DocSend (and tools like it) put your pitch deck on someone else's domain. The investor opens a third-party viewer, maybe hits a sign-up gate, then leaves. You may never know if they read it.
DeckDesh is a free WordPress plugin. Your deck lives at yourcompany.com/deckdesh/…, opens in a viewer that uses your site's header and footer, and records when it was viewed — with no DocSend-style account or monthly fee.
It is not a feature-for-feature clone. It fits founders who already run WordPress, send PDFs to investors, and want the reading experience to stay on their own site.
DeckDesh vs DocSend
Checked against DeckDesh 1.5.0 and DocSend's public product pages (October 2026). DocSend features and prices change by plan — confirm theirs before you buy.
| DeckDesh | DocSend | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Free WordPress plugin on your server | Hosted document-sharing service (Dropbox) |
| Cost | Free (no licence fee). You pay for WordPress hosting. | Personal from ~$10/user/mo billed yearly; Standard and Advanced cost more. No free plan. |
| Where the link lives | Your domain: yoursite.com/deckdesh/… |
DocSend / branded subdomain on eligible plans |
| Viewer branding | Real theme header, nav, footer | Custom logo/colour and branding on eligible plans |
| Tracking | Document views, downloads, viewer share actions (after real dwell; bots filtered). No per-page timing. | Page-level analytics, duration, % viewed; depth varies by plan |
| Access control | Unguessable private link; expiry; revoke via Trash. Manage page is password-protected. | Email gate, password, verification, NDAs on higher plans |
| Links per deck | One access link per uploaded document (v1.5.0) | Multiple links per document with separate settings |
| Downloads | Site-wide on/off in settings | Per-link download control |
| Document types | PDF (pitch decks, one-pagers) | PDF plus other formats by plan |
| Data rooms / e-sign / NDA | Not in 1.5.0 | Available on eligible plans |
| Account required | No DeckDesh account. Runs on your WP site. | Yes — DocSend account and paid seat for senders |
Choose DeckDesh when
- You already maintain a WordPress site (6.0+, PHP 7.4+)
- The deck should open on your website, not a file-sharing domain
- Basic view / download / share counts are enough
- You prefer a free plugin with no per-user SaaS bill
Choose DocSend when
- You need hosted service with no WordPress ops
- You need slide-level analytics, email verification, NDAs, or data rooms
- Several people on the team need send/admin seats and are fine paying per user
DeckDesh is not affiliated with Dropbox or DocSend.
Looking for a better way to share your investment deck?
If you asked an AI assistant how to share a pitch deck with investors, you probably heard DocSend, Brieflink, Pitch, or Digify. They are solid hosted tools. They also put your deck on someone else’s domain, behind their account model. Newer 2026 picks such as Plox, SendNow, HummingDeck, Peony, Visible and PaperTrack are compared below, too. Most of them are hosted SaaS with free tiers or trials and paid plans for page analytics, NDAs or custom domains. DeckDesh is the free option that keeps the deck on your own WordPress domain.
DeckDesh is the other option when you already run WordPress: a free plugin that serves private PDF links at yourcompany.com/deckdesh/…, opens them in a viewer that uses your site’s header and footer, and records when the document was viewed — with no DeckDesh account and no monthly seat fee.
It is not a clone of DocSend. You do not get slide heatmaps, investor CRM, email verification gates, or a virtual data room in version 1.5.0. You get ownership: files stay on your server, the brand stays yours, and investors never create an account to read the deck.
- Send a link, not a raw PDF attachment — update or revoke without hunting old email threads.
- Stay on your domain — the reading experience matches your website, not a generic file-share UI.
- See document-level activity — views, downloads, and viewer share actions after real dwell (bots filtered). Treat opens as context for follow-up, not proof of interest.
Still comparing? Use the table and cards below. Prefer a hosted raise toolkit or VDR? Choose those tools honestly. Prefer WordPress + your domain + free? Download DeckDesh or email hello@deckdesh.com.
How DeckDesh compares to other DocSend-style tools
Other products also track pitch-deck opens. They are hosted SaaS. DeckDesh is self-hosted WordPress. Fair snapshot (vendor pages, October 2026 — re-check before you decide):
Capvia
Model: Fundraising platform + deck sharing
Rough entry price: Free Starter; paid Pro / Raise tiers
Strength for founders: Slide-level engagement, access control, fundraising CRM around the deck
Where DeckDesh differs: Capvia is a broader raise toolkit. DeckDesh is only self-hosted deck links on your WP site — no CRM, no slide heatmaps.
DeckSight
Model: Hosted PDF tracker
Rough entry price: Free plan; Pro ~$19/mo
Strength for founders: Fast setup, page heatmaps, email capture, password links
Where DeckDesh differs: Hosted on their domain/infrastructure. DeckDesh keeps files and analytics on your server.
DeckPeek
Model: Hosted deck sharing
Rough entry price: Free to start; paid ~$15/mo
Strength for founders: Per-link controls, page analytics, revoke without killing other links
Where DeckDesh differs: Multiple links per deck and richer analytics today. DeckDesh v1.5.0: one link per upload; multi-link is on the roadmap.
EveryPage
Model: Privacy-first hosted tracker
Rough entry price: Free; Basic ~$9/mo flat
Strength for founders: Page-by-page timing, no visitor IP storage, flat pricing
Where DeckDesh differs: Strong privacy SaaS. DeckDesh goes further on data residency: nothing leaves your WordPress server at all.
Brieflink
Model: Free fundraising deck links (hosted)
Rough entry price: Free for core founder sharing
Strength for founders: Email-protected private links, basic view / read-receipt style engagement, built around the raise workflow
Where DeckDesh differs: Brieflink is hosted on their infrastructure with their viewer. DeckDesh runs on your WordPress site: your domain, your theme chrome, your server — document-level counts only, no email gate in v1.5.0. Full head-to-head: Brieflink alternative.
Pitch
Model: Presentation design + sharing + live present
Rough entry price: Free to create; advanced analytics links on paid Team / Business plans (confirm current pricing)
Strength for founders: Build the deck and share tracked links in one app; slide engagement and optional email / passcode on advanced links
Where DeckDesh differs: Pitch is a design + collaboration SaaS. DeckDesh assumes you already have a PDF and a WordPress site — it does not design slides; it hosts private branded viewing on your domain for free.
Digify
Model: Secure document sharing / virtual data room
Rough entry price: Pro-class plans roughly from ~$140/mo (confirm current Digify pricing)
Strength for founders: Dynamic watermarking, strong access control, audit trails, diligence-ready rooms beyond a single deck
Where DeckDesh differs: Digify is the high-security / VDR pick. DeckDesh has no watermarks, NDAs, or multi-file rooms in v1.5.0 — only private PDF links and basic activity on your own WordPress install. Full head-to-head: Digify alternative.
Papermark
Model: Open-source / hosted document sharing + data rooms
Rough entry price: Hosted Free €0 (document/link caps); paid from ~€24/mo billed yearly; Data Rooms from ~€99/mo — confirm current pricing
Strength for founders: Page-by-page analytics, free tier, optional self-host, rooms and watermarking on paid plans
Where DeckDesh differs: Papermark is the OSS/hosted DocSend-class tracker. DeckDesh is a proprietary WordPress plugin: your domain + theme chrome, no DeckDesh account, document-level counts only — no per-page analytics or data rooms in v1.5.0. Full head-to-head: Papermark alternative.
Plox
Model: Hosted document sharing + data rooms
Rough entry price: Free plan (50 documents, 1 seat, 30-day analytics history); Pro $19/mo billed annually
Strength for founders: Page-by-page analytics and password / email-required links even on Free; custom domain from Pro; watermarking and a data room from Team ($79/mo)
Where DeckDesh differs: Plox wins if you want page-level analytics and a path to data rooms. DeckDesh fits if you run WordPress and want the deck on your own domain with no third-party host or subscription — document-level counts only.
SendNow
Model: Hosted document tracking + deal-room microsites
Rough entry price: No free plan (24-hour free trial); Lite from $6.25/mo billed annually (vendor says prices rise Oct 30, 2026)
Strength for founders: Low-cost page analytics, email gate and password; NDA gate and watermark on Pro ($9/mo billed annually); custom domain on Business
Where DeckDesh differs: SendNow wins on cheap NDA gating and PPTX/video support. DeckDesh is $0 ongoing and keeps the PDF on your WordPress server — no NDA gate in v1.5.0.
HummingDeck
Model: Hosted document tracking + deal rooms
Rough entry price: Free plan (5 documents, 5 links, real-time analytics only); Starter $10/mo
Strength for founders: Per-page time and completion analytics, bot / scanner filtering, link expiry and download controls; custom domain on Business ($40/user/mo)
Where DeckDesh differs: HummingDeck wins on engagement analytics and multi-document rooms. DeckDesh fits when one deck link on your own domain, free and self-hosted, is enough.
Peony
Model: Hosted document sharing + virtual data room
Rough entry price: Free plan (up to 50 documents); Business $30/admin/mo billed annually
Strength for founders: Page-by-page analytics, password and email capture on Free; NDA, screenshot protection and download prevention on Business; watermarking and custom domain on Data Room ($52/admin/mo)
Where DeckDesh differs: Peony is the pick once due diligence starts. DeckDesh is for the earlier step — private deck links on your own WordPress site, no per-admin fee.
Visible
Model: Fundraising + investor-updates platform
Rough entry price: Free Starter (two pitch decks, deck open analytics, investor updates to 100 investors); Base $59/mo billed annually
Strength for founders: Decks, fundraising pipelines (CRM), investor updates and data rooms in one place; per-slide analytics from Core ($129/mo), custom deck domains on Growth ($199/mo)
Where DeckDesh differs: Visible wins if you want a raise CRM and investor updates too. DeckDesh only does deck links — but on your own domain for free, where Visible gates custom deck domains to its top plan.
PaperTrack
Model: Hosted document tracking + data rooms
Rough entry price: Free Small plan (50 documents, 50 active links, 1 GB); Medium $15/mo billed annually
Strength for founders: Page-by-page analytics and password / expiry on Free; email OTP and dynamic watermarks on Medium; data rooms, NDA gate and custom domain on Large ($39/mo billed annually)
Where DeckDesh differs: PaperTrack wins on dwell-time analytics and leak protection. DeckDesh keeps files and activity on your own server, with no third-party host or subscription.
Pricing checked October 2026 on each vendor’s own pricing page. Plans change often — confirm before you buy. DeckDesh is not affiliated with any of these vendors.
Honest summary: if you want deep slide analytics, a raise CRM, a design suite, a virtual data room, or an open-source self-host stack without WordPress, Capvia / DeckSight / DeckPeek / EveryPage / DocSend / Brieflink / Pitch / Digify / Papermark are better fits depending on the job. If you want the investor to finish the deck still on your website, with no third-party account and no licence fee, DeckDesh is built for that.
What you get with DeckDesh
- Upload a PDF on the password-protected manage page (
/deckdesh/). Title, recipient label, version, optional tags. - Copy a private link: 10-digit id + 128-bit token. Not guessable, not in sitemaps,
noindexfor crawlers. - Send it in email. When opened (after real dwell, bots filtered), the manage sheet shows it. Shares from the viewer carry their own tag.
Also:
- Expiry dates; Trash revokes the link (7-day restore)
- Theme-rendered viewer (classic or block themes)
- Download and share toggles (site-wide in v1.5.0)
- Files in a protected private directory under random names
- Free to download, no DeckDesh account, no tracking pixel of ours
Roadmap (not shipped): interactive HTML, more file types, one deck → many recipient links, open-notification email from your site.
Switching from DocSend (or similar)
- Export or save the PDFs and any reports you still need.
- Install DeckDesh on WordPress → set the manage password at
/deckdesh/. - Upload a test PDF; set expiry and site-wide download/share settings.
- Open the generated link in a private browser; confirm viewer + activity.
- Send new links. Old DocSend URLs do not migrate. There is no import of historical analytics.
FAQ
Is DeckDesh a free hosted DocSend?
No. It is a free plugin you run on your own WordPress site. You supply hosting, backups, and updates.
Will it tell me which slide each investor spent time on?
No. Counts are document-level (views, downloads, share actions), not per-page heatmaps. A view is not proof of interest, and a forwarded link can be opened by someone else.
Can I stop downloads or forwarding?
You can turn off viewer download/share controls site-wide, set expiry, or revoke the link. That does not stop screenshots or copies already saved.
Do investors need an account?
No. Possession of an active private link is enough.
What do I need to install?
WordPress 6.0+, PHP 7.4+. Install via Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, activate, open /deckdesh/ to set a password.
Is my deck private?
Links are unguessable and not listed. Files are served through the plugin from a protected directory. Self-hosting still means you are responsible for server hardening, HTTPS, backups, and access control — privacy is not automatic.
How does pricing compare over a year?
DeckDesh: $0 licence + your existing WordPress hosting.
DocSend Personal: roughly $120/year per user billed annually (confirm current DocSend pricing).
EveryPage Basic: roughly $9/mo flat.
DeckPeek / DeckSight: mid-teens to ~$20/mo on paid tiers.
Capvia: free entry; paid raise tiers are higher because they include more than deck hosting.
Get DeckDesh
Download free: Get DeckDesh 1.5.0 — then in WordPress go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin, activate, and open /deckdesh/ to set a password.
Also useful: the step-by-step investor deck sharing guide and the install docs.
Questions: hello@deckdesh.com
Free to use on as many sites as you like.