# Why is ArtifactSend free?

> ArtifactSend is free because we believe software features should be free, or close to free. With AI, building and running a feature costs little. What costs real money is AI doing work for you, so that is the only thing we charge for, a few cents per use. There are no seats, no document limits and no trial. We do not sell personal data, use advertising cookies or train AI models on your content.

Updated November 10, 2026. By Vela Partners. https://artifactsend.com/guides/why-is-artifactsend-free

The short version is on our free DocSend alternative page, https://artifactsend.com/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.

| Tool | What this set costs |
| --- | --- |
| ArtifactSend | $0, free, no card, no trial |
| DocSend | $150 a month ($1,800 a year) |
| Papermark | €99 a month (€1,188 a year) |
| Peony | $52 a month ($624 a year) per admin |
| Digify | $350 a month ($4,200 a year), 1 not listed |

Covers Email verification code · Data rooms with folders · NDA before viewing · Watermark with the reader's email · 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.

## Our view on software pricing

Most document tools charge per seat and lock features behind plans. That made sense when every feature took a team months to build. It no longer does. With AI, a feature takes days to build and costs very little to run, so we think the features themselves should be free.

What still costs money is compute. When AI answers a reader's question, or Claude or ChatGPT checks who read your deck, a model runs and someone pays for it. So we charge for that, by use, in cents. Our price follows our cost, and we earn when AI does useful work for you, not when your team grows or you hit a limit.

That is why sharing, reader checks, analytics, data rooms and your whole team are free with no limits, and why there is no trial to end.

## What is free, and what costs money

| Free, with no limits | Paid, by use |
| --- | --- |
| Documents, links and readers | AI answers to readers' questions, $0.05 each |
| Team members, with view or edit access by folder | Claude or ChatGPT actions after the first 20, $0.005 each. Sending a file is free |
| Email verification, allow lists, passwords, expiry | Insights questions about all your readers, after 3 free, $0.10 each |
| Data rooms with folders, NDA and watermark | Screenshot alerts after the first 10, $10 a month |
| Time per page and section, replays, follow-up ranking | Your logo and color on the door, $2 a month |
| Downloads off, screenshot protection, Slack and webhooks | Nothing else. No seats and no plan to upgrade |

Prices from artifactsend.com/pricing, November 2026. If you never add a card, everything in the free column keeps working.

## What is the catch?

There is no hidden one. We do not sell personal data, we do not use advertising or third-party analytics cookies, and we do not use your documents, reader questions or answers to train AI models. Our privacy policy says so in full.

There are two real gaps. ArtifactSend has no eSignatures and no custom domain yet, so if you need either today, a paid tool may fit better.

## Who makes ArtifactSend

ArtifactSend is made by Vela Partners, a venture capital firm in San Francisco that builds AI products for investors and founders. We use it ourselves to share decks, data rooms and reports, and we build what our users ask for quickly.

## Questions

**Why is ArtifactSend free?**

Because features cost little to build and run with AI, so we keep them free. We charge only for AI doing work for you, a few cents per use.

**Is ArtifactSend really free?**

Yes. No limits on documents, links, readers or team members, no card and no trial. Only optional AI features, extra screenshot alerts and your own brand cost money.

**Does ArtifactSend sell my data?**

No. It does not sell personal data, use advertising cookies or train AI models on your content.

**How does ArtifactSend make money?**

From AI used by the people who want it, such as reader answers and Claude or ChatGPT actions, and from small add-ons like your brand on the door at $2 a month.

## Sources

- [ArtifactSend pricing](https://artifactsend.com/pricing)
- [ArtifactSend privacy policy](https://artifactsend.com/privacy)