Compare · DocSend
The DocSend alternative for HTML files.
DocSend is built for PDFs and files. HTMLRadar keeps your page a page, and turns a PDF into one when that is what you have.
Make a tracked link
No file yet
DocSend is an established document-tracking product owned by Dropbox, and it is good at what it does. This page answers one narrow question: what do you do when the document you want to track is a web page rather than a file?
Every DocSend fact checked on 29 September 2026
Side by side
| What you need | HTMLRadar | DocSend |
|---|---|---|
| The document | ||
| Upload an .html file | Yes, it is the main input | Not on its accepted-file list1 |
| A web page you already host | Paste its address, and see each reader’s time on each section | Add it as an external URL link: device, location and time of each visit, on Standard and above, not in the trial2 |
| A PDF you already have | Convert it into a web page, free in your browser, or attach it under a tracked link with every download logged | Upload it as it is1 |
| Reading | ||
| Reading detail | Time on each section, for each named reader | Per page, for PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Google Docs, Google Slides and Keynote; the Personal plan lists document-level analytics3 |
| Word when it is read | An e-mail the moment it is first opened | Real-time engagement notifications, on every plan3 |
| Changes after sending | Replace it on the same link, and everyone sees the new version | “Update once, update everywhere”, on every plan3 |
| Who can open it | ||
| Proof of the reader’s e-mail | A one-time code to the reader’s inbox, on every plan | E-mail authentication for visitors, Advanced and above3 |
| Company-only or named readers | Your company’s domains or named addresses, on every plan | Allow and block lists of visitors, Advanced and above3 |
| Beyond sending | ||
| Data rooms | No | Yes, called Spaces3 |
| E-signature | No | Unlimited on Standard and above; 4 a month on Personal, where it is offered3 |
| NDAs and dynamic watermarking | No | Advanced and above3 |
| Single sign-on | No | An add-on, Advanced and above3 |
| Price, in US dollars | ||
| Free | 2 tracked links, free. No credit card.4 | No free plan; a 14-day trial of Advanced Data Rooms3 |
| One person | Pro: $15 a month, or $150 a year, with unlimited links4 | Personal $10 or Standard $45 a user a month, billed yearly5 |
| A team | Team: $20 a seat a month, minimum 5 seats, billed monthly4 | Advanced: $150 a month billed yearly, or $250 monthly, for 3 users3 |
| Your own domain | Included in Pro4 | Branded custom subdomain, Standard and above3 |
Rows marked Only are what the other does not have. Every plan marks what the other keeps for higher plans.
HTMLRadar
The document
- Upload an .html file Only HTMLRadar
- Yes, it is the main input
- A web page you already host
- Paste its address, and see each reader’s time on each section
- A PDF you already have
- Convert it into a web page, free in your browser, or attach it under a tracked link with every download logged
Reading
- Reading detail
- Time on each section, for each named reader
- Word when it is read
- An e-mail the moment it is first opened
- Changes after sending
- Replace it on the same link, and everyone sees the new version
Who can open it
- Proof of the reader’s e-mail Every plan
- A one-time code to the reader’s inbox, on every plan
- Company-only or named readers Every plan
- Your company’s domains or named addresses, on every plan
Beyond sending
- Data rooms
- No
- E-signature
- No
- NDAs and dynamic watermarking
- No
- Single sign-on
- No
Price, in US dollars
- Free Only HTMLRadar
- 2 tracked links, free. No credit card.4
- One person
- Pro: $15 a month, or $150 a year, with unlimited links4
- A team
- Team: $20 a seat a month, minimum 5 seats, billed monthly4
- Your own domain
- Included in Pro4
DocSend
The document
- Upload an .html file
- Not on its accepted-file list1
- A web page you already host
- Add it as an external URL link: device, location and time of each visit, on Standard and above, not in the trial2
- A PDF you already have
- Upload it as it is1
Reading
- Reading detail
- Per page, for PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Google Docs, Google Slides and Keynote; the Personal plan lists document-level analytics3
- Word when it is read
- Real-time engagement notifications, on every plan3
- Changes after sending
- “Update once, update everywhere”, on every plan3
Who can open it
- Proof of the reader’s e-mail
- E-mail authentication for visitors, Advanced and above3
- Company-only or named readers
- Allow and block lists of visitors, Advanced and above3
Beyond sending
- Data rooms Only DocSend
- Yes, called Spaces3
- E-signature Only DocSend
- Unlimited on Standard and above; 4 a month on Personal, where it is offered3
- NDAs and dynamic watermarking Only DocSend
- Advanced and above3
- Single sign-on Only DocSend
- An add-on, Advanced and above3
Price, in US dollars
- Free
- No free plan; a 14-day trial of Advanced Data Rooms3
- One person
- Personal $10 or Standard $45 a user a month, billed yearly5
- A team
- Advanced: $150 a month billed yearly, or $250 monthly, for 3 users3
- Your own domain
- Branded custom subdomain, Standard and above3
Sources
- 1DocSend help centre, How to upload files to Dropbox DocSend, updated 5 June 2026. Also Download-only files in Dropbox DocSend.
- 2DocSend help centre, Share external URL links with Dropbox DocSend, updated 10 December 2025.
- 3DocSend, Plans and pricing, with both billing options and its questions and answers.
- 4HTMLRadar, Pricing.
- 5DocSend’s pricing page showed one of two versions across repeated loads on 29 September 2026. One lists Personal at $10 a user a month billed yearly ($15 monthly), Standard at $45 ($65 monthly), Advanced at $150 a month ($250 monthly) and Advanced Data Rooms at $180 ($300 monthly). The other has no Personal plan and lists Standard at $30 a user a month billed yearly ($43 monthly), with Advanced and Advanced Data Rooms at the same prices.
Where HTMLRadar fits
The comparison is not like for like. DocSend’s price buys a data room, e-signature and enterprise controls. HTMLRadar’s price buys web pages that reach the right people, and a record of how each person read them.
- The document is a web page.
- A Claude artifact, a reveal.js deck or a page written by hand stays a page: fonts, layout, links and interactions still work for the reader. DocSend has no route that turns an .html file into a DocSend document.
- You want to know which section they read.
- Knowing someone spent four minutes on the Ask slide is a different piece of information from knowing they reached eighty per cent of the scroll.
- You send on your own.
- Pro is one flat price for one person, $15 a month, with unlimited links and your own domain. DocSend prices its plans for one person per user.
- You want to try it before you pay.
- Two tracked links, free, with no credit card. DocSend has no free plan; it offers a 14-day trial.
What HTMLRadar does not do
HTMLRadar has no data room, e-signature, NDA gate, dynamic watermarking, single sign-on or tiered administrative roles. Its section-level reading data is for web pages: a PDF or office file rides along as an attachment under a tracked link, and the converter turns a PDF deck into a web page when you want the reading data.
Can you upload an HTML file to DocSend?
Not as a document. DocSend’s list of accepted uploads, checked on 29 September 2026, covers PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Keynote, audio, images, video and spreadsheets, and its separate download-only list covers text files, archives and very large spreadsheets. Neither list includes .html or .htm.
If the page is already hosted publicly, you can add it as an external URL link on Standard and above. The visit data for those links is the visitor’s device, location and the time of the visit.
What is the best free DocSend alternative?
DocSend has no free plan, only a 14-day trial, so any free alternative is a different product rather than a cheaper DocSend. HTMLRadar’s free plan covers 2 tracked links with the same section-level reading data as the paid plans, and no card. It is built for documents that are web pages, and converts a PDF into one.
How much does DocSend cost compared with HTMLRadar?
On 29 September 2026, DocSend listed Advanced at $150 a month billed yearly ($250 monthly) for three users, and Advanced Data Rooms at $180 a month billed yearly ($300 monthly). Its plans for one person are priced per user, and its pricing page showed two versions of them that day; both are in the notes under the comparison table.
HTMLRadar Pro is $15 a month or $150 a year for one person with unlimited tracked links, and Team is $20 a seat a month, minimum 5 seats. The plans are not equivalent: DocSend’s price includes data rooms, e-signature and enterprise controls that HTMLRadar does not have.
Does HTMLRadar track PDFs like DocSend does?
Not in the same way. HTMLRadar is HTML-first. PDFs, spreadsheets and ZIP files ride along as attachments under the same tracked link, but the section-level tracking is for web pages. If you want a PDF deck tracked section by section, convert it first with the free converter: it runs in your browser.
Can I move my DocSend files to HTMLRadar?
HTMLRadar does not import DocSend files. Upload each web page, or convert a PDF deck first, and create a link for each reader. If you want help with the move, e-mail hello@htmlradar.com and we will walk through it, free.
Does HTMLRadar support custom domains like DocSend’s branded subdomain?
Yes, and it is included in Pro at $15 a month. You add one CNAME record and your links are served from your own subdomain, for example decks.yourcompany.com/r/seed-deck-q2. Gates, passwords and expiry dates behave exactly as before, and links you have already sent keep working at the address they were issued on.