Virtual Data Room Pricing Guide

How much does a virtual data room cost in 2024? What’s the average starting price of virtual data room software? What are the factors that influence virtual data room pricing? And what are the common virtual data room pricing structures? These and other questions are answered below.

How much does a virtual data room cost?

Modern virtual data room providers offer different feature sets at different prices.

Virtual data room tariffs are determined by each particular data room provider. Thus, the range can be great.

Virtual data room costs also depend on the provider’s expertise, VDR pricing structure, and clients’ needs. For example, data room software pricing for startups is much cheaper than data room prices for big corporations. This is because small companies will more likely need less cloud storage capacity for their sensitive documents and far fewer authorized users as well.

On average, virtual data room prices range from $15 to $1000+ per month.

What are the starting prices of virtual data rooms?

Considering the pricing rates that the majority of modern virtual data rooms offer, starting prices can be as low as $15 per month.

Naturally, it depends on a particular vendor and the client’s needs. For example, if you need virtual data room software to conduct several complex transactions, do not expect pricing plans with such low rates. On the other hand, if you need a virtual data room solution for simple file-sharing services, such VDR pricing is realistic.

Do providers offer discounts for virtual data room services?

As a rule, most virtual data room providers offer discounts to clients who purchase subscriptions longer than three months or choose to be billed annually. 

Sometimes, non-profit organizations receive special discounts.

Additionally, some VDRs provide discounts for new users or loyal customers.

Are there free VDRs?

Inexperienced users often consider such data storage apps as Google Drive free virtual data rooms. But it’s not correct. 

Virtual data rooms, unlike common online file sharing and document storage services, offer advanced security features that ensure the first-rate safety of confidential information. 

Virtual data room providers are never free, but the majority of modern vendors offer free trials for clients to test the software’s functionality and the provider’s services.

Compare virtual data room pricing in 2024

The most popular VDR pricing structures

Virtual data room pricing rates usually are based on the following approaches.

Per-page

A per-page pricing structure presupposes that clients pay for every page they upload to the virtual data room. Usually, per-page payment is offered by more traditional and older virtual data rooms. Such a system won’t fit the needs of larger corporations or enterprises, as they would be overpaying for corporate document sharing. 

Considering the fact that vendors typically charge from $0.40 to $0.85 per page, the final cost could be as high as $40,000 per month for large companies.

Per-user

The pricing of VDR vendors with a per-user approach significantly depends on how many users you want to add to your cloud storage.

The more user licenses, the higher the cost. Additionally, the number of administrative users will also influence the final price, as each additional user costs extra.

Storage capacity

Most VDR providers offer several subscription plans with different volumes of storage space. The more sensitive documents you need for due diligence, the more storage you’ll need. Logically, the more storage space you need, the higher the subscription fees.

Fixed monthly rate

The majority of modern vendors opt for a flat-fee pricing model. With this approach, there’s a fixed price for every subscription plan. Each plan comes with a certain feature set, the volume of cloud storage, number of users and administrators that you can invite to the deal room. Of course, all plans include advanced security measures.

Factors that influence VDR pricing

Virtual data room pricing usually depends on the following factors.

Document security features

If a data room provider offers a larger variety of tools that ensure the security of your confidential documents, the virtual data room pricing will probably be higher than average. 

Expect at least these secure data room features when choosing a higher-priced, more credible provider:

• Dynamic watermarking
• Redaction
• File-tracking capabilities
• Remote shred
• Fence view

Document management features

The easier it is to manage large volumes of sensitive data, the more virtual data rooms will charge. 

Reliable VDR providers usually offer at least these data management features:

• Drag-and-drop and bulk upload
• Automatic index numbering
• Full-text search
• File labeling
• Zip upload

Access control tools

If you want to take full control of user actions inside a deal room, be ready to pay extra.

Relatively costly data rooms usually offer features such as:

• Access expiration control
• Granular user permissions
• Time and IP restrictions
• User security impersonation

Overall security measures

Enhanced security is what primarily differentiates VDRs from such usual file-sharing services as Google Drive. 

Naturally, the more security measures a VDR provider ensures, the more it charges for its subscription plans. 

Below are the most common security features you should expect from a top VDR vendor:

• Two-factor authentication
• Multiple data centers
• SOC 1, 2, 3 compliance
• ISO 27001 certification

Analytics

Analytics features enable an administrative user to control user performance inside a virtual data room. This way, companies can track the deal’s progress and accelerate decision-making. 

The more analytic possibilities VDR software provides, the higher the cost. The following features are minimum requirements:

• Full audit trails
• User-activity tracking
• Reporting

User management features

VDR providers that ensure smooth and straightforward user management usually charge higher rates. 

The bare minimum user management features include:

• Permission-based user roles
• Bulk user invitation
• Group setup

Usability

A virtual data room should be easy to use for everyone — from private equity and law firms to investment banking specialists and company executives. Naturally, when a particular vendor is easier to use, its services will likely cost more.

The following features are a must for a first-rate experience:

• Third-party integrations such as Microsoft Office, Zoom, or Slack
• Single sign-on
• Availability of VDR versions for mobile devices

How to choose the right tariff plan for your needs?

When choosing a virtual data room pricing plan, you should consider your project’s needs and the size of your business.

Small- and medium-sized businesses won’t usually need an enterprise plan with unlimited storage, users, and administrator options. Smaller companies typically opt for a standard subscription with a limited number of users and administrators, as well as optional storage capacity (it can be fixed or unlimited).

On the other hand, large corporations generally select an enterprise plan. This is because big companies usually require a VDR solution for long-term projects or for managing several simultaneous transactions.

So, when choosing the right pricing plan to fit your budget, follow these simple steps:

1. Consider your business’s size.
2. Determine your company’s needs.
3. Determine how many documents you’ll need to upload and how many users will need access.
4. Outline the features you might need to conduct your business deals with the help of VDR.

Virtual data room costs vs. physical data room costs

With the evolution of data rooms, VDR providers have become more cost-effective for secure document storing and sharing than physical data rooms.

While a VDR solution offers one secure link that leads to a single digital document storage space, a physical data room requires:

• Physical buildings to store the documentation
• Employees to take care of the document storage facility
• The implementation of extra security measures such as key cards or face scans to ensure data safety

Obviously, operating a physical data room is more expensive. Thus, the price they charge for their services will take that into account. That’s why users prefer VDR solutions with flexible pricing plans instead.

Takeaways

Virtual data room pricing varies greatly from $15 to $1000+ per month.

Monthly rates depend on the set of features offered by the VDR provider, the storage volume you need, and the number of users you want to add to the virtual data room. 

There are also different VDR pricing structures: per page, per user, by storage capacity, and fixed monthly fee. 

To choose the right virtual data room with the most fitting pricing model, potential VDR users should consider their business size and the duration of the project. 

FAQ

When is a fixed subscription fee the best decision?

A pricing model with a fixed monthly fee is the best for long-term usage. This way, large corporations or enterprises who plan to conduct a due diligence process can see the predictable cost of the VDR services at the very beginning of the deal and avoid overspending.

When is it more profitable to pay for the number of users and storage space?

If your company seeks a virtual data room solution for a short-term project, the per-user and by-storage-space pricing models are usually the most cost-efficient. This is because you can control spending when you know how much space you’ll need for document sharing and how many users will need access.