Best Virtual Data Room Providers Review

Check out the best virtual data room providers according to VDR global rankings. Compare prices and features of virtual data rooms and choose the data room software for your needs.

We provide insight and advice to help clients understand the virtual data room market trends, identify opportunities, and grow their businesses.

Who provides data room services?

Virtual data room service providers are certified providers of secure cloud software. VDR providers comply with the necessary digital standards to ensure the security of business document flow. The number of virtual data room services on sale is off the charts due to the growing number of customers. Developers are also trying to create VDRs that are better than the previous ones. In this regard, a potential user has to allocate time to find the most suitable tool. These are the companies that supply high technological online space for business needs.

The virtual data room vendors eliminate such things as:

• the dangers of leaks,
• contingencies associated with technical aspects,
• incorrect transaction flow.

Virtual data room vendors are providers whose services are in great demand for sale today. Clients receive an electronic platform for:

• keeping data safe;
• secure exchange of confidential information;
• making deals without the problems that usually accompany this process.

The users range from small start-up companies to world-renowned organizations. It is easy to explain because the commitment of any business to security does not depend on the field of activity. It is vdr providers that offer a product that satisfies both this urgent need and many others. Deal room software is usually user-friendly with round-the-clock access for authorized persons. At any time, it is possible to exchange files, contact colleagues and partners without worrying about leaks and other problems.

Introduction to the virtual data rooms

Virtual deal rooms are now widely spread in many industries due to the solutions they bring to the business. Enhanced security, reliable and helpful support, enough space for storing large amounts of data, and more.

But though all virtual data room service providers are quite similar in their area of expertise, they all differ in the set of features they provide and some other aspects. 

And that’s exactly why the Dataroom-providers website was created — to help you choose the best data room software for your needs and better understand the whole VDR concept.

The range of data we provide includes (but is not limited to):

• Detailed guide to choosing the secure virtual data room for your business
• Exhaustive data room reviews of the features and prices of about 35 vendors
• Ranking of the top 10 industry leaders
• Due diligence guide
• Professional blog where experts share their thoughts
• Comprehensive FAQ section with all the popular questions answered

All in all, Dataroom-providers.org will perfectly assist you in your first acquaintance with online data room services.

Virtual data room vendors comparison — top 6

Now, let’s compare virtual data rooms that are industry leaders.

iDeals 

iDeals is a trusted virtual data room provider with about 14 years of experience.

It’s most acclaimed by its clients for its extreme user-friendliness and white labeling services. Among iDeals customers are Deloitte, American Airlines, and Toyota.

Thanks to the various document security features, iDeals is chosen in many industries and suits the needs of small-, mid-, and large-sized companies.

Competitive advantages

1. Customization. You can customize the overall look of your online data room. It includes watermarking, logo, header and footers, invitation email, language settings, and terms of access.
2. Ease of use. iDeals is cloud-based software, which means no extra plugins are needed. This data room also offers Android and iOS mobile applications and enables single sign-on and multilingual access.
3. Devoted customer support. There are three main ways to contact the support team: email, phone, and chat. The speed of answering is fast — 30 seconds in chat, and up to 30 minutes via email.
4. Flexible pricing. iDeals offers three pricing options depending on the client’s needs. Each plan comes with a list of features you unlock after subscribing. All the new subscribers also get a free 30-day trial.
5. Great usability and document management. You can easily upload files in 25+ formats thanks to the drag and drop and bulk upload. The search through the documentation will also be simplified thanks to the optical character recognition (OCR), full-text search, and auto-indexing.

Datasite 

Datasite provides an excellent data room service in about 170 countries around the world.

Clients choose Datasite for the industry leading features they offer: from the first-rate data security tools to the responsive customer support.

Datasite is mainly an M&A data room, as it especially specializes in M&A deals, making the whole process straightforward and secure. 

Datasite is the best VDR for the needs of medium and large businesses.

Competitive advantages 

1. Built-in communication. Datasite offers an integrated Q&A section that allows to set up the workflow, roles, and categories in a breeze.
2. Unlimited admins. You can assign as many admins as you need, with clients, banks, and unlimited bidders — all included in one price.
3. Analytics and reporting. To control the whole M&A process, opt for the analytics services the Datasite provides. It includes automated dashboards that you can export and filter for the information you need.
4. Ease of use and data upload. Uploading large volumes of data is easy on the Datasite VDR provider thanks to the drag-and-drop features, bulk move, and renaming options. You can also upload zip files up to 50 GB. 
5. Smooth data management. Managing data is also painless because of the multilingual search, OCR, file preview, and smart AI categories.

CapLinked 

CapLinked is a secure electronic data room that’s mainly used for asset sales, real estate transactions, fundraising, and more. It’s also one of the best data rooms for M&A.

It’s a great VDR solution primarily for large enterprises and mid-sized organizations, but can be also used by small companies.

The set of data security and data management features the CapLinked offers makes it an attractive digital data room among business professionals.

Competitive advantages 

1. Outstanding customer service. CapLinked makes sure every customer gets professional on-time assistance whenever such a need occurs.
2. Several integration options. CapLinked VDR data room allows you to seamlessly integrate your cloud space into the applications you already work with. Some of the allowed integrations are Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Salesforce.
3. Activity dashboard. It enables you to monitor all the activity performed inside a VDR virtual data room and get prompt notifications about all the changes made.
4. Straightforward collaboration. The special tools introduced by CapLinked make the collaboration on the team and with multiple parties smoother. It includes instant messaging, a Q&A section, and FAQ notifications.
5. Easy setup. It takes only 10 minutes to set up the CapLinked secure data room.

Citrix ShareFile 

Citrix ShareFile is one of the top VDR providers for freelancers, startups, as well as small-, mid-, and large-sized businesses. 

If you seek virtual data rooms for mergers and acquisitions, simple corporate development, or any other business deals, Citrix ShareFile might be a good solution. 

Customers from more than 100 countries choose this data room virtual software because of flexible pricing, advanced security, and various data management features.

Competitive advantages

1. Customization. With Citrix ShareFile you can create your own branded space that reflects your business identity. This is exactly what makes the best virtual data room providers stand out among physical storage options.
2. Office 365 integration. This feature allows making the process of getting approvals and feedback automated. It also allows for document co-editing and versioning.
3. Transparent and flexible pricing. Citrix ShareFile offers four pricing plans that differ in cost and set of features provided. This way, every type of business can get what they want for a fair price. All the pricing details are also described on the main website, which speaks about extreme transparency.
4. File sync feature. This service enables you to sync folders and files from your local device with those in a data room online space. This way, all the changes you make on your computer will also be displayed in a virtual data room.
5. Subsequent storage. Subscribers can enjoy the generous storage of about 50 GB.
6. Ease of use. Citrix ShareFile allows easy accessibility and file sharing in just a few clicks. What’s more, it offers a convenient email plugin and the ability to send large files without any bugs.

ShareVault 

ShareVault is one of those virtual data room solutions that fit the needs of all types of businesses: from small companies to enterprises.

The data room is cloud-based software, which means all VDR users can access it from any device via a single link.

ShareVault services significantly streamline the due diligence process as well as enhance the quality of corporate collaboration.

Competitive advantages

1.  Convenient data management. Files upload is easy thanks to the bulk upload. Data navigation and management are straightforward due to such features as the ability to favorite particular files, infinite scrolling, full-text search, hierarchical tags, and more.
2. Activity analytics. Track who is viewing your documents, for how long, and what files get attention the most. This is easy to do thanks to the features ShareVault provides: audit trail, IP address tracking, interactive reporting, and heat maps.
3. Document control. Data security is what matters the most when it comes to data rooms. ShareVault provides many features aimed to secure the information you share online: remote shredding, granular access controls, expiration date and time, dynamic watermarking, and more.
4. Smooth user experience. ShareVault is easy to navigate for all users despite their tech background. The VDR offers high-performance document viewers, a secure A/V player, inter-document hyperlinking, and a Q&A section.
5. Knowledgeable customer support. The support team is responsive and is ready to assist you 24/7 via phone, chat, or email.

DealRoom 

DealRoom is one of the leading and the best data rooms, and the majority of existing virtual data room reviews are proof of that.

DealRoom ensures a smooth M&A experience for all the parties involved. However, this virtual data room can be used for different reasons: from simple corporate data storage to business deals. 

Customers choose DealRoom for its user-friendly interface and enhanced security features.

Competitive advantages

1. Collaboration tools. DealRoom enables you to send messages and assign tasks to both internal and external VDR users.
2. Activity dashboard. You can track the deal’s progress, get full reports on the users’ activity inside the deal room, and investigate their engagement.
3. Easy data management. Uploading files is straightforward thanks to the drag-n-drop feature. You can also set up 4-level viewing permissions and apply watermarking to enhance your data security.
4. Third-party integrations. DealRooms provide integration options with modern tools such as Slack, Salesforce, Google Apps, Microsoft Teams, Idaptive, and Okta.
5. Pre-built templates. Setting up a deal room is even faster with the help of pre-built templates DealRoom offers.

Best virtual data rooms for M&A

M&A online data rooms are basically data rooms used for M&A deals. 

The sell-side uploads all the required documentation about the business to the virtual data room so that the buy-side could review every detail before making a final decision. 

Naturally, the security and confidentiality M&A data room providers offer matters the most here, as an M&A deal presupposes sharing sensitive information with other parties.

Basically, all the virtual data room companies are suitable for M&A transactions. So when choosing the VDR provider, consider the needs of your business. 

The general requirements for an M&A data room provider are security standards and features. The rest of the feature set depends on the size of your business and the length of the M&A deal.

Large companies require a very wide range of document management features because they work with large volumes of data. Also, the more people use virtual data room techology, the higher the need for technical support of a personal manager.

While for small businesses, online training on working with VDR and a basic list of document management functions are enough. For small business owners, the price of a data room is more important than for large corporations. Therefore, the starting price for some providers can start from $900 per month, and this will be expensive for small businesses and quite acceptable for large businesses.

How to choose data room software: Selection guide 

While searching for the right VDR takes a lot of time and effort, the process isn’t necessarily hard especially if you follow our virtual data room solutions selection guide. 

Identifying your goal plays a significant role in choosing which among the Virtual Data Room solutions is best for your business. Once your intention is clear, you can move on to specific steps of selecting a competent VDR provider for your needs. 

1. Outline your requirements

Every company and every project is unique. Based on your purpose, the company’s size, the industry specifics, and many other factors, you’ll need to navigate between pre-established VDR plans and tailored flexible virtual data room solutions. Below are two essential factors to keep in mind at this stage:

People. Begin by listing everyone who might need access to the VDR. Ask yourself:

• Are they the key decision-makers or the entire company? 
• What access level will each member have? 
• Are all potential VDR users tech-savvy? 

Setting aside the strictly technical side of VDR selection and considering the people factor will help you make the right choice when selecting the right tool, so make sure to account for all possible users.

Data. Another aspect to contemplate is the data you will trust in the Virtual Data Room. Ask yourself:

• What is the volume of the data that we will store? 
• What are the main file types we rely on in daily business communication?
• What confidentiality levels will the organization need? 
• What downloading possibilities will allow for quick data sharing?

Planning the structure of the VDR in advance is an excellent asset to handling data safely and effectively. 

With the outline of what you expect from a fitting VDR provider, you are ready to proceed to the next step: listing the distinct features you will look for across various virtual data room solutions.

2. Consider the necessary features

If this is your first time dealing with virtual data room solutions, you might not know what is generally available out there. At this point, it is important to comprehend the distinction between rudimentary data storage and VDR. While typical storage solutions offer different approaches to data safekeeping, such as uploading, viewing, downloading, and sometimes minor editing, virtual data rooms go beyond that scope. 

Data handling enabled by VDRs can involve many dimensions of technological advancements. For instance, you can choose to limit or restrict access to particular sections of the Data Room, watermark documents, track downloads, prevent screenshots, and more. Established VDR providers will also grant you access to an array of professional, administrative services, such as translation or document scanning, for an additional fee. 

3. Allocate the budget

Budget allocation is a brief, yet vital step of going through Virtual Data Room solutions. Whether you are making the decision yourself or pitching the VDRs to your superiors, keep in mind that the functionality and effectiveness of the Data Room will always correlate with its usage cost. But this doesn’t mean that setting up a Virtual Data Room will be unreasonably expensive. 

As you will learn further, the pricing policies of VDR providers are based on the service offering and the specific requirements of your company. What’s more, as long as you are dealing with a trustworthy provider, you will have a chance to learn and understand the prices before making any decisions.

4. Compare the options

The number of virtual data room services on sale is off the charts. It is because the number of customers is growing. The developers are trying to create something better than the previous ones. In this regard, a potential user has to allocate time to find the most suitable tool. They differ in lots of characteristics, among them are:

• the function set,
• the availability of technical support professionals,
• the level of security.

To choose the best option, each client must consider these and many other aspects. Some companies select data rooms by price, others by quality. But still, each of the directors should remember that teamwork and data protection depends on this acquisition. However, high cost does not always mean high-quality services. That is why it is necessary to pay maximum attention to all of the next factors.

Comparing the available Virtual Data Room solutions is the most time-consuming phase. At this point, consider using the following criteria to outline the most suitable VDR providers:

Security

Ensuring the safety of your data is crucial when it comes to sharing documentation via VDRs. When comparing, keep an eye out for things like two-factor authentication, timed access expiration, multiple permission levels, and IP-address-based access limitations. Take note of the provider’s compliance certificates to guarantee the perfect match with top security standards. Look for Virtual Data Room solutions that exhibit certifications such as SOC 1 & SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, and PCI DSS.

Deployment

Each VDR offers a certain level of adaptability when it comes to operating systems and devices. The ideal solution will be equally functional across all majorly utilized platforms – be it iOS or Android, Windows, Linux or macOS. You won’t need to install numerous plugins or write a single line of code. Also, look at the suggested data hosting locations. The majority of Virtual Data Room solutions use public clouds and multiple international data centers, but the select ones might be able to offer physical storage and data center preferable to the user as well.

Support

You can judge the effectiveness of any given Virtual Data Room solutions provider by their customer support’s availability, contact channels, response time, and the ability to get a dedicated team to assist you through your VDR experience. The preferable configuration of the Virtual Data Room support offering will feature the ability to communicate in multiple languages, have access to someone on the team 24/7, and a choice to communicate via live chat, phone, or email. 

User management

The Virtual Data Room solutions provider you’d want to go with will give you an option to restrict the accessibility by location or by role, establish multiple accessibility levels, and monitor the activity of all users within the platform. To ensure an effective experience for all, look for the features such as bulk invitations, adjustable Excel viewing permissions, user notifications, and streamlined group setup. 

Interface

When it comes to a VDR’s interface execution, the bottom line is always a clear, intuitive configuration, equally apparent to the CFO and the entry-level accountant. A VDR with a well thought-out interface should offer extensive deployment options, a single sign-on for all projects, and a convenient scroll-through for navigation between thousands of files. Apart from a simple and comprehensive UI, you might also want to take advantage of VDR customization. This way, your corporate branding is transmitted every step of the way and the function prioritization meets your specific needs.

Here’s another list of questions to help users with the choice of virtual dataroom. They are about how easy it is to work on the platform and how accessible it is.

• What are the operating systems that VDR can co-exist?
• Is it available on mobile devices?
• How modern and accessible is the interface design?
• How many steps are required to invite new members or upload data?
• Are the virtual data rooms accessible all the time? Are there restrictions?

Pricing

The pricing policies correspond to different guidelines across the majority of Virtual Data Room solutions. Some options rely on per-page or storage-based pricing policies, where the final cost depends on the amount of data you’ll need. Other solutions rely on the per-user model where you pay for the number of seats. Alternative pricing model offers a flat monthly fee, which depends on the package you choose. Some offer a limited data storage capacity, while others allow for a bespoke enterprise experience with unlimited administrators and solid storing space. The final cost will depend on the task, the amount of data, the number of users, and the pricing policy you choose.

5. Read the reviews

Start by going through the reviews presented at the chosen VDR provider’s website. The Data Room companies that have been around for a while usually accumulate a decent amount of credible evaluations. 

But don’t stop at the internal reviews. Take the time to read third-party sites for deeper insights into VDR providers. You will want to check out the customer reviews on platforms like Trustpilot or Software Advice, as well as the employees’ view of the company on Glassdoor, for example. Taking both internal and external virtual data room reviews into consideration will give you a good idea of the VDR’s effectiveness and ethics.

6. Request a complimentary trial

Just before you make the final choice among the considered Virtual Data Room solutions, take advantage of using their services for free for at least a month. Try to steer clear from the VDR providers that don’t offer complimentary trial periods, as it might mean they don’t have a lot to offer and sustain on initial charges alone. 

Having discussed some issues with a provider, any customer will make sure they are going for the best virtual data room. Sometimes the service ends with the software launching. In this case, users are left alone with problems and unanswered questions.

• Does the offer include a free trial?

It is more important than it might seem at first glance. Without a demo, this deal is like buying a pig in a poke. Having the opportunity to try a product, a buyer sees reasons for the investment, sometimes quite expensive.

• Does the offer cover technical support?

Ignoring this issue, the organization denies itself professional assistance in force majeure situations.

• Is it possible to order additional options after installing the electronic data room?

No one can foresee new needs tomorrow. Best data room providers do not exclude such a possibility, and therefore they create a flexible program.

• How efficient is training for company personnel?

All directors want to see that each of the colleagues gets used to the new work format quickly. Otherwise, what should be of great benefit will lead to slowdowns.

During the data room free trial, you should get a feel of how well your requirements match with the chosen VDR. Additionally, you can use the charge-free time to prepare for future procedures, upload and organize all the documents, and set the appropriate access limitations. 

7. Start using the VDR

After you found the gem in the ocean of modern Virtual Data Room solutions, go ahead and start benefiting from the software that accommodates your every need and makes the process of sensitive data management enjoyable for everyone involved. 

Uses of data room software

Virtual data rooms are utilized in almost any situation where you need to give confidential access to certain information to a group of people. Most often, VDR is employed for the following tasks:

• Corporate documentation analysis
• Creating a corporate document repository
• Conducting an audit before a merger and acquisition (M&A) transaction
• Preparing documents for the company’s IPO
• Communication with investors
• Bankruptcy and restructuring procedures
• Code analysis without the risk you have when transferring it to other contractors

The very first stage of filtering through possible virtual data room solutions is outlining your main goal. Sensitive data handling applies to a lot of different use case scenarios, and the specifics of each particular one should correspond with the VDR’s functionality and features. 

Obviously, virtual data rooms are widely used in many industries and businesses. It’s the best solution when you’re in need of a reliable repository to safely store your sensitive corporate data and manage significant deals. 

Nevertheless, below are the most common data room use cases.

Mergers and Acquisitions

M&A virtual data room is mostly used during the due diligence process when potential buyers review large volumes of documentation. 

A data room for M&A allows for the secure sharing of your confidential information without any possible leaks. 

With a virtual data room software implementation, you boost the chances of closing the deal faster and more efficiently. And even if the deal fails, your corporate data stays protected and unrevealed.

Corporate repository

VDR software is the best solution for storing huge amounts of corporate information, no matter the size of your company. It provides lifecycle management of your business’ documentation and allows you to take full control of that. You can store files of almost all formats: from videos to presentations and more.

Moreover, most data room vendors offer an ability to get reports on how your documents are performing and what actions users take inside the online deal room. This lets you monitor all the processes in the company and timely improve them when there’s such a need.

Real estate management

The immovable property industry requires sharing lots of documentation with potential buyers. 

This is why real estate agents take advantage of the secure VDR technology. You can upload all the necessary files to the virtual data room for prospective customers to review before the deal. Besides, the e-signature feature most virtual data room providers offer eliminates the need to arrange numerous offline meetings and speeds up real estate transactions.

Learn more about what a virtual data room can do in a hot real estate market

Initial public offering (IPO)

By deciding to go public, you have to be ready to gather and disclose huge amounts of company-related documentation. Like with an M&A, this is an extremely time-consuming process. 

Provided that not only potential investors but also other third party experts such as underwriters will have access to your data, security measures are significant. 

Virtual data room services are the solution to both issues.

Learn more about the benefits of using a virtual data room for an IPO

Capital raising

Fundraising is also a complicated and effort-consuming process. To attract investors and get funds, you need to provide all the necessary information about your venture. 

With the best data room, it’s easy to do thanks to the smooth upload and straightforward data management. 

What’s more, the due diligence is simplified and improved, as all the prospective investors can access your files from anywhere in the world via one secure link. In addition, most virtual data room providers offer the Q&A section where users can ask any arising questions and get prompt answers.

Learn more about the benefits of using a virtual data room for fundraising

Private equity

Private equity firms need virtual data room solutions to successfully and securely store all the M&A contracts as well as other sensitive documentation. 

Oftentimes, such companies have a few potential deals in the process. That’s why reliable data room software is important to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

Bankruptcy and restructuring

When a company is undergoing bankruptcy and is in the process of restructuring the project management, every detail matters. 

The best virtual data rooms allow storing huge amounts of information in one place. What’s more, given that the whole process involves parties from different locations or departments, a high level of security and effective collaboration is desired. This is what virtual deal rooms also provide.

Life sciences

The main concern of modern life sciences companies is the complete safety of their confidential data, such as various research results and information about patients. 

That’s also the reason why they opt for VDR services. Virtual data rooms simplify the whole scientific process thanks to the numerous security features, collaboration tools, and round-the-clock access. 

Banking 

Banking, especially investment banking, is the most common use case of the VDR solutions. 

Banks and other financial institutions always have piles of sensitive information to store: from financial transactions to business contracts. Electronic data rooms offer secure cloud-based storage for all that data.

Top data room providers also enable straightforward collaboration between the parties involved, easy access any time of the day, and a dedicated support team that is ready to assist when in need.

How virtual data room rating is formed?

To tackle this behavioral pattern on this particular site, we have collected all available information from open sources to create the basis for the current electronic data room rating. In order to provide consistent evaluation, we implement a five-star scale rating based on the average score for each of the indicators:

The rating below shows the final result of this assessment. It is updated monthly. VDR Rating includes the following components:

This site presents an independent online rating of virtual data rooms. Here, we have gathered all the online data room providers who work with top companies around the world. The methodology behind the rating is an aggregate average rating. We created this rating because reviews posted on just one website can be biased as companies often reward their customers for leaving positive virtual data room reviews.