ClearSlide is a sales engagement platform. Video presentations. Screen sharing. Email tracking. Document analytics. Everything sales teams need in one place.
DocSend just tracks documents. Upload, share, analyze. Nothing else.
One's a Swiss Army knife. One's a scalpel. Let's see which fits your needs.
Core differences
ClearSlide built for live selling. Share your screen. Present remotely. Track engagement during and after meetings. Document sharing is one feature among many.
DocSend built for asynchronous sharing. Send a link. Track views later. Understand engagement without being present. Document tracking is the only feature.
Different approaches to understanding buyer interest.
Need simple document tracking?
ClearSlide includes more than most teams use. DocSend might be overkill for basic needs.
Ellty focuses on document tracking that works. No feature bloat. No complex platforms.
Free tier to start. Professional features from $29/month.
Pricing
ClearSlide: Starts at $35/user/month. But that's rarely the real price. Most teams need higher tiers. Enterprise pricing gets complex. Often $50-75/user/month real-world.
DocSend: Transparent tiers. $15 → $65 → $250. You know what you're paying. Still expensive, but predictable.
Neither offers free plans. Both require annual commitments for better pricing.
Features breakdown
ClearSlide
Live engagement tools: Screen share with analytics. See where viewers look. Record presentations. Real-time viewer insights.
Content management: Central library for sales materials. Version control. Approval workflows. Team templates.
Email integration: Track opens. Link clicks. Attachment views. All inside your email client.
CRM connectivity: Deep Salesforce integration. Activity logging. Automated data capture.
DocSend
Document analytics: Page-by-page engagement. Time tracking. Forward notifications. Download alerts.
Access control: Passwords. Expiration. Email verification. Granular permissions.
Link management: Update documents after sending. Revoke access. Custom branding.
Team features: Shared workspaces. User analytics. Admin controls.
Use cases
ClearSlide
You run live sales demos regularly. Need to present, track, and follow up in one platform.
Your team values integrated workflows. Everything in one place matters more than best-in-class features.
Budget allows for premium pricing. ROI justifies the cost through efficiency gains.
DocSend
You primarily share documents asynchronously. Proposals. Contracts. Marketing materials.
You need detailed document analytics. Understanding reading patterns drives your follow-up.
You want focused functionality. One tool doing one thing well.
Real user feedback
"ClearSlide transformed our sales process but most reps only use 20% of features" - Enterprise sales director on G2
"DocSend gives us exactly what we need - document tracking. Nothing more, nothing less" - Startup founder on Capterra
"Switched from ClearSlide to separate tools. Saved money and got better functionality" - Sales ops manager on TrustRadius
Integration
ClearSlide integrates deeply with sales stacks. Salesforce. Microsoft Dynamics. Marketo. Built for enterprise sales ecosystems.
DocSend integrates broadly but simply. Quick connections via Zapier. Basic CRM logging. Enough for most teams.
Neither stands alone well. Both assume you're using other tools.
Hidden considerations
ClearSlide training: Expect 2-4 weeks for team adoption. Many features to learn. Ongoing coaching needed.
DocSend simplicity: Most users productive in minutes. But limited functionality might frustrate power users.
ClearSlide IT requirements: Screen sharing needs bandwidth. Recording needs storage. IT involvement required.
DocSend lightweight: Works anywhere. No special requirements. Easy for remote teams.
Alternatives
The gap between ClearSlide's everything approach and DocSend's narrow focus leaves room for middle-ground solutions.
Tools like Ellty provide robust document tracking without platform complexity. Others bundle different features based on specific workflows.
Consider what you actually need versus what seems useful.
Decision framework
Budget check: Can you afford $35-75/user/month for ClearSlide? Or does $15-65 for DocSend strain budgets?
Feature audit: List what you'll actually use. Live presentations? Just document tracking? Be honest.
Team readiness: Will your team adopt a complex platform? Or do they need simple tools?
Integration needs: Deep CRM connection required? Or basic logging sufficient?
Try Ellty for document tracking
ClearSlide serves enterprise sales. DocSend handles basic tracking.
Most teams need something in between. Professional tracking without platform complexity.
Ellty delivers exactly that. Document analytics that matter. No bloated features. No annual contracts.
Free tier to start. See why teams switch from both.
