Datasite vs Intralinks

Intralinks, founded in 1996, and Datasite, founded in 1999, are both US-headquartered and both built their reputation on large, complex transactions. They are often the two names a bank or a large corporate development team puts side by side first. In our records they match on certifications, identity controls and redaction, and both work on quotes. The separation comes from tooling and day-to-day usability.

Head-to-head facts

Prices are indicative; confirm with the provider.

How they score

Security and support are tied. Datasite leads by small margins on deal features and ease of use, and by half a point on value. Together those put it 0.1 ahead overall. Our methodology explains the weights.

Security

On security, our records show no difference that would decide the choice. Both hold SOC 2 and ISO/IEC 27001, both support single sign-on and two-factor login, and both apply dynamic watermarking, document rights control and a full audit trail. Both include built-in redaction.

For regulated buyers, such as banks and listed companies working under disclosure rules, that shared baseline means the security review is unlikely to eliminate either one. The decision moves to workflow and cost.

Deal tooling

Both run the standard diligence workflow well: bulk upload, permissions by group and document, structured Q&A and activity reporting. The differences in our records are:

• AI features. Datasite includes AI tools; Intralinks does not, according to our records.
• Mobile app. Datasite offers a native mobile app; Intralinks is accessed through the browser.

Neither has a public API or native e-signature in our records. Datasite’s narrow lead on the deal features pillar, 9.5 against 9.4, reflects the extra tooling rather than any gap in the core workflow.

Usability

Neither is among the easiest rooms in our line-up: Datasite scores 7.8 for ease of use and Intralinks 7.5. Both are configured for large processes, and both expect administrators who use them regularly. Outside parties who log in only once or twice may need a short orientation on either platform. If quick onboarding of many occasional users is a priority, it is worth testing alternatives with higher ease-of-use scores alongside these two; the main provider ranking shows pillar scores for every room.

Pricing

Neither provider publishes prices, and neither offers a free trial. Both quote by project, so the only way to compare cost is to request a quote from each with the same scope: expected document volume, number of users and the length of the process. Datasite’s higher value score (8.3 against 7.8) reflects our assessment of what the entry configuration includes relative to typical quotes, not a published price difference.

Support

Both score 9.3, comfortably above the middle of our line-up. With identical scores and the smallest weight in the model, support is not a point of difference between these two.

Making the call

Datasite fits better if you want AI tools in the room, your team reviews documents on mobile devices, or you are weighing value closely between two otherwise similar enterprise platforms.

Intralinks fits better if your organization already has a working relationship with it, your process does not depend on AI or mobile tools, and its quote comes in lower for your scope. On security and support it is level with Datasite.

Pick Datasite or Intralinks: the deciding conditions

Pick Datasite if

1. 1AI tools should help your team sort and review large document sets
2. 2Reviewers need a native mobile app
3. 3Value carries real weight in your decision, where Datasite scores 8.3 against 7.8
4. 4Ease of use for occasional users matters, even by a small margin

Pick Intralinks if

1. 1Your organization already has a working relationship and approved contract with Intralinks
2. 2The process does not depend on AI or mobile tools
3. 3Its quote comes in lower for the same scope and term
4. 4Your administrators already know its interface well

Look elsewhere if you want a free trial, published pricing or an API. Neither offers them in our records.

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Situations where the difference shows

A listed company preparing a major disposal

A public company selling a division works under disclosure rules and a strict internal security policy. Both rooms clear that bar: identical certifications, single sign-on and redaction. The practical deciding factors are which vendor the legal and procurement teams have already approved, and how the two quotes compare once both are priced on the same scope.

A large auction where buyers review on the move

When bidder teams include senior executives reading documents between meetings, Datasite’s native mobile app is a direct advantage. Intralinks is reached through the browser, which works on phones and tablets but without an app built for them.

A diligence exercise with tens of thousands of files

A large data set where the buy side needs to find the material issues fast. Datasite’s AI tools are the relevant difference: they give reviewers help with organizing and searching that Intralinks does not offer in our records. The core workflow on both sides, bulk upload, permissions, structured Q&A and reporting, is otherwise comparable.

A repeat client with an existing framework agreement

Many banks and corporates hold an enterprise agreement with one of these two vendors. If that agreement already covers your process, the time saved on procurement and the familiarity of your administrators can outweigh the small scoring gap.

Security posture: what to confirm

Because the two are level on our security pillar, a security review will not separate them. That makes the details in the paperwork worth reading. Ask both vendors for the current SOC 2 report and ISO 27001 certificate, the hosting locations available for your process, and how they handle a request to delete all documents after the deal closes. For processes that involve price-sensitive information, also confirm how the audit trail can be exported if regulators or auditors ask who saw what and when.

Onboarding and support

Both score 9.3 for support, so the question is less about quality and more about fit. Neither is among the easiest rooms in our line-up, so plan onboarding for your own administrators and a short orientation for bidders who will log in only a few times. Ask each vendor what that orientation looks like, whether a project manager is assigned for the life of the deal, and how support is covered outside your home time zone.

Switching between them

Moving from one to the other usually happens at a contract renewal. Treat it as a project: agree a cut-off date, archive the outgoing rooms completely, including Q&A and activity logs, and rebuild the index and permission groups in the new platform using bulk upload. Neither offers an API in our records, so plan for file-based exports rather than a direct transfer between systems. Running a small pilot deal in the new room before moving larger mandates reduces the risk of surprises.

Getting two quotes you can compare

With no published prices on either side, the estimator above can only show “quote on request” for both. The work is in the request itself. Send both vendors the same written brief: estimated page or file volume, the number of bidder groups and internal administrators, the expected launch date and close date, and whether you need the room archived afterwards. Ask for the price of a one-month and a three-month extension, and whether redaction, AI tools or additional storage are charged separately. Two quotes built from one brief are comparable; two quotes built from two sales conversations rarely are.

Full profiles: Datasite and Intralinks. For capital markets processes, see the IPO and capital markets shortlist, and for a comparison with a trial-friendly alternative in the same tier, see iDeals vs Datasite.