Is Papermark really open source?

Yes — AGPL-3.0, same license HTMLRadar uses. Both codebases are public and self-hostable; both companies sell hosting so you don’t have to run it yourself.

Does DocSend track HTML documents?

DocSend is built around uploaded files — PDFs, decks, and similar formats — viewed inside its viewer. Tracking a live HTML page as itself is the gap HTML-native tools exist to fill.

What does section-level tracking add over page-level?

Page-level tells you the document was opened and how long it stayed open. Section-level tells you which parts held attention — pricing read twice, case studies skipped — which is what actually times your follow-up.

HTMLRadar · Comparison

DocSend vs Papermark, judged fairly.

We build a third document tracker, so read this with that in mind — but it also means we've studied both of these products closely and don't need to flatter either. Here's how they actually differ, and how to pick.

The short version

DocSend (acquired by Dropbox in 2021) is the incumbent: proprietary, per-seat pricing, deeply established with VCs and sales teams, built around uploading files — overwhelmingly PDFs — and tracking who viewed them, with e-signature and data-room features attached.

Papermark is the open-source challenger: AGPL-3.0, self-hostable, same core file-upload-and-track model, with data rooms and custom domains, at a lower price point than DocSend. If your requirement is “DocSend, but open source and cheaper,” Papermark is the obvious pick.

How to choose

Pick DocSend if you need the enterprise surface: e-signatures, mature data rooms, an org that already standardized on it, or investors who expect docsend.com links. You pay per seat for that maturity.
Pick Papermark if you want DocSend's model without the lock-in — open source you can audit or self-host, flat pricing, data rooms included. The trade is a younger product with a smaller team.
Neither fits if your documents aren't files anymore. Both products are built around uploading a file and tracking that file. If your decks, briefs, and proposals are HTML pages — written with Claude or ChatGPT, built in reveal.js, shipped as living documents — flattening them to PDF so a file-tracker can handle them throws away exactly what made them good.

Where HTMLRadar fits

HTMLRadar is what Papermark is to DocSend, aimed at HTML instead of PDF: AGPL-3.0 open source, self-hostable, $15/mo flat hosted. You upload an HTML file (or paste a URL), send a tracked link, and get section-level dwell analytics — which parts got read, not just whether the file was opened. If your documents are still PDFs, use Papermark; if they've moved to HTML, that's the case we built for.

Common questions

Is Papermark really open source?: Yes — AGPL-3.0, same license HTMLRadar uses. Both codebases are public and self-hostable; both companies sell hosting so you don’t have to run it yourself.
Does DocSend track HTML documents?: DocSend is built around uploaded files — PDFs, decks, and similar formats — viewed inside its viewer. Tracking a live HTML page as itself is the gap HTML-native tools exist to fill.
What does section-level tracking add over page-level?: Page-level tells you the document was opened and how long it stayed open. Section-level tells you which parts held attention — pricing read twice, case studies skipped — which is what actually times your follow-up.

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