CloakShare
Cloak vs PandaDoc
PandaDoc is a document automation platform built for proposals, contracts, and e-signatures at $19-49/user/month. Cloak is a lighter, developer-focused alternative purpose-built for secure document sharing with analytics, watermarking, and video support.
| Feature | Cloak | PandaDoc |
|---|---|---|
| API-first | Yes | Secondary |
| Open source | MIT | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Video sharing | HLS streaming | No |
| Per-seat pricing | No | $19-49/user/mo |
| Dynamic watermarks | Yes | No |
| Canvas-based viewer | Yes | No |
| Webhooks | Yes | Yes |
| E-signatures | No | Yes |
| Proposals & templates | No | Yes |
| Embeddable viewer | npm package (free) | No |
| Email gate | Yes | No |
| Page-level analytics | Yes | Basic |
| Starting price | $0 (free tier) | $19/user/mo |
Document sharing vs document automation
PandaDoc is a proposal and contract tool with document sharing bolted on. Cloak is purpose-built for secure document and video sharing with page-level analytics, dynamic watermarking, email gating, and link expiry. If you just need to share documents securely and track engagement, Cloak does it better with less complexity.
API-first vs GUI-first
PandaDoc has an API, but it's secondary to their drag-and-drop UI workflow. Cloak is built API-first for developers. Create secure links, manage documents, and track views programmatically. Embed the viewer directly in your app with a lightweight npm package. Automate document sharing from your CRM, onboarding flow, or internal tools.
No per-seat pricing
PandaDoc charges $19-49 per user per month. A team of 10 on their Business plan costs $490/month. Cloak uses flat tier pricing with no per-seat charges. Your entire team shares the same plan whether you have 2 people or 20.
What PandaDoc does better
PandaDoc excels at e-signatures, document templates, and proposal building. If your workflow revolves around sending contracts for signature or generating proposals from templates, PandaDoc is the better tool. If you need secure document sharing with analytics, watermarking, and video support, Cloak is simpler and cheaper.