Ontu and Datasite: the data room and the conversation around it
Datasite is a virtual data room and deal platform, the place where deal documents live. Ontu isn't a data room. It handles the correspondence, calls and follow-ups that happen around one. Most teams would want both, so this comparison is about how they fit together.
Ontu and Datasite, side by side
Ontu
Datasite
What it is
Ontu
A project workspace for the correspondence, calls and documents around a deal. It isn't a data room.
Datasite
A virtual data room and deal platform for M&A, with sourcing, transaction management and archiving.
Where documents live
Ontu
Uploaded into the project, or arriving as email attachments, so Ontu can read them. It doesn't connect to a data room directly yet.
Datasite
Hosted in the data room under its access controls.
AI
Ontu
Drafts replies to correspondence from the project's documents, and answers questions across emails, files and calls.
Datasite
Offers AI tools including Blueflame, which lets users ask questions of data room content and spot gaps.
Security, as published
Ontu
Not yet SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certified. Our Trust Center lists exactly what is in place today, including sub-processors.
Datasite
Its site cites SOC 2 Type II attestation, ISO certifications including ISO/IEC 42001, and hosting on Microsoft Azure.
Who uses it
Ontu
Boutique and mid-sized deal and advisory teams.
Datasite
Corporates, investment banks, law firms and private equity firms, according to its site.
Choosing between them
Choose Datasite if
- —You need a formal virtual data room with deal-grade access controls.
- —Your counterparties expect certified infrastructure.
- —You want to run the whole transaction process, from preparation to archive, on one platform.
Choose Ontu if
- —Your bottleneck is the correspondence and follow-up around the data room, not the data room itself.
- —You want replies drafted from the documents and prior answers on the deal.
- —You want calls captured and turned into tracked tasks next to the same documents.
Using them together. Most teams would use both: the data room as the system of record for deal documents, and Ontu to keep up with the questions and follow-ups those documents generate. Today that means uploading the relevant files into the Ontu project.
Last reviewed October 2026. What we say about Datasite comes from its own public materials and is limited to what they state. Products change, so check Datasite directly before deciding. If anything here is out of date or wrong, email [email protected] and we'll correct it.
Sources
See Ontu on your next project
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