How Much Does a Virtual Data Room Cost? Pricing Models and Hidden Fees
The cost of a Virtual Data Room depends primarily on the billing model: per page, per gigabyte, per user, per project, or a fixed monthly subscription. In SECUDO VDR, the Basic plan starts at 1,050 PLN per month and includes one data room, 10 users, and 2 GB of storage space. The final bill for a VDR often increases due to fees not listed in the offer: exceeding limits, implementation, project extensions, and data archiving.
In this post, we explain how the various pricing models work, which additional fees to check before signing a contract, and how to estimate the cost of a data room for your transaction on your own.
What factors determine the price of a Virtual Data Room?
The price of a Virtual Data Room is determined by five factors: the number of documents or their volume, the number of users, the project duration, the range of features, and the level of support. Each provider combines these factors differently, which is why two offers with a similar monthly fee can result in completely different total costs.
The most important variables are:
Data volume – the number of pages or gigabytes uploaded to the data room.
Number of users – administrators on the seller’s side and individuals on the buyer’s side, including advisors and law firms.
Project duration – due diligence typically lasts several months, but M&A processes can be prolonged.
Features – including Q&A, watermarks, document anonymization, and activity reports.
Support and Implementation – account manager, hours of availability, and assistance with folder structure.
What are the VDR pricing models?
There are five basic pricing models for virtual data rooms on the market. The choice of model has a greater impact on the final cost than the rate listed in the price list.
Model | What You Pay For | When It Works Best | Main Risks |
Per page | Each uploaded page of a document | A small, known number of documents | The cost increases with each new file |
Per gigabyte | Disk space used | Small-volume text documents | Scans, drawings, and recordings quickly use up the limit |
Per user | Each account in the data room | A small, fixed team | Scans, drawings, and recordings quickly use up the limit |
Per project | A single transaction within a set period | A one-time process with a predictable duration | Project extension fees |
Fixed subscription | A monthly fee with a set of limits | Processes of uncertain duration and recurring projects | You need to choose a plan that fits your actual needs |
Per-Page Billing
The per-page model is the oldest method of billing for data rooms, dating back to the era of physical data rooms. Its drawback is simple: the more carefully you prepare the documentation, the more you’ll pay. Buyers typically request additional documents during due diligence, so the number of pages increases as the process progresses.
Per-gigabyte billing
In the per-gigabyte model, file size matters, not the number of files. This works well for text documents, but with scanned contracts, technical documentation, or property maps, the limit is reached faster than the initial quote assumes.
Per-user billing
A per-user fee is predictable only if you know the composition of the team. In a company sale involving multiple bidders, each one brings in their own advisors, lawyers, and analysts, so the number of accounts can double within a few weeks.
Project-based and subscription billing
Project-based fees and a fixed subscription offer the best control over your budget. The difference lies in flexibility: a monthly subscription can be extended for another month without renegotiating the contract, whereas in the project-based model, extensions are often billed separately.
What hidden fees can increase the cost of a VDR?
Hidden fees in a VDR are costs that aren’t included in the base rate but arise during or after the project. Before signing a contract, it’s a good idea to ask the provider about each of the following items.
Exceeding the limit on pages, gigabytes, or users—often billed at a higher rate than included in the package.
Setup fee—for launching the data room, configuration, or training.
Additional administrators—some providers charge more for administrator accounts than for regular users.
Features in premium packages—e.g., Q&A module, anonymization, reports, or watermarking available only on higher-tier plans.
Project extension—an additional fee when a transaction takes longer than anticipated.
Minimum contract term—e.g., a one-year commitment for a project that will last three months.
Data archiving and export after closure—a fee for a copy of the data room on a storage medium or for continued storage.
Support outside standard hours – additional fee for assistance in the evening or on weekends.
Our experience shows that the biggest budget surprises arise when the process is prolonged and additional bidders join the data room. That’s when the limits that seemed sufficient at the start turn out to be too low.
A separate issue is what happens to the data once the project is complete. If the data room contained personal data of employees or contractors, the controller must ensure its deletion or secure storage in accordance with the data retention limitation principle under Article 5 of the GDPR. It is therefore advisable to determine in advance in what format and for what price you will receive the archive.
How much does SECUDO VDR cost?
SECUDO VDR is billed on a fixed monthly subscription basis. The Basic plan starts at 1,050 PLN per month, and the other plans are priced individually. You can find a complete overview in the SECUDO VDR price list.
Plan | Price | Data Rooms | Administrators | Users | Storage Space |
Basic | from 1,050 PLN/month | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 GB |
Pro | custom pricing | 1 | 3 | 30 | 5 GB |
Enterprise | custom pricing | unlimited | unlimited | unlimited | 20 GB |
For organizations that want to host a data room on their own infrastructure, the Enterprise+ (on-premise) plan is available, with installation on the customer’s servers, in the cloud, or in a hybrid model.
Each plan includes a dedicated account manager and support from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. SECUDO VDR features are available in all plans at no additional charge, and DealDone offers discounts for partnerships lasting longer than 3 months.
Data in SECUDO VDR is stored in an ISO 27001-certified data center, and the solution itself has been positively evaluated by the Department of Cybernetics at the Military University of Technology.
How can you estimate the cost of a Virtual Data Room for your project?
You can estimate the cost of a Virtual Data Room in four steps, even before you request quotes from vendors.
Count the documents and their file sizes. Make a preliminary list of due diligence documents and check how much disk space they take up. Our due diligence checklist will help you with this.
Determine the number of users. Include your team, advisors, and the estimated number of bidders, multiplied by 3–5 people on their side.
Estimate a realistic duration. Add a buffer to your planned schedule for negotiations and additional questions from the buyer.
Compare the total cost, not just the rate. Multiply the rate by the number of months and add all the additional fees from the list above.
Example: sale of a company to a single investor, approximately 1.5 GB of documents, 8 users, planned duration of 4 months. Such a project falls within the limits of the Basic plan, so the cost of SECUDO VDR will be 4 × 1,050 PLN = 4,200 PLN, before applying the discount for a partnership lasting longer than 3 months. If the process is extended by one month, the cost will increase by one monthly fee, with no additional charges for extending the project.
How to Compare VDR Provider Offers?
Compare VDR provider offers using the same scenario: the same data volume, number of users, and project duration. Only then can you see which pricing model is more advantageous for you.
When comparing, also check
whether the price is listed as net or gross,
which features are included in the price and which are in a higher plan,
how overages are calculated,
what the minimum contract term and notice period are,
in what format you’ll receive the archive after the project closes,
where the data is physically stored, and who has assessed the solution’s security.
Price is just one of the criteria. We discuss common pitfalls when choosing and using a data room in the post The Most Common Mistakes When Using Virtual Data Rooms. If you’re considering a cheaper alternative in the form of cloud storage, read the comparisons VDR vs. Google Drive and SECUDO VDR vs. Microsoft SharePoint.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions About VDR Pricing
How much does a Virtual Data Room cost per month?
The monthly cost of a Virtual Data Room depends on the billing model and the scope of the project. At SECUDO VDR, the Basic plan starts at 1,050 PLN per month and includes one data room, 10 users, and 2 GB of storage space.
Which VDR pricing model is the most cost-effective?
For processes with an uncertain duration and a variable number of participants, a fixed subscription with a set of limits is the safest option. A per-page or per-user model is only cost-effective if you know the volume of documents and the team composition in advance.
Are there any hidden costs with SECUDO VDR?
No. SECUDO VDR’s features are available in every plan at no additional charge, and the price depends on the plan you choose and the duration of the partnership. You’ll discuss the details of the terms with your account manager before the project begins.
Can I use the VDR for just one month?
Yes, SECUDO VDR is billed monthly, so you pay for the actual duration of the project. For collaborations lasting longer than 3 months, DealDone offers discounts.
What happens to the documents after the project ends?
Once the transaction is closed, user access to the data room should be revoked, and the documents should be archived or deleted. It’s a good idea to discuss the method and cost of archiving with the provider before signing the contract.
Summary
The price of a Virtual Data Room isn’t just the rate listed in the price list, but the sum of the base fee, overage charges, feature surcharges, and post-project costs. The safest approach is to compare offers based on a single, realistic transaction scenario. SECUDO VDR is billed on a subscription basis, starting at 1,050 PLN per month for the Basic plan, with all features included in the price.
About Us
DealDone is a specialized company offering high-quality products in the field of information and data security. We provide digitization services and software for modern technologies related to the handling of confidential information, classified information, and sensitive data, as well as the digitization, protection, encryption, and sharing of data and documents both within and outside the organization.
For nearly 15 years, DealDone has specialized in providing solutions for the digitization, archiving, and sharing of documents via a Document Management System (DMS) or Virtual Data Room (VDR).
DealDone independently developed and launched the SECUDO VDR system. SECUDO is a platform for the secure digitization, archiving, exchange, and processing of corporate documents and data, offered in the cloud via a Software-as-a-Service model for business clients.
DealDone also owns the portals www.platformainwestora.pl and www.sprzedamfirme.com, through which it supports transactional processes related to company sales, raising capital, and finding investors for projects.
In 2025, DealDone joined the international Dealsuite platform (www.dealsuite.com), which supports professionals in the field of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Thanks to this partnership, we can respond even more effectively to market needs by offering our clients VDR SECUDO—a secure and intuitive solution for managing documentation in transaction processes.