TL;DR — Quick Verdict
The Bottom Line
- Choose DocSend if you need page-by-page analytics, virtual data rooms, CRM integrations, or team collaboration — and have the budget ($15-65+/month).
- Choose MaiPDF if you need tracked PDF sharing with access control (view limits, expiration, email verification, watermarks, QR codes) — and want it free.
- Key difference: DocSend is an enterprise analytics platform. MaiPDF is a focused PDF security and sharing tool.
Platform Overview
DocSend
Founded: 2013 (acquired by Dropbox in 2021)
Focus: Document analytics & virtual data rooms for sales teams and fundraising
Price: $15–65+/month
Target users: Startup founders raising capital, B2B sales teams, legal/M&A professionals
MaiPDF
Focus: Secure PDF sharing with access control, tracking, and QR codes
Price: Free core features
Target users: Anyone sharing sensitive PDFs — freelancers, small businesses, educators, HR professionals
Approach: Upload → set security rules → share link
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature |
DocSend |
MaiPDF |
| Document Sharing |
| Shareable tracked links |
|
|
| QR code generation |
|
|
| File format support |
PDF, PPTX, DOCX, images |
PDF, images |
| Replace file without changing link |
|
|
| Analytics & Tracking |
| View count tracking |
|
|
| Page-by-page analytics |
Detailed |
|
| Time spent per page |
|
|
| Device & location info |
|
|
| Email capture |
|
|
| Security & Access Control |
| View limits |
|
|
| Link expiration |
|
|
| Password protection |
|
|
| Email verification access |
|
|
| Dynamic watermarks |
|
|
| Download prevention |
|
|
| NDA before viewing |
|
|
| Enterprise & Integration |
| Virtual data rooms |
|
|
| CRM integration (Salesforce, HubSpot) |
|
|
| Team collaboration |
|
|
| Branded portals |
|
|
| Pricing |
| Free tier |
14-day trial only |
Free core features |
| Starting price |
$15/month |
$0 |
Pricing Breakdown
| Plan |
DocSend |
MaiPDF |
| Free |
14-day trial only |
Tracked links, view limits, QR codes, watermarks, expiration, analytics |
| Personal / Starter |
$15/mo — basic analytics, email capture, passcode |
— |
| Standard |
$45/mo — data rooms, NDA, branding |
— |
| Advanced / Enterprise |
$65+/mo — CRM, team permissions, SSO |
— |
Annual cost comparison: DocSend Personal costs $180/year. DocSend Standard costs $540/year. MaiPDF's core features: $0/year. The question is whether DocSend's additional analytics justify the investment for your use case.
Where DocSend Wins (Honestly)
DocSend is genuinely better in several areas. Here's where they have a clear advantage:
- Page-by-page analytics: DocSend shows exactly which pages viewers spent time on and which they skipped. This is invaluable for sales pitches and investor decks — you can see if investors read your financials or skimmed past them. MaiPDF doesn't offer this level of detail.
- Virtual data rooms: For fundraising or M&A, DocSend provides organized data rooms with multiple documents, permission controls, and NDA collection. MaiPDF is single-document focused.
- CRM integration: DocSend connects to Salesforce, HubSpot, and other CRMs. If your sales workflow depends on CRM tracking, DocSend fits into your stack. MaiPDF is a standalone tool.
- Multi-format support: DocSend handles PDFs, PowerPoints, Word docs, and images. MaiPDF focuses on PDFs and images.
- Team features: DocSend supports team workspaces, permission controls, and shared analytics. MaiPDF is designed for individual use.
- Established ecosystem: As part of Dropbox, DocSend has a large user base, robust infrastructure, and enterprise support.
Where MaiPDF Wins
- Price — it's free: MaiPDF's core features (tracked links, view limits, expiration, email verification, analytics) cost nothing. DocSend charges $15-65+/month. For individuals and small teams, this is significant.
- View limits: MaiPDF lets you set how many times a link can be opened (1–10,000). DocSend doesn't offer this. View limits are critical for PDF access control in legal, HR, and compliance scenarios.
- Dynamic watermarks: MaiPDF overlays viewer-specific information (email, IP, timestamp) on the document in real-time. DocSend doesn't have this. Read more about watermarking options.
- QR code sharing: MaiPDF generates QR codes for every shared document — great for print materials, business cards, and offline-to-online workflows. DocSend doesn't generate QR codes.
- No account required: Recipients don't need a DocSend or MaiPDF account to view documents on either platform. But with MaiPDF, even the sender can share basic documents without creating an account.
- Simplicity: MaiPDF has a focused interface: upload → configure → share. There's no complex dashboard to learn. For users who just need to share a secure PDF, it's faster.
- Chinese language support: MaiPDF supports both English and Chinese interfaces and content. DocSend is primarily English.
Who Should Use Which?
Choose DocSend If...
- You're raising funding and need a virtual data room with NDA collection
- You're a B2B sales team that needs page-by-page engagement analytics
- You need CRM integration (Salesforce, HubSpot) in your sales workflow
- You share multiple document types (PPTX, DOCX, not just PDFs)
- You need team collaboration with shared analytics dashboards
- Your company has the budget for $15-65+/month per user
Choose MaiPDF If...
- You need free PDF sharing with tracking and access control
- You need view limits to restrict how many times a document can be opened
- You need dynamic watermarks for leak deterrence and forensic tracing
- You want QR codes for offline-to-online document distribution
- You're a freelancer, educator, or small business that can't justify $15+/month
- You need to share confidential PDFs (HR documents, legal contracts, financial reports) with audit trails
- You want simplicity — upload, set rules, share. No complex setup
You Might Use Both If...
- Your sales team uses DocSend for pitch deck analytics, but HR uses MaiPDF for free secure document sharing
- You use DocSend for fundraising data rooms, but MaiPDF for day-to-day PDF sharing with view limits
Try MaiPDF — Free PDF Sharing with Access Control
Track views, set limits, add watermarks, generate QR codes. No credit card. No trial expiration.
Try MaiPDF Free
Frequently Asked Questions
Is MaiPDF a good alternative to DocSend?
MaiPDF is a strong free alternative for users who need PDF tracking, view limits, and access control without a monthly subscription. DocSend offers more advanced analytics and enterprise features, but at $15-65+/month. MaiPDF covers the core sharing and security features at no cost.
How much does DocSend cost compared to MaiPDF?
DocSend starts at $15/month (Personal) and goes up to $65+/month (Advanced). MaiPDF's core features — tracked links, view limits, QR codes, watermarks, and basic analytics — are free.
Can MaiPDF track PDF views like DocSend?
Both platforms track document opens, view counts, and basic viewer information. DocSend provides more granular page-by-page analytics and time-per-page metrics. MaiPDF tracks opens, view counts, and supports email verification for identity-verified tracking. See our PDF tracking guide for details.
What can DocSend do that MaiPDF cannot?
DocSend offers page-by-page analytics, virtual data rooms, NDA integration, CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot), team collaboration, and branded portals. These are enterprise features that MaiPDF does not currently offer.
What can MaiPDF do that DocSend cannot?
MaiPDF offers view limits (restrict how many times a link can be opened), dynamic watermarks (overlay viewer identity on documents), QR code generation, and these features are free. DocSend does not offer view limits or dynamic watermarks.
Can I switch from DocSend to MaiPDF?
Yes. If your primary needs are PDF sharing with tracking and access control, MaiPDF covers those use cases. Upload your PDFs and generate new tracked links. Note that you'll lose page-by-page analytics and CRM integrations if you used those in DocSend.
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