Ellty vs Datasite

Datasite is one of the longest-running names in transaction data rooms, founded in 1999 in the United States. Ellty, founded in 2020 in Australia, was designed from the start around a modern interface and built-in AI. On paper they cover the same ground: both are full-featured virtual data rooms for M&A and due diligence, and both include AI tools. The practical differences come down to certifications, identity and device options, and how you buy.

The comparison in one table

Figures are indicative; check current pricing with each vendor.

Scores by pillar

Deal features are tied. Datasite edges ahead on security and, narrowly, on support. The overall gap of 0.3 comes almost entirely from ease of use, where the two are two full points apart, and from value. See the methodology for how the weights combine.

Security and compliance

Both rooms provide the controls that matter inside a live deal: two-factor login, dynamic watermarking on every view, document rights control to restrict printing and downloading, and an audit trail that logs who opened what and when.

Datasite holds SOC 2 and ISO 27001. Ellty holds SOC 2 Infrastructure but not ISO 27001. Buyers whose internal policies or counterparties require ISO/IEC 27001 specifically will find Datasite meets that requirement out of the box. Datasite also supports single sign-on, which matters to organizations that centralize every third-party login through their own identity provider.

If neither ISO 27001 nor SSO is on your checklist, the two rooms offer comparable protection for the documents themselves.

Workflow and tools

Both platforms handle the full arc of a diligence process: bulk upload to build the index, permissions by group and document, Q&A routing between bidders and the sell side, and reporting on activity. Both include AI features.

Beyond that shared core:

• Datasite offers built-in redaction and a mobile app, which helps deal teams who review documents on the move and need to strip sensitive data before disclosure.
• Ellty offers native e-signature, so documents can be signed in the same room where they were reviewed.

Neither offers a public API according to our records.

Day-to-day use

Ease of use is where the two diverge most in our scoring: 9.8 for Ellty and 7.8 for Datasite. Datasite is a deep platform with many configuration options, which suits large, multi-workstream processes run by experienced administrators, but it asks more of occasional users and first-time bidders. Ellty’s clean interface and fast setup let a room go live quickly, and outside parties tend to navigate it without training.

Pricing and trial

Ellty publishes a starting price of $149 per month and offers a 14-day free trial, so you can test a full room with real folders and users before committing.

Datasite does not publish prices and does not offer a free trial. You will need to request a quote, which depends on the scope of the transaction. Our pricing guide covers what to ask so quotes from different providers can be compared on equal terms.

Support

The two are close: Datasite scores 9.3 and Ellty 9.2. Support carries the smallest weight in our model, 10%, so it does not change the overall picture between these two.

Who should choose which

Choose Ellty when you want a full transaction room you can budget from a published price, with AI tools and e-signature included, and an interface that bidders and investors find straightforward. It fits M&A, fundraising and due diligence where pace and a predictable budget matter.

Choose Datasite when ISO 27001 or single sign-on is a hard requirement, you need built-in redaction or a mobile app, or you are running a large, multi-party process with an experienced team that will use its depth of configuration.

Pick Ellty or Datasite: the deciding conditions

Pick Ellty if

1. 1You want to budget from a published price of $149 a month
2. 2Your team wants to run a full test room on a 14-day free trial
3. 3Final documents should be signed in the room where they were reviewed
4. 4Outside parties need to find their way around without a walkthrough

Pick Datasite if

1. 1ISO 27001 sits on a counterparty or procurement checklist
2. 2Every external application must go through single sign-on
3. 3Personal data has to be redacted inside the platform
4. 4Reviewers expect a native mobile app

Look elsewhere if you need to connect the room to internal systems through a public API. Neither lists one in our records.

dataroomsproviders.com

Four situations, four answers

A private company sale to a handful of trade buyers

Three or four strategic buyers, one sell-side adviser, a data set of a few thousand pages. Ellty is the more natural fit here. The room can be indexed and opened to buyers quickly, each buyer sits in its own permission group with its own Q&A channel, and the purchase agreement and ancillary documents can be signed without leaving the platform. The published price also lets the seller fix the data room line in the transaction budget before the first buyer is invited.

A bank-led carve-out auction with a long bidder list

Dozens of bidders, several workstreams, a bank running the process under its own vendor policies. Datasite is built for this shape of deal. Banks often require ISO 27001 and single sign-on from software suppliers, a carve-out usually involves employee records that need redaction before disclosure, and an experienced administrator will use the depth of configuration Datasite offers. Ellty handles the workflow itself, including structured Q&A and per-group permissions; the institutional checklist is what tips this one.

A growth round with a lead investor and a syndicate

A lead investor runs diligence while a syndicate of smaller funds reviews a narrower folder. Ellty suits this well: permissions separate the two audiences, the AI tools help the company answer repetitive questions consistently, and subscription documents can be signed in the room. Datasite would also do the job, but its quote-based model and lack of a free trial make it harder to evaluate on a fundraising timetable.

Buy-side diligence on a target rich in personal data

A healthcare or consumer business with large volumes of customer and patient records. Datasite’s built-in redaction lets the seller strip identifiers inside the room. With Ellty, redaction has to happen before upload, which is workable but adds a step to the disclosure process. If the data set is large and the redaction work is ongoing, that step carries weight.

Security posture: what to verify on each

Both rooms cover the controls a reviewer will ask about first: two-factor login, dynamic watermarking, document rights control and a full audit trail. The questions that separate them are about assurance documents rather than features.

• Ellty holds SOC 2 Infrastructure. Ask for the report and read its scope section, which states which systems and controls the auditor examined. The AICPA’s SOC 2 overview explains what the trust services criteria cover.
• Datasite holds SOC 2 and ISO 27001. Ask for the current certificate and its scope, and check that the services you will use fall within it.

If your counterparty sends a security questionnaire, share it with both vendors during evaluation rather than after signing.

Onboarding and support during the process

Ellty’s fast setup means the sell side can usually build the index, set groups and send invitations in a single working session, and bidders rarely need help to start reviewing. Datasite rewards a trained administrator: plan for a short onboarding with its team before the room opens, especially if several people on your side will manage permissions.

Support scores are almost level, 9.2 for Ellty and 9.3 for Datasite. Before signing with either, confirm the hours support is staffed in your time zone and the time zones of the main bidders, and who you call when a permission error blocks a buyer late in the evening.

Moving a deal between the two

Switching rooms mid-process is rarely worth it: bidders have bookmarks, the Q&A history lives in one place and the audit trail would split in two. The realistic moments to switch are before a process starts or between deals.

If you are moving from one to the other, keep the same folder numbering so bidders and advisers can map references, rebuild permission groups from a written access matrix rather than from memory, and ask the outgoing provider for a complete archive of documents, Q&A and activity logs before the old room closes. Both offer bulk upload, so rebuilding the document set itself is the quick part; permissions and Q&A take the time.

Read the full profiles of Ellty and Datasite, or see how both rank for investment banking and due diligence. For a third option in the same class, compare iDeals with Datasite.