SecureDocs gives you a basic data room.Peony gives you an AI-powered one.
SecureDocs offers flat-rate pricing with unlimited users. But when you need AI document chat, screenshot protection, dynamic watermarks, NDA gating, and page-by-page analytics, you need Peony.Set up in under 5 minutes. No credit card required.
No credit card required
Side-by-side comparison
SecureDocs is a flat-rate virtual data room for startups and mid-market companies. Peony is a modern data room with screenshot protection, dynamic watermarks, NDA gating, and AI document chat — designed for fundraising, M&A, and due diligence.
PeonyWhy teams switch from SecureDocs to Peony
SecureDocs offers simple flat-rate pricing, but its feature set has not kept up with modern deal workflows. Teams switch to Peony for AI-powered intelligence, advanced security, and granular analytics.
AI document chat
SecureDocs has no AI capabilities. Peony lets investors and partners ask questions about your data room and get instant AI-powered answers pulled directly from your documents — around the clock, without waiting for your team to respond.
Screenshot protection
SecureDocs has no screenshot protection. Anyone who opens your documents can capture and forward them. Peony blocks screen captures, adds dynamic watermarks, and gates access behind NDAs to keep your deal documents confidential.
Page-by-page analytics
SecureDocs offers basic activity tracking. Peony shows you exactly which pages each investor read, how long they spent per slide, and their total viewing time — so you can prioritize follow-ups based on real engagement data.
Start free trial
SecureDocs charges $250 per month from day one — even if you only need to share a few documents. Peony lets you set up a data room, share documents, and track analytics at $0. When you scale, Business ($30/admin/mo) unlocks data rooms, watermarks, screenshot protection, e-signatures, and AI document Q&A. Data Room ($52/admin/mo) adds unlimited rooms, unlimited storage, and Advanced NDA.
Pricing comparison
SecureDocs offers flat-rate pricing at $250 per month. Peony starts free and includes AI document chat, screenshot protection, dynamic watermarks, and page-by-page analytics — features SecureDocs does not offer at any price.
Peony
Free
$0
Page analytics, unlimited links
Business
$30/admin/mo
Up to 3 data rooms
Data Room
$52/admin/mo
Unlimited rooms & storage
Analytics on every plan. Business adds data rooms, screenshot protection, watermarks, NDA gating, e-signatures, and AI document Q&A. Data Room adds unlimited rooms, Advanced NDA, and auto-indexing.
SecureDocs
Flat Rate
$250/mo
Unlimited users, basic VDR
Enterprise
Custom
Contact sales for pricing
No free tier. No screenshot protection. No AI features. No dynamic watermarks. No NDA gating. No e-signatures.
When to use each platform
SecureDocs works for teams that want simple, flat-rate pricing and basic data room functionality. Peony is the better choice when you need AI-powered intelligence, advanced security, and granular analytics for deal workflows.
Choose SecureDocs when you need
A basic data room with flat-rate, predictable monthly pricing
Unlimited users without worrying about per-seat costs
Simple document storage and sharing without AI or advanced features
A straightforward VDR for small to mid-market transactions
Choose Peony when you need
AI document chat so investors get instant answers without waiting for your team
Screenshot protection and dynamic watermarks to prevent unauthorized sharing of deal documents
Page-by-page analytics to see exactly which slides investors care about and prioritize follow-ups
NDA-gated access with built-in e-signatures for NDAs, term sheets, and closing documents
A modern, branded data room experience for fundraising, M&A, and investor relations
A free tier to share your first data room without a credit card
What Peony gives you that SecureDocs does not
Stop unauthorized screenshots of your deal documents
SecureDocs has no screenshot protection or dynamic watermarks. Anyone who opens your data room can capture every page and forward it. Peony blocks screen captures and stamps every page with the viewer's identity and timestamp — so if a document leaks, you know exactly who shared it.
Screenshot protection
Block screen captures of sensitive documents. SecureDocs has no equivalent — once a document is viewed, it can be screenshotted freely.
Dynamic watermarks
Every page stamped with the viewer's email and timestamp. Trace the source of any leak instantly — something SecureDocs simply cannot do.
NDA-gated access
Require investors to sign an NDA before they see a single page. Built-in e-signatures make it seamless — no separate signing tool needed.
Know exactly which slides your investors care about
SecureDocs offers basic activity logs. Peony shows you which pages were read, how long each investor spent per slide, and their total viewing time. Prioritize your follow-up calls based on real engagement data, not guesswork.
Let investors ask questions and get instant answers
SecureDocs has no AI capabilities. Peony's AI document chat lets investors and partners ask questions about your data room and receive instant, accurate answers pulled directly from your documents — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Close deals faster by removing information bottlenecks.
"Peony has been great for sharing documents with investors, employees, and customers. It's easy to use, good value, and new features are constantly being added. Definitely recommend!"
Ed Harris
Founder & CEO, Ligo Bio (YC S24)
Frequently asked questions
I'm a solo founder raising a $2M seed round and sharing decks with 20+ investors — is Peony a better alternative to SecureDocs?
Yes. Founders raising capital need to know which investors actually read the deck and where they drop off. Peony gives you page-by-page analytics on every plan so you can prioritize follow-ups with engaged investors. The Business plan ($30/admin/mo) adds a data room with AI document Q&A, screenshot protection and NDA gating — everything a founder needs for investor diligence. The Data Room plan ($52/admin/mo) adds dynamic watermarks, unlimited data rooms, Advanced NDA with signed PDF and audit trail, and unlimited storage. Peony also offers a free plan ($0), while SecureDocs charges a flat $250 per month with none of those capabilities.
Our 3-person M&A advisory team runs about 4 mandates per quarter — how does Peony pricing compare to SecureDocs for that volume?
For a lean deal team running diligence, Peony starts free ($0). Business is $30 per admin per month and adds the data room suite deal teams need: screenshot protection, NDA gating, e-signatures, and AI document Q&A for counterparty questions, with up to 3 data rooms per admin. Data Room is $52 per admin per month and adds dynamic watermarks, unlimited data rooms, Advanced NDA with signed PDF and audit trail, granular permissions, and unlimited storage. SecureDocs charges a flat $250 per month for unlimited users but lacks every one of those features. A three-person deal team on Peony Business pays $90 per month — well under half the SecureDocs price — and gets AI-powered diligence tools SecureDocs cannot match. Deal teams running parallel mandates can step up to Data Room at $52 per admin for unlimited rooms.
We share CIMs with 8-10 bidder groups per mandate — does Peony have screenshot protection for those confidential documents like SecureDocs?
Yes. When deal teams share confidential information memoranda, financial models, or board materials, Peony's screenshot protection on the Business plan ($30/admin/mo) blocks screen captures so sensitive deal documents stay contained. The Data Room plan ($52/admin/mo) adds Screenshield for even stronger protection. SecureDocs does not offer screenshot protection at any tier, leaving your diligence materials exposed to unauthorized screenshots that could leak to competing bidders.
I'm a 2-person founding team with a $100/month tool budget — can I use Peony as a flat-rate data room for investor diligence?
Founders can start sharing pitch decks and financials on Peony's free tier with no credit card. When diligence heats up and you need a data room, Peony Business is $30 per admin per month. A solo founder or two-person team pays $30 to $60 per month for data rooms, AI document Q&A, screenshot protection, and dynamic watermarks — well under SecureDocs' flat $250 per month, and with AI capabilities SecureDocs does not offer at any price. If you need unlimited data rooms or a signed-PDF Advanced NDA, the Data Room plan is $52 per admin per month.
Our deal team fields 30+ diligence questions per week from investors — does SecureDocs have AI document chat, or should we use Peony instead?
No. SecureDocs does not offer AI document chat or any AI-powered features. During diligence, investors and counterparties constantly ask questions about your documents. Peony's AI document chat lets them get instant, accurate answers pulled directly from your data room — around the clock, without your deal team fielding every question manually. Peony also offers Smart Q&A, a structured 4-step workflow where counterparties submit questions, AI drafts responses, your team reviews, and approved answers are published — keeping the diligence process organized and auditable.
We handle 5 confidential transactions at a time with sensitive financials — what security features does Peony have for M&A that SecureDocs lacks?
Deal teams handling confidential transaction documents need layered security. Every Peony plan includes AES-256 encryption at rest, TLS 1.3 in transit, SOC 2 Type II certified, GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA compliance, 2FA, link expiry, and per-page analytics to track exactly who reviewed which diligence materials. Business ($30/admin/mo) adds screenshot protection, e-signatures for signing NDAs and closing documents, and NDA-gated access. Data Room ($52/admin/mo) adds unlimited data rooms, dynamic watermarks stamped with each viewer's identity, Advanced NDA with signed PDF and audit trail, and granular permissions. For five parallel transactions with redaction of sensitive financials, the Deal Team plan ($64/admin/mo, minimum 4 admins) adds Advanced Redaction and the Advanced Q&A module. SecureDocs offers basic data room security but lacks screenshot protection, dynamic watermarks, NDA gating, and redaction.
We're 3 weeks into a Series B fundraise with 12 investors in diligence — can we migrate from SecureDocs to Peony without disrupting access?
Yes. Founders and deal teams often switch platforms mid-process when they hit SecureDocs' limitations. Peony is designed for fast setup — you can create your first data room in under 5 minutes, upload your fundraising or diligence documents, configure security settings like watermarks and NDA gating, and share a single link with investors or counterparties. Most teams complete their SecureDocs-to-Peony migration in one session without disrupting the deal timeline.
My advisory firm grew from 2 to 8 people this year and we're outgrowing SecureDocs — what is the biggest difference with Peony for a growing deal team?
SecureDocs is a traditional flat-rate VDR built for basic file storage. Peony is a modern data room built for how deal teams and founders actually work: page-by-page analytics on every plan show you which diligence materials each counterparty reviewed and for how long. The Business plan ($30/admin/mo) adds data rooms, AI document Q&A for instant counterparty questions, e-signatures, screenshot protection, and NDA gating — with no per-viewer or per-page limits. The Data Room plan ($52/admin/mo) adds unlimited data rooms, auto-indexing, Advanced NDA, granular permissions, and dynamic watermarks. As your deal team grows or you move from fundraising to M&A, Peony scales with you.