Free document tracking software, compared
The free document tracking software with no document limit is ArtifactSend. It tracks PDFs, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, video, HTML and Claude artifacts, with unlimited documents, links, readers and team members. Papermark, Peony and PDFTrackr have free plans capped at 50 documents for one person, Pitchwise at 10 documents, and HTMLRadar at 2 tracked links.
Want the short version? See ArtifactSend, the free DocSend alternative.
Free here, side by side
Everything here is free on ArtifactSend, with no limits on documents, links, readers or team members. The same set costs $150 a month on DocSend, or $1,800 a year.
Covers PDF with time on each page · Word, PowerPoint and Excel · Email verification code · A separate link for each person · Alert when someone opens it · How far each reader got, and time per section
Rival facts from each vendor's public pricing and feature pages, November 2026, prices billed yearly. Not listed means the vendor's pages do not say. Prices change, so check theirs before you decide. All features, vendor by vendor.
What document tracking software does
You upload a file and send a link instead of an attachment. The tool records who opened it, when, how long they spent on each page or slide, and whether they came back. Good tools also let you ask for the reader's email first, turn downloads off and get an alert when someone opens it.
An attachment tells you nothing after you hit send. A tracked link tells you who is interested, so you follow up with the right person at the right time.
Free plans, side by side
Read from each product's pricing page on November 8, 2026. DocSend's prices are from November 2, 2026.
| Tool | Free plan | Team members | Analytics kept | Verify a reader's email | Data room |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArtifactSend | Unlimited documents, links and readers. No card | Unlimited, free | Until you delete the link | Free, by emailed code or Google sign-in | Free, with NDA and watermark |
| DocSend | None. A 14-day trial | Paid per user, $30 each | No free plan | Advanced, $150 a month for 3 users | Advanced Data Rooms, $180 a month |
| Papermark | 50 documents, 50 links | 1 | 30 days, last 20 views | Business, €59 a month | NDA and watermark on Data Rooms, €99 a month |
| Peony | Up to 50 documents | 1 admin | 30 days | Business, $30 per admin a month | Business, $30 per admin; watermark on Data Room, $52 |
| PDFTrackr | 50 PDFs, 50 links, 500 MB | 1 | 12 months | Pro, $9 a month, billed monthly | Not listed |
| Pitchwise | 10 documents, 1 active link, 5 visitor insights | 1 | Not listed | Pro, $17 a month | 1 room on Pro |
| HTMLRadar | 2 tracked links for the life of the account | 1 | Not listed. Names the first 5 readers of each link | Free, by code or password | Not offered |
| BriefLink | Pitch decks only, always free | 1 | Not listed. View counts and read receipts | Email access, not verified | Not offered |
| Google Drive | Free file sharing | Not applicable | Viewer list on work or school accounts only | Google sign-in | Shared folders, no analytics |
A feature a pricing page does not describe may still exist. Prices change, so the vendor's page is the one that counts.
Which one to pick
- If you track more than 50 documents, or more than one person sends them, pick ArtifactSend, the only free plan here with no document or member limit.
- If you need the reader's verified email for free, pick ArtifactSend. Readers confirm by emailed code or Google sign-in.
- If you only send PDFs and want a year of history, PDFTrackr's free plan keeps 12 months.
- If you want open source you can host yourself, pick Papermark.
- If you only send one pitch deck, BriefLink is free for decks.
How ArtifactSend tracks a document for free
- Sign in at artifactsend.com with Google or an emailed code. No card.
- Drop in a PDF, Word, PowerPoint or Excel file, a video, an HTML page or a Claude artifact.
- Choose who can open it. Anyone with the link, anyone who gives an email, or only verified emails, with an optional list of allowed people or company domains.
- Copy the link, or make one link per person so each report has a name on it.
- Open the report to see each reader, time on every page or section, clicks, copied text and a replay of each visit.