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How we review

Dataroom New Zealand exists to answer one question honestly: which virtual data room (VDR) should you use for your next New Zealand deal? Every ranking on this site comes from hands-on testing by the Dataroom New Zealand Editorial team, not scraped star ratings or vendor marketing. This page explains exactly how we test, what we measure, how the Dataroom New Zealand score is calculated, and how we keep our scores independent of who pays us. In short, we set up each product, review its security, features and support, and confirm what it costs in NZD before we publish a score.

1. Our process

For each provider we run the same repeatable, seven-stage process. A review is only published once every stage is complete for that product.

Every provider is tested against the same checklist so scores are comparable. We record the date of testing (testedOn) and re-check pricing and features on a monthly cadence, because both change fast in this category.

2. The 41 criteria we score

Our scorecard is 41 individual criteria grouped into six weighted buckets. Each criterion is scored 0–10 on evidence from the hands-on trial, never on a vendor's own claims. The weightings reflect what actually decides an NZ deal: security and usability matter more than a long feature list, so they carry the most weight.

That is 11 + 8 + 7 + 6 + 5 + 4 = 41 criteria in total. The full checklist is the same for every product, from a founder-friendly tool to an enterprise M&A platform.

3. How the Dataroom New Zealand score is calculated

Each of the 41 criteria is scored 0–10 from the trial. Criteria are averaged within their bucket, buckets are combined using the weights above, and the result is the published Dataroom New Zealand score out of 10. Because security and ease of use carry the most weight, a provider can't buy its way to the top with a low price alone, and a locked-down but unusable tool won't rank either. We publish honest cons and limitations for every provider; a high score never means "no trade-offs".

4. Independence and affiliate income

Some “Visit site” links on Dataroom New Zealand are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission at no cost to you if you sign up through them. This is how we fund ongoing testing. It never changes our scores, our rankings or which providers we cover. We test and score providers before any commercial relationship exists, we include providers we have no affiliate arrangement with, and we don't accept payment for a higher ranking or a better review.

Hands-on testing, not a spec-sheet comparison

Every provider we rank carries a handsOnTested flag and a testedOn date because we have actually run a deal inside the product. Where a feature can't be confirmed in the trial, an enterprise-only security control, for example, or a certification we can't independently verify, we say so plainly rather than repeat a marketing claim as fact. If we can't test it and can't verify it, it doesn't lift the score.

5. Keeping reviews current

VDR pricing and features change frequently. We revisit rankings monthly, date every page with a lastUpdated stamp, and re-test when a provider ships a significant change. Pricing shown is indicative in NZD and current as of each page's date, always confirm the latest with the provider before you commit.

Questions about how we tested a specific provider? Reach the Dataroom New Zealand Editorial team through our contact form.