netfiles vs Virtual Vaults

Both data rooms show their tiers online, but they cap different things. netfiles caps storage per user at 10, 50 or 100 GB and keeps its prices behind a request on the plan page we read. Virtual Vaults prints euro prices, gives unlimited storage under a fair use policy, and limits the number of seller-side users to 3, 7 or 15. Only netfiles runs a 14-day trial with every function. For a quick room, a trial wins. For a deal with many buyers, unlimited buy-side seats do.

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Both are reviewed in full in our virtual data room ranking: netfiles and Virtual Vaults.

1. 01

   A fortnight to test before committing

   netfiles lets you create a data room for 14 days, full functionality, at no charge, and it converts into a contract room if you sign. Virtual Vaults shows neither trial nor free plan, although a Free column appears in its table without details. If you want to try the permissions and upload flow with a real document set first, only one of these two lets you.

   Edge: netfiles

2. 02

   Euro prices against a request form

   Virtual Vaults prints Basic at 754 EUR, Standard at 914 EUR and Advanced at 1,508 EUR per month on a one-month term, with Enterprise on request. Longer terms cut 15, 30 or 40 percent, putting Basic at 452 EUR on twelve months. The netfiles Essential, Professional and Premium plans list storage but say prices are on request, with no currency printed. For budgeting, the printed figures help.

   Edge: Virtual Vaults

3. 03

   Gigabytes per user or seats per room

   netfiles gives 10, 50 and 100 GB of storage per user, caps single uploads at 10 GB, 50 GB and unlimited, and lets you rent extra users and storage billed daily. Virtual Vaults offers unlimited storage under a fair use policy and unlimited buy-side users, but only 3, 7 or 15 seller-side users before Enterprise. A large document archive suits Virtual Vaults, while a big seller team suits netfiles.

   Depends on the buyer

4. 04

   Where the servers stand

   netfiles states that it is a German business with servers in two certified data centres in Germany, hosted only, and it quotes 99.9% system availability. Virtual Vaults leaves its hosting model unstated. It offers the archive on USB or in the cloud with instant delivery, and its terms are PDF files we could not read. Hosting is the clearer story at netfiles.

   Edge: netfiles

5. 05

   Deal tooling and room administration

   Virtual Vaults lists roles and permissions, mass upload with reorder and rename, multi-factor authentication as standard, and a Q&A level of Basic, Standard or Advanced by plan. netfiles lists document management, secure file sharing and a mobile app, and central administration of several rooms needs 50 users on Essential or 25 on Professional. For a structured question flow with buyers, Virtual Vaults describes more of it.

   Edge: Virtual Vaults

6. 06

   Who stands behind the contract

   The netfiles imprint names netfiles GmbH in Burghausen, Germany, registered at Traunstein as HRB 14354, with two managing directors and no parent company. The Virtual Vaults homepage gives no registered address or country, only UK and Dutch phone numbers and German, English and Dutch language choices. Our category data lists it in the Netherlands, but the contracting entity is not confirmed anywhere we looked.

   Edge: netfiles

Which room can I open today without talking to sales?

netfiles, since the 14-day trial has every function. Virtual Vaults shows no trial. Its plans are priced, but you still choose a term and a plan before you start.

What happens to cost if I need more seats?

At netfiles you can rent extra user licences and storage at any time, billed daily for the rest of the period.

At Virtual Vaults buy-side users are unlimited, and seller-side seats step from 3 to 7 to 15 with the plan. Neither vendor prints a seat add-on price.

How long is the commitment at each?

netfiles lists a 12-month contract term, with shorter or longer terms on request. Virtual Vaults lists a one-month term and cuts the price by 15, 30 or 40 percent for longer ones.

It also lists billing as monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual without mapping them to terms.

• netfiles Data Room plans: storage tiers, upload limits, 12-month term, daily billing of extras and the 14-day trial.
• netfiles pricing overview: two certified German data centres, hosted only, 99.9% availability.
• netfiles imprint: netfiles GmbH in Burghausen, HRB 14354 and the two managing directors.
• Virtual Vaults pricing: euro monthly plans, term discounts, seller-side user caps, unlimited storage and no trial shown.
• Virtual Vaults homepage: roles and permissions, mass upload, multi-factor authentication, phone numbers and languages.
• Virtual Vaults terms: the terms exist as PDF files, so the contracting entity is unconfirmed.