A OneDrive link sends the file. LiveDocument sees if it got read
OneDrive is great for storing files and co-authoring in Office. It just goes silent the moment you share one. LiveDocument shows you who read your PDF page by page, and lets you record a walkthrough over it so it actually lands.
OneDrive
Not an either-or. OneDrive is where the file lives. LiveDocument is how you send it when you need to know it landed. Store in OneDrive, send the important ones through LiveDocument.
Use LiveDocument for the send that matters: a proposal, a pitch, a report. You'll see whether it was read, and you can talk the reader through it. Keep OneDrive for what it does best: storing files, co-authoring in Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and syncing everything across your devices. Bundled with Microsoft 365, it's hard to beat there.
- Reach for LiveDocument for the document that has to be understood, not just delivered.
- Keep OneDrive for storage, Office co-authoring and device sync.
LiveDocument vs a OneDrive link
| Feature | LiveDocument | OneDrive |
|---|---|---|
| Video walkthrough recorded over the document | ||
| Clickable highlights syncing the video to a section | ||
| Page-by-page engagement analytics (know if it was read) | ||
| Real-time notification when someone opens it | ||
| One persistent link, update the document without changing the URL | Yes (link stays as you edit) | |
| Massive cloud storage and device sync | ||
| Office co-authoring (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) | ||
| Bundled with Microsoft 365 | ||
| Free tier | Yes, free tier | Yes, free storage tier |
| Starting paid price | $20/mo (Pro) | ~$6/mo |
| Best for | Sending a document to be understood | Storing and co-authoring files |
OneDrive / Microsoft 365 pricing is approximate and varies by tier — re-verify on Microsoft's pricing page. See LiveDocument pricing, how video walkthroughs work, or how LiveDocument compares to DocSend and Loom.
A OneDrive link can't tell you it was read
OneDrive is genuinely good at the boring parts: the file is stored, synced and versioned, and nobody loses the attachment. What it can't do is tell you what happened after you hit send. No opens, no read time, no idea whether page four ever got looked at. That gap is the strip LiveDocument covers.
Share a OneDrive link and you're flying blind
The moment that link leaves your outbox, you lose sight of it. Did they open it? Which pages held them? Did they reach the part that matters? OneDrive won't say. When I was sending decks, that silence drove half my needless follow-ups. LiveDocument turns the same PDF into something you can see land: page-by-page views, revisits, and a ping when someone opens it.
Give them your voice, not just a file
A OneDrive link hands over a silent document. The reader fills the gaps however they like. Record a short walkthrough over the page, add highlights that jump the video to the key section, and they get the version you meant instead of the one they assumed.
Where OneDrive wins
OneDrive is a great piece of kit for what it does. Here's where it beats LiveDocument outright — keep it for storage and Office work, and reach for LiveDocument only when a document has to be understood, not just delivered.
Storage and sync
A home for every file, synced across your devices. LiveDocument is not a place to store your work.
Office co-authoring
Two people editing the same Word doc or Excel sheet at once, right inside Office. LiveDocument does not do that.
Already in Microsoft 365
If your organisation runs on Microsoft, OneDrive is already there, already paid for, already familiar.
When to use which
Reach for LiveDocument when
- You're sending something that has to land: a proposal, a pitch, a report.
- You want to know whether it was read, page by page.
- You want to explain it without booking a call.
Stick with OneDrive when
- You're storing files or co-authoring in Office.
- You just need to hand someone a file, no tracking needed.
- The recipient should be able to edit alongside you.
Don't drop OneDrive. The two work fine side by side — one stores, the other sends.
Create your first LiveDocument today.
Frequently asked questions
Not in any real detail. OneDrive can show basic activity to collaborators, but it won't tell you page by page whether the person you sent a link to read the document. LiveDocument shows exactly that, plus a notification when they open it.
For sending, not for storing. OneDrive is where your files live and where you co-author in Office. LiveDocument is how you send a finished document when you need to know it was read and want to explain it with a walkthrough. Most people use both.
Two things OneDrive doesn't do at all: page-by-page engagement analytics so you know if the document was read, and a video walkthrough recorded over the page with clickable highlights so the reader understands it.
No. Keep OneDrive for storage and Office co-authoring. Use LiveDocument only for the documents that matter enough to know whether they landed. They work fine side by side.
They price for different jobs. LiveDocument starts free, then Pro is a flat $20 a month. A paid OneDrive tier is around $6 a month but buys you storage, not document tracking or walkthroughs.