CloakShare
CloakShare vs BriefLink
Looking for a BriefLink alternative? CloakShare is an open-source, API-first platform for secure document and video sharing with watermarks, tracking, and expiry. Here is how they compare.
Pricing
CloakShare
$0 free tier (50 links, 500 views). Growth at $99/month. No per-seat fees.
BriefLink
$19/month (Starter), $49/month (Pro), $99/month (Business)
Feature comparison
| Feature | Cloak | BriefLink |
|---|---|---|
| API-first | Yes | No |
| Open source | MIT | No |
| Self-hostable | Yes | No |
| Video sharing | HLS streaming | No |
| Dynamic watermarks | Yes | Pro plan |
| Canvas-based viewer | Yes | No |
| Email gate | Yes | Yes |
| Page-level analytics | Yes | Yes |
| Password protection | Yes | Yes |
| Link expiry | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks | Yes | No |
| Custom domains | Yes | Business only |
| Embeddable viewer | npm package | No |
| Office documents | DOCX, PPTX, XLSX | PDF only |
Why switch to CloakShare
Video sharing with HLS streaming alongside documents
Full API and webhook support
Open source and self-hostable
Office document support beyond PDF
Dynamic watermarks on all plans including free tier
Embeddable viewer for product integration
Where BriefLink is strong
- Affordable entry price
- Simple and focused on pitch deck sharing
- Quick setup for founders
Where BriefLink falls short
- No video sharing
- No API or developer tools
- No self-hosting option
- PDF-only document support
- Watermarks only on Pro plan and above
- No webhooks for real-time notifications
Video sharing: CloakShare's unique advantage
BriefLink does not offer secure video sharing. CloakShare lets you upload MP4, MOV, or WebM files and automatically transcodes them to adaptive HLS streaming with 720p and 1080p quality tiers. Every video frame is watermarked with the viewer's email. Watch-time analytics show exactly how much each viewer watched.
For teams that need to share both documents and video content, CloakShare eliminates the need for separate tools and gives you unified analytics across all content types.
Self-hosted option
CloakShare is open source (MIT license) and self-hostable via Docker. Run it on your own infrastructure for complete data sovereignty. BriefLink is a closed-source SaaS with no self-hosting option.
Learn about self-hosting CloakShareFrequently asked questions
How does CloakShare compare to BriefLink?
BriefLink is a simple pitch deck sharing tool. CloakShare adds video sharing, API access, self-hosting, office document support, webhooks, and an embeddable viewer. CloakShare also includes watermarks on the free tier, while BriefLink requires the Pro plan.
Is CloakShare more expensive than BriefLink?
CloakShare starts free with 50 links and 500 views per month including watermarks. BriefLink starts at $19/month without watermarks. For comparable features (watermarks + analytics), CloakShare free tier matches BriefLink Pro at $49/month.
Can BriefLink share videos?
No. BriefLink is document-only. CloakShare is the only alternative that handles both document and video sharing with per-viewer analytics in one platform.
Which is better for startup fundraising?
CloakShare offers everything BriefLink does plus video demos, API integration, and self-hosting. If you just need basic deck sharing, both work. If you want video proposals, CRM integration, or data sovereignty, CloakShare is the better choice.
Other comparisons
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Switch to CloakShare
Free tier includes 50 links and 500 views per month with email gating, watermarks, and analytics. No credit card required.