Ellty review

Overview

Ellty is a cloud virtual data room that covers the full diligence toolkit a UK transaction needs: permissions set per user and per group, a structured Q&A workflow, dynamic watermarking, document rights control, a full audit trail, e-signature, two-factor login and bulk upload. In feature terms it sits alongside iDeals and Datasite rather than below them. What it adds on top is a modern layer: built-in AI tools, a clean interface that outside parties pick up without training, quick setup and pricing that is published rather than quoted.

It tops our current table at 9.5 out of 10, mostly on ease of use and value, with security and deal tools close behind. Those scores are editorial and explained on our methodology page.

Running a UK transaction in it

For a typical UK share sale, the work in the first week is building an index that mirrors the disclosure letter and the buyer’s information request list. Bulk upload takes a folder tree as it stands, so a solicitor’s existing structure (corporate, contracts, employment, property, IP, tax) arrives intact. Permissions then decide which bidder group sees which folders, which matters when one party is a trade competitor and the commercial contracts should stay hidden until later.

Q&A is where most deals stall. Ellty routes each question to the right person on the sell side, keeps answers tied to the document they reference and gives the adviser a record of what was asked and when. On a mergers and acquisitions process with several bidders, that log becomes part of the evidence of what the buyer knew at signing.

For SEIS and EIS fundraising, the same room holds the advance assurance correspondence, the cap table and articles, and investors can sign side documents in the room.

Pricing in pounds

Ellty publishes an entry price of $149/mo, which is approx. £115 at the rate we use. That figure is indicative: confirm it with the provider, and check whether VAT is added to the invoice. Cost moves with the number of rooms, storage and admin seats, so a two-month sale and a year-long fundraising room will not cost the same. There is a 14-day free trial, long enough to build the index and invite a colleague to test the buyer view.

For a side-by-side view of what quotes from other providers tend to look like, see our guide to data room costs.

Security and UK GDPR

Under UK GDPR the seller is usually the controller of personal data inside the room (employee files, customer contracts) and the data room provider acts as a processor. That means you need a written processing agreement and a clear answer on where the data is held. We do not hold confirmed hosting regions for Ellty, so ask directly. If storage is outside the UK, ask which transfer mechanism applies; the ICO’s guidance on international transfers sets out the options.

Ellty’s certification is SOC 2 Infrastructure. Some corporate buyers and banks ask specifically for ISO 27001 in their vendor questionnaires; in that case, raise it early rather than at the point of inviting their team.

Where it falls short

There is no single sign-on, no public API, no built-in redaction tool and no dedicated mobile app; the room runs in a browser, and it is cloud only. For most UK sales and raises none of these matter. A listed company whose IT team requires SSO for every external system, or a deal team that redacts thousands of pages inside the room, should weigh Datasite, which has redaction and a mobile app, or iDeals, which has SSO and an API.