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SharePoint vs DocSend: Document sharing platforms compared

AvatarEllty editorial team22 September 2025

Internal team behind the product.


BlogSharePoint vs DocSend: Document sharing platforms compared

DocSend and SharePoint solve different problems. DocSend tracks document views and engagement. SharePoint is a full collaboration platform. Here's when to use each.

Quick comparison

DocSend is for external document sharing with tracking. You send a link, see who viewed it, for how long, and which pages they read.

Docsend


SharePoint is for internal team collaboration. It's a company intranet where teams store files, build sites, and work together.

SharePoint home


If you need simple document tracking without the complexity of SharePoint, Ellty offers similar features to DocSend.

Ellty home page


Core differences

Purpose

DocSend: Send documents to people outside your company. Track their engagement. Know when to follow up.

SharePoint: Create a digital workplace for your team. Store files, manage projects, build internal sites.

Users

DocSend: Sales teams, fundraising startups, marketing teams sharing proposals.

SharePoint: Entire organizations using Microsoft 365. IT departments managing company data.

Setup time

DocSend: Sign up and start sharing in minutes.

SharePoint: Requires IT setup, permissions configuration, and training. Can take weeks.

Feature comparison

Document tracking

DocSend:

  • Real-time view notifications
  • Time spent per page
  • Download tracking
  • Forward tracking
  • Visitor identification

SharePoint:

  • Basic view counts
  • Version history
  • No external tracking
  • Internal audit logs only

Security

DocSend:

  • Password protection
  • Link expiration
  • NDA acceptance
  • Watermarking
  • Email verification

SharePoint:

  • Enterprise security
  • Azure AD integration
  • Data loss prevention
  • Encryption at rest
  • Compliance certifications

Collaboration

DocSend:

  • Comments on shared docs
  • Team spaces
  • Basic permissions

SharePoint:

  • Real-time co-authoring
  • Microsoft Teams integration
  • Workflow automation
  • Full Office integration
  • Custom metadata

Storage

DocSend:

  • Limited by plan (100GB max)
  • Focus on active documents

SharePoint:

  • 1TB+ per organization
  • Unlimited with E5 plans
  • Long-term archive options

Pricing

DocSend pricing

  • Personal: $15/month
  • Standard: $65/month (3 users)
  • Advanced: $250/month
  • Enterprise: Custom

SharePoint pricing

  • Plan 1: $5/user/month
  • Plan 2: $10/user/month
  • Microsoft 365 Business: $22/user/month
  • E3: $36/user/month

SharePoint seems cheaper per user, but remember you're buying for everyone. DocSend you buy for specific users who share externally.

Use cases

When to use DocSend

Sales proposals - Track which parts prospects read. Know when they share internally.

Fundraising - See which slides investors spend time on. Track who they forward to.

Client deliverables - Confirm clients reviewed documents. Control access after project ends.

Marketing materials - Measure engagement with sales collateral.

When to use SharePoint

Company intranet - Central hub for policies, news, and resources.

Department sites - HR forms, IT helpdesk, project wikis.

Document management - Company-wide file storage with governance.

Team collaboration - Work together on Office documents.

Integration differences

DocSend integrations:

  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Slack
  • Gmail
  • Limited API

SharePoint integrations:

  • Entire Microsoft ecosystem
  • Power Platform
  • Thousands of third-party apps
  • Full API access
  • Custom development

What each platform can't do

DocSend can't:

  • Replace your file storage system
  • Handle complex workflows
  • Manage internal collaboration
  • Scale to thousands of users efficiently

SharePoint can't:

  • Track external document engagement
  • Show page-by-page analytics
  • Provide simple link sharing
  • Work without Microsoft ecosystem

Real-world scenario

Scenario: Sending a proposal to a client

With DocSend:

  1. Upload proposal
  2. Create tracked link
  3. Send link via email
  4. Get notification when opened
  5. See they spent 5 minutes on pricing
  6. Follow up accordingly

With SharePoint:

  1. Save to SharePoint
  2. Set up guest access
  3. Client needs Microsoft account
  4. Send invitation
  5. No engagement tracking
  6. Guess when to follow up

Migration considerations

Moving from SharePoint to DocSend:

  • Only move external-facing documents
  • Keep SharePoint for internal files
  • Train sales/marketing teams
  • Update sharing workflows

Moving from DocSend to SharePoint:

  • Lose tracking capabilities
  • Need Microsoft licenses
  • Complex permission setup
  • Requires IT involvement

Verdict

These aren't competing products. DocSend is a specialized tool for external document tracking. SharePoint is an enterprise collaboration platform.

Choose DocSend if:

  • You share documents externally
  • Tracking engagement matters
  • You need simple, fast setup
  • You're in sales or fundraising

Choose SharePoint if:

  • You need internal collaboration
  • You're already using Microsoft 365
  • You want integrated storage
  • You need enterprise features

Consider both if:

  • You have different teams with different needs
  • Budget allows for specialized tools
  • External tracking is critical for some teams

Many companies use SharePoint for internal work and DocSend (or Ellty) for external document sharing. They solve different problems.

The choice isn't really DocSend vs SharePoint. It's whether you need document tracking (DocSend) or enterprise collaboration (SharePoint). Most growing companies eventually need both.

Try DocSend & SharePoint Alternative
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