Ellty vs Venue by DFIN
A room from a financial filings specialist against a self-serve room with a published price.
Venue is the data room from DFIN, a company better known for regulatory filings and capital markets documents. Our facts file tags Venue for capital markets, compliance, IPOs and enterprise work, and dates it to 2016. That lineage is the main reason teams shortlist it: the same provider may already be handling the prospectus. Ellty, founded in 2020, is tagged for M&A, fundraising and due diligence.
Both run the diligence core: buyer Q&A, audit trail, dynamic watermarking, bulk folder upload and document rights (view, print, download). Venue adds redaction and publishes SOC 2 and ISO 27001. Ellty adds e-signature, two-step login and AI features. On our leaderboard Ellty is first of eighteen and Venue sixteenth of eighteen, a gap of twenty points, driven mostly by ease of adoption (9.8 against 6.0) and cost predictability (9.7 against 6.5).
Bottom line
Ellty comes out ahead on our weighting: it covers the same deal workflow, adds two-step login, AI and e-signature, and can be opened today at a published price. Venue makes sense when DFIN is already running the filing side of an IPO or listed-company transaction, and when native redaction and ISO 27001 are firm requirements.
Choose Ellty if
- You want to open and configure the room yourself, starting on the 14-day free trial
- Every external account should use two-step login
- AI features and e-signature should sit inside the deal room
Choose Venue by DFIN if
- DFIN already handles your filings and you want one capital markets provider
- Native redaction of personal or commercially sensitive data is required
- Counterparties expect SOC 2 and ISO 27001
Scores side by side
Ellty against Venue by DFIN, mark by mark
Ellty 92 Venue by DFIN 72 Feature checklist: where they differ
- Signing in the room
- 2-step sign-in
- Built-in AI
- Q&A threads
- Access history
- Live watermarks
- Bulk uploads
- Print and download rights
- Redaction tool
Capital markets fit and redaction
For an IPO or a regulated listed-company deal, Venue's case is continuity. If DFIN is already preparing filings, keeping diligence with the same provider can simplify vendor approval and document handoffs. Venue also lists native redaction, useful when board papers or employee files must be shared with names removed. Ellty does not list redaction in our facts file, so plan to redact before upload if you choose it. Our data protection marks are 8.5 for Venue and 9.4 for Ellty.
Getting reviewers and admins up to speed
On ease of adoption Venue scores 6.0 and places eighteenth of eighteen in our model, which in practice means more configuration up front and more guidance for occasional reviewers. Ellty scores 9.8 and places first of eighteen. For a capital markets deal run by an experienced team that may not matter much. For a process with many first-time readers, such as a private placement with a broad investor list, it changes how much support time the deal team spends.
Demo first or trial first
Venue prices by quote and shows a demo on request in our facts file, so evaluation starts with a sales conversation. Ellty publishes $149 a month at entry and offers a 14-day free trial, so a team can build the index and invite a colleague before talking to anyone. For a six-month process, Ellty's entry tier comes to $894. Ask DFIN whether Venue is priced separately or bundled with filing services, since bundling changes the comparison.
What each costs for your term
Move the sliders to your expected term and user count. Published entry prices only; quote-only providers show a labelled market range.
Neither side charges per seat on its lowest tier, so the total moves with the number of months alone.
Worked out from each vendor's lowest published tier in US dollars. Bigger plans, extra storage, more admins and sales tax all lift the real figure, so read it as a floor and get the vendor's own number. Budgeting detail is on the pricing page.
Specs
| Ellty | Venue by DFIN | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 92/100 (No. 1) | 72/100 (No. 16) |
| Entry price | $149 a month | Quote only |
| Trial | 14-day free trial | Demo on request |
| Attestations | SOC 2 (infrastructure) | SOC 2, ISO 27001 |
| Checklist features | 8 of 12 | 6 of 12 |
| Top lists it makes | 13 of 13 | 0 of 13 |
| Founded | 2020 | 2016 |
| Head office | Australia | United States |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
From the shared provider facts file, checked monthly. Prices in USD, indicative; confirm with each provider.
Ellty vs Venue by DFIN: questions
Is Venue by DFIN only for IPOs?
No. Our facts file tags Venue for capital markets, compliance, IPOs and enterprise work, and it lists Q&A, redaction, watermarking, document rights and bulk upload, which also cover M&A diligence. Its natural fit is a team already working with DFIN on filings.
Does Venue support two-step login?
Two-step login and single sign-on are not listed for Venue in our facts file. Ask DFIN how external user authentication works and whether a second factor can be enforced for every reviewer.
Can I try Venue before buying?
Our facts file shows a demo on request rather than a free trial for Venue. Ellty offers a 14-day free trial. If you need hands-on time with your own documents, ask DFIN whether a pilot room is possible.
Which one has AI features?
Ellty lists AI features in our facts file; Venue does not. Product lines change, so ask DFIN for a current overview if AI-assisted review matters to your process.