Pricing
What a virtual data room actually costs
Three pricing setups show up across our 11 providers: a flat monthly plan, a per-user plan, or a price you negotiate directly. Here is what each one means for a buyer.
| Model | How it works | Providers in the 11 |
|---|---|---|
| Flat monthly | One published price covers the room regardless of seat count, often with a storage cap. | Ellty, Digify |
| Per user | A published price per named user per month; cost scales with how many people need access. | None in the current 11 |
| Quote-only | Price is negotiated based on deal size, duration and users; nothing published up front. | Datasite, Ansarada, iDeals, Drooms, Intralinks, Firmex, SmartRoom, ShareVault, DealRoom |
Published entry prices, lowest to highest
Entry price, low to high
Ellty $69/mo 
Digify $120/mo Quote-only, no published entry price: Datasite, Ansarada, iDeals, Drooms, Intralinks, Firmex, SmartRoom, ShareVault, DealRoom.
Teal bars are flat monthly plans, clay bars are per-user plans. Quote-only providers are listed below without an invented number.
| Provider | Entry price | Trial | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellty | $69 a month | 14-day free trial | SOC 2 (hosting infrastructure) |
 Datasite | Quote on request | Demo on request | SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR |
 Ansarada | Quote on request | Free trial available | SOC 2, ISO 27001 |
 iDeals | Quote on request | Free trial available | SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR |
 Drooms | Quote on request | Demo on request | SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR |
 Intralinks | Quote on request | Demo on request | SOC 2, ISO 27001 |
 Firmex | Quote on request | Free trial available | SOC 2, ISO 27001 |
 SmartRoom | Quote on request | Demo on request | SOC 2, ISO 27001 |
 ShareVault | Quote on request | Free trial available | SOC 2, ISO 27001 |
 DealRoom | Quote on request | Free trial available | SOC 2, ISO 27001 |
| Digify | $120 a month | Free trial available | SOC 2 |
Prices are indicative and change; always confirm the current number with the vendor before budgeting a deal.
Estimate your room's cost
Pick a deal size, user count and duration below. Flat and per-user providers use their own published plan; providers that don't post a price are marked "Estimate" and use the labelled market bands underneath, never a number we made up for that company.
Estimate the cost for all 11
| Provider | Pricing | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| Ellty | Flat plan | $207 |
| Digify | Flat plan | $360 |
| Datasite | Estimate | ~$4,500–$13,500 |
| Ansarada | Estimate | ~$4,500–$13,500 |
| iDeals | Estimate | ~$4,500–$13,500 |
| Drooms | Estimate | ~$4,500–$13,500 |
| Intralinks | Estimate | ~$4,500–$13,500 |
| Firmex | Estimate | ~$4,500–$13,500 |
| SmartRoom | Estimate | ~$4,500–$13,500 |
| ShareVault | Estimate | ~$4,500–$13,500 |
| DealRoom | Estimate | ~$4,500–$13,500 |
Flat and per-user prices come from each provider's own published plan. Providers marked "Estimate" do not post a price; the number comes from the market band you picked above, never a number we made up for that specific company.
Market bands for quote-only rooms
Several of the 11 providers on this list do not post a price; you have to call and ask. These are our own labelled estimates from typical published ranges in the category, not a specific vendor's number; use them to sanity-check a quote, not to predict one exactly.
| Deal size | What it usually looks like | Estimated range, per month |
|---|---|---|
| Focused deal | Single asset or small fundraise, a handful of reviewers | $600–$1,800 |
| Standard M&A process | Mid-market sale or raise, multiple advisers on both sides | $1,500–$4,500 |
| Large, multi-party deal | Enterprise M&A, many bidders, heavy document volume | $4,000–$11,000 |
Three deals, worked out
Rough, labelled cost ranges for three common situations, using our own market bands above over a typical duration. These are not quotes from a specific company; use them to sanity-check what you are told.
A fundraising round
A compressed timeline, a handful of investors reviewing at once.
$1,200–$3,600
over about 2 months
A mid-market company sale
Multiple advisers on both sides, a standard diligence process.
$6,000–$18,000
over about 4 months
A large, multi-bidder auction
Several competing buyer groups, heavy document volume.
$24,000–$66,000
over about 6 months
What people forget to budget for
The headline number is rarely the whole bill. Ask about each of these before you sign, in writing.
During the deal
- Storage above the plan's included limit
- Extra admin or power-user seats
- A dedicated project manager or onboarding fee
If the deal runs long
- Renewal or extension pricing past the quoted term
- A higher rate if the deal moves from one phase to another
After it closes
- Post-closing archive access and its retention period
- Export fees for pulling documents out of the room
- Translation or redaction-as-a-service, where offered
Getting a clean quote
- State the deal type and size up front.M&A, fundraising or real estate rooms are priced differently; say which one you are running.
- Ask for the full price, not just the headline.Request storage limits, extra-seat cost and any setup or support fee in writing.
- Confirm the term length.Most rooms price per deal or per month; know which one applies before you sign.
- Ask what happens after the deal closes.Some vendors charge for post-closing archive access; confirm the cost and retention period.
Frequently asked questions
Why do some providers not publish a price?
Several rooms, especially those built for large M&A deals, price by negotiated quote based on deal size, number of users and length of engagement. We mark these clearly and never invent a number for a quote-only vendor.
What usually costs extra?
Storage above a plan’s included limit, extra admin seats, a dedicated project manager, and sometimes translation or redaction-as-a-service. Ask for these explicitly in a vendor call.
Does a free trial mean the room is free to use?
A free trial is a time-limited period to test the room, not ongoing free access. After the trial, the published or quoted price applies.
Is per-user or flat pricing cheaper?
Depends on your team size. For a small admin team, per-user pricing can work out cheaper; once you pass a handful of named users, a flat plan with no per-seat charge usually wins. Run both through the calculator above with your actual numbers.
Does the quote change if the deal takes longer than planned?
Often yes. Many quote-only rooms price per month or per phase; if a deal drags past the quoted term, ask upfront what the renewal or extension rate is rather than finding out when the invoice arrives.
Should I ask for a lower price if the deal falls through early?
It is worth asking. Some providers will prorate or credit unused time if a deal collapses well before the quoted term ends; this varies by company and is worth confirming before you sign, not after.
Is the cheapest provider always the best value?
Not necessarily. A low price with a thin feature set can cost you more in admin time or risk than a slightly pricier room with the controls your deal actually needs; weigh price against our feature and security scores, not price alone.