Comparison
Ellty vs iDeals
Ellty and iDeals are both full deal rooms: each lists a Q&A module, dynamic watermarks, view and download rights, an activity log, 2-step login and bulk upload. The difference is in how they are bought and what sits around the core. Ellty publishes its price, US$149 a month or about C$211, offers a 14-day free trial and lists AI help and e-signature. iDeals works on quotes, lists ISO 27001, single sign-on, redaction and a public API, and has a long record with bank-led processes.
Ellty9.2Choose Ellty if
- You want to know the room cost in dollars before talking to anyone, and test it on a 14-day free trial
- You want AI help for indexing and search inside the room
- You want NDAs and closing documents signed without a separate e-signature product
- Your guests open a data room once a year and need an interface they can learn quickly
iDeals8.7Choose iDeals if
- Your bank or insurer requires single sign-on for every outside system
- A buyer's security questionnaire asks for an ISO 27001 certificate by name
- You need to redact salaries or customer names inside the room rather than upload edited copies
- Your IT team wants a public API to sync users and pull activity into other systems
For Canadian buyers
Ellty's US$149 a month converts to about C$211 at the Bank of Canada rate of 1.4154; iDeals quotes per project, so ask for a Canadian dollar figure. Add GST or HST to both. Neither vendor lists a Canadian hosting region, so ask each where your room would sit. If Quebec bidders are involved, ask both about French interfaces and support, and plan a Law 25 s. 17 assessment for Quebec personal information.
| Ellty | iDeals | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | about C$211 a month | Priced per project |
| Trial | 14-day free trial | Free trial offered |
| Canadian hosting | Ask the vendor | Ask the vendor |
| Certifications | SOC 2 (hosting) | SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR |
| Head office, founded | Australia, 2020 | United Kingdom, 2008 |
Ellty vs iDeals: cost in Canadian dollars
Choose the deal type, how many people on your side need access, the number of months and where your company is.
| Data room | Pricing | Total with tax |
|---|---|---|
 Onehub | Flat | C$95 |
 Citrix ShareFile | Flat | C$353 |
 Box | Per user | C$759 |
 Digify | Flat | C$768 |
| Ellty | Flat | C$954 |
 SecureDocs | Flat | C$1,600 |
 CapLinked | Flat | C$1,912 |
 DocSend | Per user | C$2,314 |
| iDeals | Estimate | ~C$11,300 to C$33,900 |
 Datasite | Estimate | ~C$11,300 to C$33,900 |
 Ansarada | Estimate | ~C$11,300 to C$33,900 |
 Firmex | Estimate | ~C$11,300 to C$33,900 |
 Drooms | Estimate | ~C$11,300 to C$33,900 |
 Intralinks | Estimate | ~C$11,300 to C$33,900 |
 SmartRoom | Estimate | ~C$11,300 to C$33,900 |
 DealRoom | Estimate | ~C$11,300 to C$33,900 |
 ShareVault | Estimate | ~C$11,300 to C$33,900 |
 Venue by DFIN | Estimate | ~C$11,300 to C$33,900 |
Rows marked Flat or Per user start from the price each vendor lists in US dollars, turned into Canadian dollars at the Bank of Canada rate for October 16, 2026 (US$1 = C$1.4154) and taxed at your province's rate. Rows marked Estimate belong to vendors that keep prices private; for them we show the range we see for the kind of project you chose, which is not that vendor's own figure. For planning only.
Verdict
Ellty scores 9.2 overall in our model and iDeals 8.7. Ellty leads on cost in Canadian dollars, since the price is public, and on deal workflow, where AI help and built-in e-signature add to the shared Q&A and permission tools. iDeals is a strong enterprise option with broad certifications, single sign-on and support rated 9.7. For most Canadian deal teams that want a full room they can price and open this week, Ellty comes out ahead.
Scores by criterion
Ellty iDeals
Overall: Ellty 9.2, iDeals 8.7 out of 10.
Feature differences
Only Ellty
- E-signature
- AI help
Both have
- Q&A module
- Activity log
- Dynamic watermarks
- 2-step login
- Bulk upload
- View and download rights
Only iDeals
- In-room redaction
- Public API
- Single sign-on
Place by Canadian use case
| Use case | Ellty | iDeals |
|---|---|---|
| M&A | #1 | #2 |
| Private equity | #1 | #3 |
| Startup fundraising | #1 | #2 |
| TSXV and CSE listings | #1 | #2 |
| CCAA restructuring | #1 | #3 |
| Commercial real estate | #1 | #2 |
| Mining deals | #1 | #2 |
| Life sciences | #1 | #2 |
FAQ
Is Ellty cheaper than iDeals?
Ellty publishes its price at US$149 a month, about C$211 before tax. iDeals does not publish a price; the quote depends on room size, users and length of the deal. Ask iDeals for a Canadian dollar quote for the same scope and compare totals over the expected deal length, including any overage or extension charges.
Do both offer a free trial?
Yes. Ellty offers a 14-day free trial that opens a working room at sign-up. iDeals also lists a free trial, with a quote prepared through its sales team. In both cases, use the trial to build part of your real index and invite one or two colleagues as test guests to see the room from their side.
Which one has single sign-on?
iDeals lists single sign-on; Ellty does not list it at the time of writing. If your company or a bidder's IT policy requires sign-in through Okta or Microsoft Entra ID for every outside system, raise it with both vendors before you build the room. Both list 2-step login for admins and guests.