pricing, and cross-references, then feed every order back into your CRM and product intelligence so the system gets smarter with every transaction.

CAPABILITY
Distro
Agentic Sales OS
PROTON.AI
AI growth platform
RECOMMENDED
The AI
The AI
Fast, accurate order processing
AutoBid processes RFQs, bid lists, and POs with 92%+ item match accuracy. It's fast and accurate on orders that arrive with clean, recognizable part numbers. It doesn't learn which competitor or customer part numbers map to your catalog over time.
Deep-learning models
Proton evaluates every product match across relevance, quality, and trust using multiple AI models. Unlike document extraction, Proton applies your sourcing rules, contract pricing, and warehouse routing to every draft — so the output is a quote your rep can confirm and send, not a line list they have to configure.
Who it's built for
What it's built for
Extracts line items; your team applies the rules
AutoBid extracts line items when orders arrive with clean part numbers. But it doesn't apply your sourcing rules, contract pricing, or warehouse routing — your rep still has to configure those after extraction. And when a customer sends competitor or non-standard part numbers, there's no cross-reference engine to bridge that gap automatically.
Business logic, automatically applied
Proton applies your sourcing rules, contract pricing, and warehouse routing to every quote draft — not just the product match. Competitor and customer part numbers are cross-referenced automatically, and that coverage grows with every order so the percentage routing without manual intervention increases every month.
What reps get
What reps get
Fast on every task it knows
Distro's agents help reps quote faster, answer product questions, and process takeoffs and drawings. When a customer sends competitor part numbers, your rep still needs to find the equivalent — Distro doesn't cross-reference those to your catalog automatically.
Complete every order, faster
Proton drafts a ready-to-send quote — not a line list. Business logic, sourcing rules, and cross-references are applied at the point of entry. Reps confirm instead of configure. And every quote is a wallet-share opportunity: Proton CRM surfaces cross-sell recommendations at the moment of draft, so your team captures more revenue per order without extra effort.
Platform scope
Platform scope
Agentic tools, no data layer
Distro processes each order accurately and pushes it to your ERP. That data doesn't update your cross-reference tables, feed your CRM, or improve your eCommerce recommendations. Every order is a transaction — useful, but not compounding.
One platform
Proton is one vendor, one system, one source of truth. CRM, PIM, and Q&O automation on a shared data layer. Your sourcing logic and contract pricing are always current, every order feeds your customer intelligence, and there’s no integration to maintain between them.
Proven outcomes
Outcomes
Faster and more accurate
Distro promises faster quoting and good item match accuracy. What they don't capture: how complete your cross-reference tables are in 12 months, how many part numbers your system can now map automatically, or how much manual lookup time your reps have saved.
2.6x growth, 11x ROI
Proton reduces quote drafting from 15 minutes to 3 seconds, with 85% product match rate and capacity for 100K+ lines in 24 hours. Our suite customers report 2.6x average growth and 11x ROI. Cross-reference coverage grows every month, so the share of orders routing without manual intervention increases the longer you run it.
WHY DISTRIBUTORS SWITCH

Why Q&O teams switch from Distro to Proton

01
CROSS-REFERENCE INTELLIGENCE

Distro processes the order in front of it. Proton knows what it should have been.

When a customer sends a PO with Eaton part numbers and you carry Siemens, Distro processes what's on the order and can't bridge that gap. Proton's cross-reference engine maps competitor and customer part numbers to your catalog — and learns from every order, so your reps spend less time on manual lookups every month. After 12 months, the difference in cross-reference coverage is substantial.

02
BUSINESS LOGIC IN EVERY DRAFT

Distro extracts what your customer sent. Proton drafts what you'd actually send back.

Distro’s AutoBid is fast at reading inbound documents, but it doesn’t apply your sourcing rules, contract pricing, or warehouse routing. Those still require your rep after extraction. Proton applies your business logic to every draft automatically, so what your rep receives is a ready-to-send quote, not a line list to configure. Every order also feeds Proton's cross-reference engine, CRM, and eCommerce, so the system gets more automated and more complete every month.

03
Proven at scale

Distro is a YC-backed startup. Proton has been building distribution intelligence since 2018.

Distro launched in 2022 with a YC seed round and is still an early-stage company. Proton has been live in production with distributors since 2018 — 100+ customers, integrations with every major distribution ERP, and a platform spanning CRM, PIM, eCommerce, and order automation. The compounding value of years of distribution-specific AI training data isn't something a newer platform can replicate overnight.

THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES
3 seconds
for a quote that manually takes 15 minutes to generate
85%
Product match rate
90%
match-rate accuracy
100k
lines processed in 24 hours
BEFORE YOU BUY

Questions to ask Distro before you commit

Distro’s AutoBid looks fast and accurate in a demo. Before you commit, ask these questions to understand what your reps are still doing manually — and what happens after the document is read.

?
"When a customer sends a PO with competitor part numbers, does Distro cross-reference those to your catalog automatically, or does your team still have to look that up?"
?
"Does Distro apply your sourcing logic, contract pricing, and warehouse routing to every quote draft, or does your rep still have to configure those after the line items come through?"
?
"How does Distro handle multi-location sourcing when the customer's default branch doesn't have all items in stock, and does it know how to route the order across your locations?"
?
"As a small company, what does Distro's support and customer success look like when you hit a production issue at scale?"
CUSTOMER VOICES

See what our customers have to say

“Proton gets info to our sellers fast and effectively, so they can talk about what’s relevant and what’s important. With Proton, our team has better discussions with customers.”

Tim Babco (Ad)
CIO
·
ORS Nasco

“Proton is a sales stimulant, helping us grow our business through recommended products.”

Eric Wessinger
President & CEO
·
Richards Supply

"Proton is the best ROI of any tech investment we've made in the past 30 years."

Mike Page
CMO & CTO
·
R.S. Hughes

“The value of Proton for our industry is that right out of the box, it speaks our language. It understands what challenges distribution companies have.”

Jason Moorehead
VP of Sales
·
Swish Maintenance

"Proton is one of the greatest sales tools that we've ever had at Midwest Wheel."

Sean Kinter
Sales Development Manager
·
Midwest Wheel

“Just think of the best assistant you’ve ever had. You can plug an account number or contact name into the system and get all the information you need within seconds.”

Dave Purdy
General Manager
·
Swish Maintenance

"After I got into Proton, my sales skyrocketed. Proton hasn’t just helped me maintain and build my business; it's also helped me personally. It has made me a better sales rep."

Chelsea Reddell
Sales Consultant
·
Salon Services Pro

“We’re seeing a 3x profit return for every dollar spent on Proton software. What makes Proton different is the people and their domain expertise. It feels like we have a partner — a group that’s living and breathing distribution. They understand the unique challenges distributors face.”

Erik Gershwind
President & CEO
·
MSC

“Just the ability to summarize and share call notes easily with the branch has been huge. We used to edit and summarize them manually, now it’s just three clicks. It’s probably gained us a day each week.”

Aaron Soloski
Sales Manager
·
Aquifer

“Before Proton, it would take me 10 to 15 minutes to do my research on an account. Now it’s just a minute or two.”

Zeina Shahabeddin
Inside Sales Development Manager
·
Swish Maintenance

"Proton has made our sales team much more proactive, rather than just reacting to incoming orders. This has helped us increase the order size per invoice. Proton has increased the amount of sales our team has been able to close."

Kyle Schull
President
·
Building Products Inc.

“One time, we said, ‘For one week, trust every recommendation that Proton gives you and talk with your customer about it.’ They had a 40% close rate on brands that they never would have talked about before.”

Guy Lacey
Vice President
·
Salon Services Pro

"Pronto saves me 2 hours a day, easily. It’s very user-friendly, even for guys who don’t love tech. I use it to do call notes: after a call, I bring up Pronto, hit the microphone, talk into my phone, and it logs a note, so I can move on. With that time back, I can see 3 more customers a day."

Dave Hammett
Outside Sales Rep
·
BPI

"Proton’s added one day's worth of sales per month. Sales reps are getting a full day of extra sales revenue attributed to Proton."

Adam Crews
Director of Sales
·
Chattanooga Shooting Supplies

"Customers appreciate when you show up prepared. Pronto helps you be that rep. Before, we were jumping from screen to screen, report to report. Now it’s all right there, within seconds."

Darlene Long
Account Manager
·
Swish

“When a CRM works, everybody gets on board pretty quick. So far, we’ve had a lot of wins. That makes it contagious; if everybody sees that guy got that sale, they want to get the next one.”

Eric Wessinger (Ad)
President and CEO
·
Richards Supply

"It’s not just a reporting tool, it’s a sales growth engine. We’re giving the sales team a sports car, not a ball and chain."

Dane LeBel
Inside Sales Director
·
Vallen

“If someone’s off sick or on holiday, anybody on the team is able to jump into their accounts and know exactly what’s happening. That makes onboarding new reps and coverage easier, and helps us maintain the same level of customer service, whether the rep is in-house or not.”

Crystal Howat
Director of Technology and E-Commerce
·
Aquifer

"Pronto has been the biggest game changer for us. I believe we're one of the biggest users of it."

Steve McEnany
Senior VP
·
Midwest Wheel

“Proton makes us look like experts. The customer thinks we know everything — because the tool does.”

Ryan Barnett
Inside Sales Manager
·
Vallen

“We’ve gone from zero CRM culture to everyone talking about Proton every single day. That in itself within 3 months of launching has just been spectacular.”

Victoria Blair
Sales Enablement Leader
·
Swish Maintenance

“Before Proton, important info was buried in reports and often overlooked. With Proton, the data is right at our fingertips, easy to access and actionable. It's a game-changer for our daily routine.”

Matt Goldberg
Regional Manager
·
Benco Dental

“Our reps don't see Proton as a chore. We have a call target of 50 per week, but some reps are making double that. They're going above and beyond because they can see their progress every day in Proton."

Matthew James
President & CEO
·
Purity Life

"With Proton, our sales reps don't need to dig through account history or juggle gap reports anymore. They simply hop into Proton, see which customers are at-risk, and start reaching out."

Adam Crews
Director of Sales
·
CSSI

"If you’ve stumped yourself on what to sell, you can reach in and grab Pronto to take you to another level."

Shawn Baloun
Inside Sales
·
BPI

“Our sellers are staying active and engaged with Proton, using it on a daily basis.”

Tim Babco (Ad)
CIO
·
ORS Nasco

“Proton pulls data from all our systems, so it's all in one place. It’s been a huge time saver. A task that used to take about an hour now takes me less than ten minutes.”

Carly Albrecht
Regional Sales Manager
·
Purity Life

"We used to see large projects quoted by our quotations team, but communication didn’t always reach outside sales for proper follow-up. Proton’s had a big impact helping with that. I would absolutely recommend Proton to anybody in the distribution business. It checks all the boxes for us."

Schaun Corbett
VP of Sales
·
Aquifer

“I’m not the best email writer, so Pronto really helps me get to the point of what I’m trying to say.”

Dave Hammett
Outside Sales Rep
·
BPI

“One of our new reps pitched products to a large account based on Proton’s recommendations. The customer said, ‘I never knew you supplied those products.’ Now we’re in the final stages of closing a huge deal with that customer—all within the rep’s first 90 days.”

Zeina Shahabeddin
Inside Sales Development Manager
·
Swish Maintenance

"Proton answers the 'who do I call first?' question for you. When you use Proton, you basically become a sales analyst without even trying, because all the info you need is served to you."

Adam Crews
Director of Sales
·
CSSI

"Pronto makes me look smarter, gives me the info I need, and never judges my questions."

Darlene Long
Account Manager
·
Swish

"Proton is an effective tool to save you time. For new people, this is probably the single most effective tool. It gives you all the information you need."

Cody Olson
Territory Assistant
·
Midwest Wheel

“In just two minutes in the car, sales reps can skim through the Proton app and see everything going on with the customer they're visiting."

Katy Cohen
CRO
·
Benco Dental
SCHEDULE A DEMO

Find out what makes Proton the top quote and order automation choice for distributors

In 30 minutes, you'll see exactly how Proton will improve your current operation and what it'd look like for your reps.

  • See how Proton turns an inbound RFQ into a ready-to-send quote in seconds
  • Walk through how Proton handles the part numbers your reps currently look up manually
  • A live look at where automation reduces the manual steps
faq

Frequently asked questions about Distro and Proton

What's the difference between Distro and Proton?
How does Proton connect to our ERP for quote and order processing?
We've seen Distro demo — AutoBid looks fast and accurate. What does Proton do better on Q&O?
Distro positions itself as a full Agentic Sales OS for distributors, isn't that similar to what Proton offers?
Does Proton do anything beyond quote and order automation?