Updated October 2026
Best virtual data rooms in Canada
We rate 18 virtual data rooms on five criteria that matter to Canadian deal teams: privacy and security, deal workflow, access control and audit, usability and support, and cost in Canadian dollars. At the top: Ellty with 9.2 out of 10, then iDeals (8.7) and Datasite (8.6).
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ElltyFits m&a, startup fundraising, private equity. Head office: Australia, since 2020.
~C$211/mo14-day free trial8 of 12 features9.2/10Excellent - 2
iDealsFits m&a, cross-border deals, law firms. Head office: United Kingdom, since 2008.
QuoteFree trial offered9 of 12 features8.7/10Excellent - 3
DatasiteFits m&a, sell-side due diligence, tsx ipo. Head office: United States, since 1999.
QuoteDemo only, no trial10 of 12 features8.6/10Excellent - 4
AnsaradaFits sell-side due diligence, board of directors, m&a. Head office: Australia, since 2005.
QuoteFree trial offered8 of 12 features8.5/10Very good - 5
FirmexFits law firms, ccaa restructuring, m&a. Head office: Canada, since 2006.
QuoteFree trial offered7 of 12 features8.4/10Very good - 6
DroomsFits commercial real estate, real estate, cross-border deals. Head office: Germany, since 2001.
QuoteDemo only, no trial8 of 12 features8.3/10Very good - 7
IntralinksFits m&a, financial audits, raising from lps. Head office: United States, since 1996.
QuoteDemo only, no trial8 of 12 features8.3/10Very good - 8
SmartRoomFits m&a, ip licensing, litigation. Head office: United States, since 2004.
QuoteDemo only, no trial7 of 12 features8.0/10Very good - 9
BoxFits board of directors, financial audits, tenders and rfps. Head office: United States, since 2005.
~C$21/user/moFree trial offered9 of 12 features8.0/10Very good - 10
DealRoomFits m&a, private equity, technology and saas. Head office: United States, since 2012.
QuoteFree trial offered6 of 12 features7.9/10Very good - 11
CapLinkedFits selling a business, real estate, startup fundraising. Head office: United States, since 2010.
~C$423/moFree trial offered7 of 12 features7.9/10Very good - 12
SecureDocsFits selling a business, startup fundraising, board of directors. Head office: United States, since 2012.
~C$354/moFree trial offered8 of 12 features7.8/10Very good - 13
Citrix ShareFileFits financial audits, law firms, selling a business. Head office: United States, since 2005.
~C$78/moFree trial offered9 of 12 features7.8/10Very good - 14
ShareVaultFits life sciences, ip licensing, venture capital. Head office: United States, since 2003.
QuoteFree trial offered6 of 12 features7.6/10Good - 15
Venue by DFINFits tsx ipo, m&a, financial audits. Head office: United States, since 2016.
QuoteDemo only, no trial6 of 12 features7.2/10Good - 16
OnehubFits financial audits, real estate, tenders and rfps. Head office: United States, since 2007.
~C$21/moFree trial offered6 of 12 features7.0/10Good - 17
DigifyFits startup fundraising, ip licensing, tenders and rfps. Head office: Singapore, since 2011.
~C$170/moFree trial offered4 of 12 features6.7/10Specialist - 18
DocSendFits startup fundraising, venture capital, tenders and rfps. Head office: United States, since 2013.
~C$64/user/moFree trial offered3 of 12 features6.2/10Specialist
Key facts at a glance
| # | Data room | Score | Entry price | Trial | Certifications | Canadian hosting | HQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ellty | 9.2 | ~C$211/mo | 14-day free trial | SOC 2 (hosting) | Ask the vendor | Australia |
| 2 | iDeals | 8.7 | Quote | Free trial offered | SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR | Ask the vendor | United Kingdom |
| 3 | Datasite | 8.6 | Quote | Demo only, no trial | SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR | Ask the vendor | United States |
| 4 | Ansarada | 8.5 | Quote | Free trial offered | SOC 2, ISO 27001 | Ask the vendor | Australia |
| 5 | Firmex | 8.4 | Quote | Free trial offered | SOC 2, ISO 27001 | Canadian region listed | Canada |
| 6 | Drooms | 8.3 | Quote | Demo only, no trial | SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR | Ask the vendor | Germany |
| 7 | Intralinks | 8.3 | Quote | Demo only, no trial | SOC 2, ISO 27001 | Ask the vendor | United States |
| 8 | SmartRoom | 8.0 | Quote | Demo only, no trial | SOC 2, ISO 27001 | Ask the vendor | United States |
| 9 | Box | 8.0 | ~C$21/user/mo | Free trial offered | SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR | Canadian region listed | United States |
| 10 | DealRoom | 7.9 | Quote | Free trial offered | SOC 2, ISO 27001 | Ask the vendor | United States |
| 11 | CapLinked | 7.9 | ~C$423/mo | Free trial offered | SOC 2 | Ask the vendor | United States |
| 12 | SecureDocs | 7.8 | ~C$354/mo | Free trial offered | SOC 2 | Ask the vendor | United States |
| 13 | Citrix ShareFile | 7.8 | ~C$78/mo | Free trial offered | SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA | Ask the vendor | United States |
| 14 | ShareVault | 7.6 | Quote | Free trial offered | SOC 2, ISO 27001 | Ask the vendor | United States |
| 15 | Venue by DFIN | 7.2 | Quote | Demo only, no trial | SOC 2, ISO 27001 | Ask the vendor | United States |
| 16 | Onehub | 7.0 | ~C$21/mo | Free trial offered | SOC 2 | Ask the vendor | United States |
| 17 | Digify | 6.7 | ~C$170/mo | Free trial offered | SOC 2 | Ask the vendor | Singapore |
| 18 | DocSend | 6.2 | ~C$64/user/mo | Free trial offered | SOC 2, GDPR | Ask the vendor | United States |
Top three by use case
Each use case re-weights the criteria for that kind of deal. See all 76 use cases.
| Use case | First | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| M&A | Ellty 9.4 | iDeals 9.0 | Datasite 8.9 |
| Startup fundraising | Ellty 9.5 | iDeals 8.6 | Datasite 8.4 |
| TSXV and CSE listings | Ellty 9.4 | iDeals 8.7 | Datasite 8.5 |
| CCAA restructuring | Ellty 9.3 | Datasite 9.0 | iDeals 8.8 |
| Mining deals | Ellty 9.4 | iDeals 9.0 | Datasite 8.8 |
| Commercial real estate | Ellty 9.3 | iDeals 8.8 | Datasite 8.7 |
| Life sciences | Ellty 9.2 | iDeals 8.9 | Datasite 8.8 |
| Selling a business | Ellty 9.6 | iDeals 8.6 | Ansarada 8.6 |
| Law firms | Ellty 9.2 | iDeals 8.9 | Datasite 8.7 |
| Oil and gas | Ellty 9.4 | Datasite 8.9 | iDeals 8.9 |
Feature comparison
| Data room | Q&A module | Activity log | Dynamic watermarks | In-room redaction | E-signature | Mobile app | Public API | Single sign-on | 2-step login | Bulk upload | View and download rights | AI help |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellty | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| iDeals | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · |
| Datasite | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ansarada | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Firmex | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · |
| Drooms | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Intralinks | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · |
| SmartRoom | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · |
| Box | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | ✓ |
| DealRoom | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · |
| CapLinked | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | ✓ | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · |
| SecureDocs | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · |
| Citrix ShareFile | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · |
| ShareVault | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | ✓ | · | ✓ | ✓ | · |
| Venue by DFIN | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | · |
| Onehub | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | · |
| Digify | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | ✓ | ✓ | · |
| DocSend | · | ✓ | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
How we rate
Each criterion is scored from 0 to 10 using vendor documentation, published prices, security attestations and the feature list, then weighted. Full details are on the rating method page.
How the overall score is built
- Privacy and security25%
- Deal workflow22%
- Access control and audit20%
- Usability and support17%
- Cost in Canadian dollars16%
How to use this ranking
Start with the use case closest to your deal; the order changes when privacy or price matters more than Q&A. Then check the facts that a score cannot settle: where the data is hosted, whether the vendor will sign your data processing agreement, which support hours it covers and whether part of your team needs French.
Prices are the vendors' published entry prices in US dollars converted to Canadian dollars. Quote-only vendors are shown as "Quote"; our pricing page gives market ranges for them, from C$700 a month for a small sale.
- Privacy and security. Would the room clear a PIPEDA or Law 25 privacy review, and the vendor questionnaire a Canadian bank, pension plan or acquirer sends?
- Deal workflow. Could a Canadian deal run end to end in this one tool, index through final answers?
- Access control and audit. Do you control which guest reads each document, with a record you can produce later?
- Usability and support. Will a team in Toronto, Calgary or Montreal have a working room by end of day, with help reachable during Canadian business hours?
- Cost in Canadian dollars. Is the price in dollars visible up front, and can you try the room before paying?
FAQ
How did you choose these 18 data rooms?
They are the providers Canadian deal teams most often shortlist: global M&A platforms, mid-market rooms, file-sharing tools that sell data room plans and document-tracking tools used for fundraising. We include tools we score low so readers can see why.
Why are prices shown in Canadian dollars?
Most vendors publish US prices or none. We convert published prices at the Bank of Canada daily rate and mark them as approximate. Your invoice will be in the vendor's currency unless you agree otherwise, plus GST, HST or provincial tax.
Which data room is based in Canada?
Firmex is headquartered in Toronto and has been part of Datasite since 2021. Most other vendors are based in the United States, Europe or Australia and serve Canadian clients from there. Ask each one where your data is hosted.
Do partners pay for their position?
No, partners cannot buy a position. We earn a commission from some links, as explained on the how we earn page, but scores come from the five criteria on the rating method page.
How often is the ranking updated?
We recheck prices, features and certifications every month and recalculate the scores from the same model. This page was last reviewed in October 2026.