Two rooms with AI tools: a modern subscription room against the investment-banking incumbent.
Datasite has run deal rooms since 1999 and is tagged in our data for investment banking and enterprise work; Ellty was founded in 2020. On a UK sell-side mandate the useful question is who the room has to satisfy: a bank adviser with a house platform, or a seller who wants to see the cost up front and a room that outside parties use without training. Below, the two meet on our five UK-weighted criteria, then in four UK deal settings.
Ellty is ahead overall, 9.5 to 9.0 out of 10. Ellty wins 2 of the 5 criteria, Datasite wins 2 and one is tied. The widest gap is on ease of use, 2.0 points in favour of Ellty, a criterion worth 20% of the overall score.
Ellty and Datasite: score duel on five UK criteria
Ellty 9.5 2 criteria won Datasite 9.0 2 criteria won Datasite by 0.2 Weighted: 2.82 vs 2.88
Level Weighted: 2.38 vs 2.38
Ellty by 2.0 Weighted: 1.96 vs 1.56
Ellty by 1.4 Weighted: 1.45 vs 1.25
Datasite by 0.1 Weighted: 0.92 vs 0.93
Security and UK GDPR goes to Datasite by a small margin and deal tools are level. The decisive rows are ease of use and value, where Ellty's lead is large enough to outweigh Datasite's edge on the heaviest criterion. Support is close.
Of the 12 features we track, the two share 7. Only Ellty lists e-signature. Only Datasite lists redaction, mobile app and single sign-on. Neither lists API access.
Datasite's extras are the ones larger processes lean on: redaction for personnel and customer data, single sign-on for bank-side users and a mobile app for principals who review away from a desk. Ellty's exclusive here is e-signature. Both list AI tools, so ask each to show what they do on your own documents and where the processing happens.
Ellty publishes $149/mo, roughly £112 a month before VAT. Datasite publishes no price and lists no free trial, so a demo and a written quote are the only routes to a number. The calculator sets Ellty's entry plan for your term beside a typical market range for an enterprise project quote of the same size.
VAT: UK-registered suppliers add it to the invoice; for suppliers based abroad, UK businesses usually account for it under the reverse charge. Ask your accountant how it applies to you.
Indicative cost for 6 months, excluding VAT
Ellty
Datasite
Indicative only, confirm with the provider. Published dollar prices converted at $1 = £0.75; higher tiers, storage, add-ons and the exchange rate on the invoice date change the real figure. Quote ranges follow our deal-type budget calculator.
Datasite lists a US head office and Ellty an Australian one, so for both it is worth asking whether anyone outside the UK can access a UK room. For a US provider, ask whether it relies on the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework (the UK-US data bridge) or on the UK International Data Transfer Addendum.
| Check | Ellty | Datasite |
|---|---|---|
| Head office | Australia | United States |
| Certifications listed | SOC 2 (infrastructure) | ISO 27001, SOC 2 |
| Two-factor login | Yes | Yes |
| Single sign-on | Not listed | Yes |
| Full audit trail | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in redaction | Not listed | Yes |
| Hosting region for a UK room | Ask the provider | Ask the provider |
| Data processing agreement | Ask the provider | Ask the provider |
| Sub-processor list | Ask the provider | Ask the provider |
| Transfer route if data leaves the UK | Ask the provider | Ask the provider |
| Where AI processing happens | Ask the provider | Ask the provider |
Facts as listed in our provider database. "Ask the provider" means we hold no verified answer; get it in writing for your room.
Public company bids run to a fixed clock: 28 days to firm up after a possible offer is announced, then 28 days from the firm offer to publish the offer document. Banks advising on the bid often have a preferred platform, and Datasite's single sign-on and mobile app fit that setting. Ellty runs the same process, Q&A and audit trail included, and its ease-of-use lead counts when a bidder's advisers must be productive on the first day.
AIM admissions push weeks of verification through the room. Datasite's redaction helps with board papers and service agreements that name individuals, and its mobile app suits directors who sign off on the move. Ellty's e-signature can gather directors' responsibility letters and other sign-offs where your advisers accept electronic execution.
For a seed round with a few angels, Datasite's quote-only model and the lack of a listed free trial are hard to justify. Ellty's published price and 14-day free trial fit the scale of the raise. If your lead investor insists on Datasite, ask for a fixed price for a small room and a short term.
A shopping centre or industrial estate sale can mean tens of thousands of scanned pages. Both rooms list AI tools, which is where the reading time goes on leases and title. Datasite adds redaction for tenant personal data; with Ellty, plan to redact before upload. Ask each how bulk upload treats folders exported from a property manager's system.
More deal types, each with a UK shortlist, on our solutions page.
Still unsure? Our data room quiz matches a shortlist to your deal type, and the UK ranking puts both in the context of all 18 providers we track.
Ellty's published entry plan of $149/mo is about £112 a month, or £671 for six months before VAT (£805 with VAT at 20%). Datasite prices by quote, so the figure depends on the size and length of the project. Ask for a sterling quote that states VAT treatment and the rate for extra months.
Only Ellty lists e-signature. Only Datasite lists redaction, mobile app and single sign-on. Both list Q&A workflow, full audit trail, dynamic watermarks, two-factor login and bulk upload and more.
Ellty: 14-day free trial. Datasite: no free trial listed. Where there is no free trial, ask for a guided demonstration using a copy of your own folder index rather than the provider's sample room.
Both list AI tools in our facts database, and we do not rank them on AI alone. Ask each for a demonstration on a sample of your own documents, and confirm in writing where AI processing happens and whether your content is used to train models.
Not necessarily. A mid-market sale with a handful of bidders can be run in either room. Compare a Datasite quote with Ellty's published price for the same term, and check which of Datasite's extras you would actually use.
Datasite lists a mobile app. Ellty does not list one; if mobile review matters, open the web room on a phone during the 14-day free trial and judge it yourself.
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