2025 Virtual Data Room Pricing: Cost of Securing Your Data

In today’s competitive landscape, picking the best tools for digital transformation is a necessity. In this regard, virtual data rooms (VDRs) have become indispensable for secure document sharing, the due diligence process, and collaboration, especially in high-stakes transactions such as mergers and acquisitions (M&A), initial public offerings (IPOs), and corporate restructurings.

However, with global IT spending expected to soar to $5.61 trillion in 2025, a 9.8% increase from 2024, businesses face mounting pressure to allocate their budgets strategically.

The abundance of data room providers, each offering different features and pricing models, makes choosing the right solution a complex challenge. The risks are significant: overspending on unnecessary features can strain budgets, while a poor choice could jeopardize data protection and productivity.

This article aims to simplify your decision-making process by offering a detailed virtual data room pricing comparison, examining the costs and pricing models of leading providers to help you make informed decisions.

How much does a virtual data room cost? Comparing pricing VDR pricing models

Virtual data room (VDR) vendors employ a range of pricing structures, leading to significant variability in how they bill for their solutions. These providers use diverse billing methods, including per-user, per-page, per-feature, and storage-based pricing, as well as mixed plans that combine multiple approaches.

Many providers also offer fixed subscriptions, providing businesses with predictable costs. Below is a detailed breakdown of various VDR pricing structures based on data from 100+ data room providers analyzed by the Datarooms.org team.

Fixed plans (flat monthly fee)

• Average rate: $240 per month

• Best for: Businesses of any size, managing multiple deals simultaneously

Fixed subscriptions offer flat-rate pricing with a predefined set of services and features. VDR vendors can mix and match various features, like 10 GB of storage + one project + unlimited users, to meet the needs of an average business.

Many VDR providers also offer negotiable custom plans for larger companies. Most likely, the deal room vendor will also throw in some extra perks in the form of personalized support, a more sophisticated system of roles for access control, and so on.

Per-user

• Average rate: $32 per user

• Best for: Small companies (under 100 employees) and startups using large data volumes

The per-user pricing model involves a recurring monthly fee based on the number of user licenses. Some data room vendors provide monthly subscriptions based on specific user counts, between $500 and $1,000 monthly.

If your business transactions involve an intensive exchange of data, and you know how many users are expected, this pricing model may suit your company best. Check this selection guide on a virtual data room for startups.

Per-page 

• Average rate: $0.60 per page or $6,000 per 10,000 pages (~ 1 GB).

• Best for: Companies with a small document flow in short deals, usually under 1 GB per month. Otherwise, you will significantly overpay compared to other pricing structures.

The per-page pricing model involves a monthly subscription based on the number of document pages processed via the data room. Additionally, VDR companies may count pages differently depending on document types, especially non-PDF files. As a result, this pricing model typically appears highly expensive and unpredictable in the long run.

Document storage capacity

• Average rate: $1,000 per gigabyte (GB)

• Best for: Companies with minimal storage volume requirements

The data room storage capacity pricing model involves a recurring subscription based on the GBs used in the data room. This pricing model may be your best option if your online deals don’t generate high volumes of data like audio or video recordings and other large files. Otherwise, you’ll have to constantly upgrade your data storage (often within multiple data rooms), which might incur substantial overage costs.

Per feature

• Average rate: $140 per month

• Best for: Companies handling short-term deals with predetermined requirements.

The per-feature pricing model involves a recurring subscription based on selected products and services tailored to specific needs. As businesses grow in size and require more advanced features, costs can increase significantly over time.

Mixed plans

• Average rate: $350 per month.

• Best for: Small and mid-sized companies with on-demand deals and varying requirements.

Mixed plans are recurring subscriptions that combine elements of fixed plans and other pricing structures. Some VDR providers may offer low-tier per-user and per-feature plans and top-tier fixed subscriptions.

Factors that impact the VDR cost in 2025

Comparing the following virtual data room options can help you understand the cost and its value for money. This way, you can gain confidence in a good investment that benefits your team’s productivity and performance.

Security

Protecting sensitive data is the core purpose of a virtual data room solution. As such, it is the most crucial criterion for potential users to consider when comparing data rooms. Here is what to look for in the list of features for secure document storage:

• 256-bit data encryption
• Two-factor authentication (2FA) with an authenticator app and SMS
• Granular access permissions
• Digital rights management (DRM)
• User-centric watermarking
• Geographically dispersed data centers
• ISO 27001, GDPR, and industry-specific security certifications, such as HIPAA and FedRAMP

Document management features

In addition to secure data storage and exchange, data rooms should provide intuitive tools for managing large volumes of information, including uploading, downloading, structuring, moving, deleting, and editing. Here are the key options to look for:

• Automatic indexing
• Bulk actions (uploading, deleting, moving)
• Drag-n-drop functionality
• Full-text search with optical character recognition (OCR)
• Multi-format online viewer
• Automated document redaction with version control

Collaboration and reporting

Data rooms should offer powerful tools for collaboration and reporting on sensitive documents, enabling teams to work efficiently and share insights. Here are the key features to look for:

• Secure Q&A functionality with customizable workflows
• Secure sharing links
• Activity tracking and audit logs
• Comments and annotations on documents
• Automated reporting and activity summaries

Cloud storage

It’s essential to have enough cloud storage for intense information exchange during the deal and post-merger integration. Regarding storage, aim for your business needs, but it’s important to have at least 10 GB (100-500 GB is better) for long-term cooperation.

The number of users

Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) involve a diverse array of participants, including senior managers, board members, CFOs, CEOs, lawyers, investment bankers, and other advisors. For example, in the first half of 2024, leading financial advisors in the U.S. were involved in numerous M&A deals:

• Goldman Sachs: 113 deals
• JPMorgan Chase: 100 deals
• Houlihan Lokey: 95 deals

Given the substantial number of participants and the complexity of M&A transactions, it’s advisable to consider data room plans that offer unlimited user and administrator licenses. This approach ensures that all stakeholders can collaborate effectively without the constraints of user-based pricing.

Branding options

Branding plays a crucial role throughout the M&A process, significantly impacting the likelihood of a successful outcome. In fact, thorough branding can improve the chances of a successful M&A deal by up to 42%. In this context, virtual data rooms (VDRs) with flexible branding options should be considered. Here is a list of branding features to look for in data rooms:

• Custom NDAs and other agreements
• Corporate logos and color themes
• Customizable invitation emails
• Customizable headers and footers

Advanced features 

This feature set is not native to all VDR providers but has a highly positive impact on workflows and collaboration through:

• Task management. The team can become more organized by assigning tasks and tracking progress with the manager. This ensures that each team member is aware of their assignments, deadlines, and responsibilities, fostering clarity and accountability throughout the project.
• Built-in Excel viewer. With the Excel viewer, you can access and view spreadsheets directly on the virtual data room platform, without the need for any plugins.
• Deep analytics. Detailed information on the session duration, how many times your confidential documents have been downloaded, viewed, or printed, and the number of users who opened a particular file is a source of valuable insights for a variety of applications, including investment banking, sell-side due diligence, and M&A consultancy.

Comparing virtual data room pricing: Top providers’ offers

Ideals

• Pricing model: Flat-rate pricing
• Free trial: 30 days
• Storage: Starting at 2 GB
• Users: Unlimited under all plans
• Custom branding: All plans
• Security: Granular permissions, 256-bit encryption, 2FA, SSO, dynamic watermarks, DRM security, session timeouts, IP restrictions, Fence View, view-as mode, custom NDA, and more
• Live training: Unlimited with Premier and Enterprise

Summary: Ideals offers advanced security and collaboration features under all plans, making it an effective solution for businesses of all sizes.

Intralinks

• Pricing model: Per-page pricing
• Free trial: N/A
• Storage: Starting at 1 GB
• Users: Unlimited
• Custom branding: Yes
• Security: Granular permissions, 256-bit encryption, 2FA, SSO, watermarks, DRM security, session timeouts, custom NDA, and more
• Live training: Yes

Summary: Intralinks offers premium data room services but its per-page pricing model with non-standardized page-to-GB conversions leads to unpredictable and overly expensive bills.

Citrix Sharefile

• Pricing model: Per-user pricing
• Price range: $17.60 to $75 per user, per month.
• Free trial: 30 days
• Storage: Starting at 1 GB
• Users: Unlimited client users
• Custom branding: Yes
• Security: Granular permissions, 256-bit encryption, 2FA, SSO, dynamic watermarks, DRM security, session timeouts, custom agreements, and more
• Live training: N/A

Summary: ShareFile offers robust functionality but has gained a reputation for being a frequent target of cybercriminals, with a history of critical vulnerabilities.

Box

• Pricing model: Per-user pricing
• Price range: $18 to $45 per user, per month.
• Free trial: 14 days
• Storage: Unlimited
• Users: Minimum of three users
• Custom branding: All plans
• Security: Granular permissions, 256-bit encryption, 2FA, SSO, dynamic watermarks, session timeouts, custom agreements, and more
• Live training: Yes

Summary: Box is more focused on basic file sharing and collaboration rather than being a dedicated virtual data room solution tailored to high-security transactions.

Dealroom

• Pricing model: Flat-rate pricing
• Price range: Starting at $1,000 per month
• Free trial: N/A
• Storage: Starting at 2 GB
• Users: Unlimited under all plans
• Custom branding: Available
• Security: Granular permissions, 256-bit encryption, 2FA, SSO, dynamic watermarks, session timeouts, custom agreements, and more
• Live training: Available under the top-tier plan

Summary: Dealroom offers specialized capabilities for M&A lifecycle and pipeline management under corresponding plans, being a specialized M&A solution rather than a full-fledged data room.

Hidden costs and overages

Overage fees (extra costs incurred when usage limits are exceeded) are a significant issue in data room pricing, particularly with opaque models like per-page billing. In traditional usage-based systems, overages are prorated (e.g., an additional cost per GB for extra storage), ensuring businesses only pay for what they actually use. However, per-page pricing distorts this fairness.

With per-page pricing, costs depend on “pages,” a metric that fluctuates widely based on file formats. For example, a single GB of high-resolution video may translate into 50,000 pages, while the same storage for PDFs might only amount to 15,000 pages.

Worse, exceeding page limits often triggers fixed fees (e.g., an extra charge for every 10,000 pages), regardless of whether you exceed the limit by just one page or several thousand. This lack of proportionality, combined with upload-based billing (which charges even for deleted files) and steep hibernation/extension fees (often 30% or more), creates financial unpredictability.

For example, uploading two uncompressed videos could result in a $35,000 bill overnight, while a usage-based model would charge a straightforward fee (e.g., $1,000 per GB). For businesses focused on cost control, per-page pricing’s hidden overage risks make it essential to seek more transparent, volume-based alternatives or flat-rate pricing plans.

How do you select the most beneficial data room pricing approach?

You can follow this guideline with self-assessment questions to choose the most cost-effective data room pricing approach.

Outline your needs

You should begin by outlining your requirements, including the type of deal, data room usage duration, number of users, and required data room features. This will help you determine the ideal data room for your needs. Consider the following questions:

1. What will I use the data room for?
   Example: M&A, document storage, daily collaboration.
2. How many users will I need for this?
   Example: 20, 30, 50 users, or an entire company.
3. What types of documents will I store in the data room?
   Example: Videos, PDFs, images, and text files.
4. How much storage do I need for these documents?
   Example: 1 GB is approximately 30 minutes of video, 600 images, and 10,000 text pages.
5. What VDR features do I need for this?
   Example: AI-powered redaction, 256-bit encryption, granular permissions, DRM security.

Define your data room budget

It will be easier to choose the best data room pricing model for your needs if you estimate the budget for your project. Check the following questions:

• How much can I spend on the data room, considering my needs and project duration?

Example: $2,500 for three months, $15,000 a year.

• How much should I budget to accommodate potential growth in data room usage and features?

Example: $5,000 of extra costs a year.

• How does my traditional project budget compare to a data room budget?

Example: $50,000 vs $20,000.

Compare virtual data room providers

Once you establish your data room requirements and budgets, you can see whether data room providers’ pricing policies match them. Check the following self-assessment questions:

1. What pricing model does a VDR provider offer?
2. Does this VDR provider meet my project requirements?
3. Does this VDR provider meet my security requirements?
4. Does this provider offer unlimited users, admins, and storage?
5. How costly are data room scalability options in this VDR provider?
6. Does this provider offer a free trial?
7. Does this provider offer custom plans based on client needs and requirements?
8. Are there real-life reviews of this data room provider?

Negotiate with data room providers

It’s possible to negotiate specific payment terms and features under VDR pricing plans. For instance, some data room providers don’t charge anything until a project goes live. You can communicate your needs and agree on lower rates than officially stated.

Search for promotions and discounts

You can check for discounts and promotions. Many data room providers offer up to 45 % annual discounts, welcome discounts, and special offers for bundled services. You can also follow data room providers’ websites through referral programs offering price drops for affiliated clients.

Is it worth investing in a virtual data room?

Investing in a virtual data room solution benefits all business processes since VDR providers give you:

• Secure online space. Modern VDR providers deliver 24/7 protection, regular system updates, and well-coordinated work of anti-virus programs to prevent cybersecurity issues. Compliance with international standards guarantees a comprehensive approach of the VDR vendor to security aspects. 
• Convenient file sharing and document management. Virtual data rooms include state-of-the-art tools that streamline the due diligence process, M&A, fundraising, IPOs, and other corporate transactions. M&A workflows, messaging tools, drag-and-drop upload, redaction, and engagement reports help partners, investment bankers, and potential buyers accelerate deals.
• Complete control over data and users. Virtual data rooms offer cutting-edge features for granular permissions and file tracking. Admins can configure the functions of viewing, editing, printing, sharing files, etc.
• Expert support. The best virtual data room providers have a team of professionals on staff to provide 24/7 technical support and onboarding assistance.

Key takeaways

• The main factors defining data room pricing are security, data room features, storage capacity, user count, and branding options. 
• It’s crucial to find your best pricing approach as it allows you to save the IT costs of your deal and improve workflows with the most beneficial data room. 
• While choosing between data room pricing structures, define your needs and budgets, use virtual data room cost comparison, and negotiate discounts. Don’t underestimate the value of real-world virtual data room reviews, take your time, and remember: a free trial data room is worth a thousand words.

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Data rooms

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