VerdictEllty edges the overall score, 9.5 to 9.2, mostly on ease of use and value. Both cover the full diligence toolkit a UK sale needs: Q&A, dynamic watermarks, document rights control, two-factor login and a complete audit trail. Ellty adds AI tools, e-signature and a published monthly price. iDeals adds ISO 27001, single sign-on, built-in redaction and an API, and it lists a UK head office. For most private company deals the choice comes down to whether those extras sit on your must-have list.
This comparison is for a UK seller, investor or adviser choosing between a platform founded in 2020 and one that has run deal rooms since 2008. iDeals lists the United Kingdom as its head office; Ellty lists Australia. Neither fact tells you where your documents will be stored, which is one of the questions we set out further down. Every figure here is computed from the same facts and scores as our reviews, so the numbers match each provider page.
Score duel on our five UK criteria
Ellty is ahead overall, 9.5 to 9.2 out of 10. Ellty wins 2 of the 5 criteria, iDeals wins 2 and one is tied. The widest gap is on ease of use, 1.3 points in favour of Ellty, a criterion worth 20% of the overall score.
Ellty and iDeals: score duel on five UK criteria
Ellty9.52 criteria won
vs1 tied
iDeals9.22 criteria won
Security & UK GDPR30% weight
Ellty9.4
iDeals9.6
iDeals by 0.2 Weighted: 2.82 vs 2.88
Deal tools25% weight
Ellty9.5
iDeals9.5
Level Weighted: 2.38 vs 2.38
Ease of use20% weight
Ellty9.8
iDeals8.5
Ellty by 1.3 Weighted: 1.96 vs 1.70
Value for money15% weight
Ellty9.7
iDeals8.8
Ellty by 0.9 Weighted: 1.45 vs 1.32
Support10% weight
Ellty9.2
iDeals9.7
iDeals by 0.5 Weighted: 0.92 vs 0.97
Widest gap: Ease of use, 1.3 points to Ellty. Overall, Ellty by 0.3.
datarooms.ukEditorial scores, not user reviews
Editorial scores out of 10 from our UK-weighted model. Weighted points are the score times the criterion weight; they add up to the overall score. Source: our facts database.
The two heaviest criteria are close. Security and UK GDPR, worth 30%, tilts towards iDeals, helped by its ISO 27001 certificate; deal tools are level. Ease of use is where Ellty pulls clear, and value follows. iDeals scores higher on support, which counts on a deal whose timetable is set by someone else.
What only one of them has
Of the 12 features we track, the two share 6. Only Ellty lists e-signature and AI tools. Only iDeals lists redaction, API access and single sign-on. Neither lists mobile app.
Only Ellty
E-signature
AI tools
Only iDeals
Redaction
API access
Single sign-on
Both
Q&A workflow
Full audit trail
Dynamic watermarks
Two-factor login
Bulk upload
Document rights control
Neither lists
Mobile app
Redaction is the gap a UK seller is most likely to notice with Ellty. Employee files, tenancy schedules and customer lists often need personal data masked before buyers see them, so with Ellty that work happens before upload. With iDeals the missing pieces are AI tools and e-signature, which means summarising long documents and collecting signatures in other software.
Cost in pounds, with and without VAT
Ellty publishes an entry price of $149/mo, about £112 a month before VAT, so the left column gives a real figure for the term you set. iDeals prices by quote, so the right column shows a typical market range for an enterprise project of that size, not an iDeals figure. Ask iDeals for a sterling quote that states the VAT treatment and the rate for each extra month.
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
£671 £112 a month Published entry plan: $149/mo
iDeals
£4,000 to £12,000 Typical market range for a project quote of this size iDeals prices by quote; this is not a price from iDeals
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.
UK GDPR and hosting: what to ask
iDeals lists ISO 27001 and SOC 2; Ellty lists SOC 2 (infrastructure). Neither certificate answers the hosting question. Ask each for the hosting region of a UK room, the data processing agreement and the sub-processor list, then check the transfer route if support staff can see your files from outside the UK.
Check
Ellty
iDeals
Head office
Australia
United Kingdom
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
No AI tools listed
Facts as listed in our provider database. "Ask the provider" means we hold no verified answer; get it in writing for your room.
Where will a UK room be hosted?Ask for the region in writing and whether it can be fixed in the contract. Our data does not record hosting, so treat any answer from a sales call as provisional until it is in the order form.
Who is the processor, and under which agreement?Get the data processing agreement before documents go in. Check it names the contracting entity, the security measures and how the provider helps you answer subject access requests.
Which sub-processors touch the documents?Hosting, support, email delivery and analytics vendors all count. Ask for the list and how you are told about changes during the deal.
Can anyone outside the UK see the files?Ellty lists Australia as head office. Support access from abroad is a restricted transfer, so ask which safeguard covers it: UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK Addendum to the EU standard contractual clauses.
What happens to documents in the AI tools?Ellty lists AI tools. Ask where that processing runs, which model provider is involved and whether your content is used for training. A DPIA may be needed if personal data goes through it.
What happens to the room at completion?Agree the archive format, how long read-only access lasts and when the provider deletes everything, with a certificate of deletion if your retention policy needs one.
How each copes with four UK deals
Takeover Code bid
Once a bid is public under the Takeover Code, the target must give a bona fide rival bidder the same information it gave the first, on request (Rule 21.3). That makes the audit trail the key record, and both keep a full one. If a leak forces an announcement, the 28-day put up or shut up period starts and bidders' advisers need to work in the room at once. iDeals' single sign-on suits a listed target with strict IT rules; Ellty's ease-of-use score points to a shorter learning curve for outside teams.
AIM admission
An AIM admission puts the nominated adviser, the reporting accountants and two sets of lawyers in one room for months of verification. iDeals' redaction helps where board minutes name individuals, and its API can feed folder structures and logs into other systems. Ellty's AI tools are worth testing on the reading load: ask what they do with a long working capital report and whether outputs stay inside the room.
SEIS or EIS round
A SEIS or EIS round is small: a handful of angels, the HMRC advance assurance letter, the articles, the cap table and a short diligence window. Ellty's published monthly price and 14-day free trial fix the cost before the round opens, and its e-signature can collect signed documents in the same place. iDeals also offers a free trial, but a quoted project price is harder to justify for a raise capped at £250,000 under SEIS.
Commercial property sale
Commercial property sales load title registers, leases, CPSE replies, EPCs and rent schedules, much of it scanned. Tenancy files carry personal data, so iDeals' built-in redaction is a practical advantage. Ellty answers with AI tools for working through a long run of leases and a monthly price rather than a per-page charge; check the storage allowance on the entry plan if the portfolio runs to thousands of scanned pages.
More deal types, each with a UK shortlist, on our solutions page.
Which to choose
Choose Ellty if
You want the full deal toolkit with AI tools built in and a cleaner, quicker room for outside parties.
The client wants the cost fixed in pounds before the room opens.
Collecting signatures inside the room would save a step at completion.
You redact before upload, or the documents carry little personal data.
Choose iDeals if
ISO 27001 is named in the buyer's or lender's security checklist.
Your IT team requires single sign-on for every external system.
You need built-in redaction or API access.
A provider with a UK head office matters to the board.
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 vs iDeals: questions
What will Ellty and iDeals cost in pounds?
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%). iDeals 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.
Which features does only one of them have?
Only Ellty lists e-signature and AI tools. Only iDeals lists redaction, API access and single sign-on. Both list Q&A workflow, full audit trail, dynamic watermarks, two-factor login and bulk upload and more.
Can I try Ellty and iDeals before paying?
Ellty: 14-day free trial. iDeals: free trial. 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.
Is iDeals a UK company?
iDeals lists the United Kingdom as its head office in our facts database. Head office does not decide where data is hosted, so ask iDeals which region your room will use and have it written into the contract.
Which suits a deal where the buyer is a bank or a listed group?
Large buyers often send an IT security questionnaire. iDeals' ISO 27001 certificate and single sign-on tick two common boxes. Ellty answers with its SOC 2 (infrastructure) report, two-factor login and a full audit trail. Send the questionnaire to both before you commit.
Does it matter under UK GDPR that Ellty does not list ISO 27001?
UK GDPR asks for appropriate security measures, not a particular certificate, and a SOC 2 report is independent evidence too. The practical question is whether the counterparty's checklist names ISO 27001. If it does, raise it at the start.
