Intralinks and Ideals compared: What actually makes the difference

The virtual data room (VDR) provider you choose directly affects your deal flow. A strong platform streamlines progress, but the wrong one creates issues with data management, security, or collaboration. That’s why dealmakers need to thoroughly evaluate their options before choosing a VDR that fits their needs.

This article examines the competitive landscape of virtual data room providers and outlines where Ideals, one of the top Intralinks alternatives, adds extra value.

So, how does Intralinks compare to Ideals? Keep reading to learn more.

What is Intralinks, and who is it for?

Intralinks virtual data room software provides secure document management and collaboration services for important transactions. With nearly 30 years of experience, Intralinks helps users securely complete key processes, including:

• M&A or IPOs
• Intellectual property protection 
• Due diligence
• Board management
• Financial reporting
• Legal compliance management
• Fund management
• Syndicated landing

Intralinks support deals with its six main products: VDRPro™, DealCentre AI™, FundCentre™, Deal Services™, DealVault™, and InView™.

Why is Ideals a good Intralinks alternative?

While Intralinks has a long history, it still doesn’t guarantee that users receive 100% of what they expect from a modern VDR. In fact, verifiable G2 feedback suggests that users occasionally encounter challenges with Intralinks’ interface, cost-effectiveness, and responsiveness, especially when compared with other competitors that prioritize flexibility and usability.

Where Intralinks falls short, the Ideals virtual data room solution brings a clear competitive edge. Let’s examine these aspects in greater detail.

Verdict: Ideals shows higher user and security ratings, more advanced permission levels, and several convenience features that Intralinks lacks, such as external file sharing, uploads from cloud storage, custom session timeouts, and project control modes.

Customer care

Verdict: Both providers offer solid customer support, but their service pace and consistency differ. Ideals handles flash drive preparation a bit quicker and includes the same number of free flash drives across all plans, while Intralinks varies what’s included and takes slightly longer to process requests. 

What’s more, Ideals’ customer care is often praised by users for its professionalism, responsiveness, and dedication to helping teams manage deals smoothly.

Data management

Verdict: Ideals offers greater control and flexibility in data management. It provides a broader set of built-in tools, including document translation, eSignature, dark mode, and secure Excel viewing.  

Ideals also supports more flexible file uploading through desktop, mobile, and cloud storage options like OneDrive and SharePoint, making it easier to manage data during complex transactions.

CTA: Explore our comparison of top VDR providers when deciding on the best virtual data rooms for your deal.

Pricing transparency: Ideals vs. Intralinks

Pricing clarity is one of the most decisive factors when comparing virtual data room providers. Transparency helps clients forecast costs accurately and avoid unexpected charges as projects scale.

Intralinks pricing approach

There’s no publicly available information about Intralinks’ cost on their website, which makes it difficult to describe their pricing approach. There’s also no mention of a free trial.

What they do mention is that the pricing is tailored based on factors like the number of users, volume of data, project duration, and feature set. However, it’s not clear what features you’ll get in the end. Users must contact sales for pricing details.

Ideals pricing approach

Ideals takes a more transparent approach, offering a clear, structured pricing model. While it also provides custom quotes, Ideals defines what’s included with each package upfront, ensuring there are no hidden fees or billing surprises.

Ideals offers three plans tailored to each customer’s needs:

• Core. Perfect for small and medium deals, this plan offers a single project, five administrators, unlimited users, and 0.5–2 GB of storage to use for secure document sharing.
  
• Premier. Best suited for high-stakes transactions, this plan adds unlimited administrators, tailored storage, and features such as document translation, custom reports, and the ability to upload files externally.
  
• Enterprise. With unlimited projects, users, and admins, tailored storage, and a variety of multiple-project management tools, this plan is a go-to solution for high-volume projects.

Ideals follows a one clear cost approach, giving clients full visibility into what they pay for with no hidden add-ons.

Final thoughts

For users looking for Intralinks alternatives, Ideals deserves serious consideration.

• Intralinks is a long-established platform with experience supporting complex, high-stakes transactions across global markets.
  
• Ideals offers a modern approach with clearer pricing and a wider set of built-in features aimed at simplifying daily workflows and data management.

Explore how Ideals can support your next deal.