Today, businesses prioritize direct client involvement through software that offers client portals.
These platforms ensure that businesses keep their teams aligned and foster trust, timely feedback, and collaborative engagement with their clients.
This article lists the top 10 software options that seamlessly involve clients in project workflows. Let’s jump right in and help you find the best project management software with client portals for your organization!
What is Client Portal Software?
A client portal software is a secure online platform that allows businesses to share documents, files, digital assets, information, and messages with their clients.
There are many advantages to incorporating a client portal with your project management process:
- Better collaboration and communication: With a centralized location for sharing project information, project managers can reduce the amount of emails and calls that need to be exchanged. Many client portal software provide real-time chat and commenting systems to enhance communication further
- Improved customer engagement: Provides a smooth communication and collaboration method that encourages your clients to freely share input, feedback, and requests
- Increased transparency: Gives clients access to real-time project information
- Increased efficiency: Helps you save time and money by automating tasks such as file sharing and document management
- Enhanced security: Protects sensitive information by providing a secure way to share files and documents
If you’re looking for a way to improve communication, collaboration, and efficiency with your clients, finding a good client portal software with key features like collaboration tools should be on your list.
Benefits of a Client Portal in Project Management Software
There are many benefits to choosing a project management software with a client portal, including improved:
- Integrations
- Security
- Cost-effectiveness
- Ease of use
If you’re looking for client management tools to improve communication, collaboration, and efficiency with your clients, then integrating a client portal with your project management software may be a great option.
10 Best Project Management Software With Client Portal
1. ClickUp
ClickUp’s project management software is a powerful platform with client portal tools that lets you create a universal workplace for teams with seamless customer communications.
It offers many project management features, including Dashboards, comments, Whiteboards, and collaboration tools. You can create tasks, set deadlines, assign tasks to team members, and track project progress.
If you’re looking for a full project management solution and software that can help your team build strong customer relationships, ClickUp CRM is a great option.
ClickUp also offers various reporting tools to help you measure the success of your projects.
ClickUp software business tools are highly customizable and can be tailored to the specific needs of your business objectives, team, and clients. You can also use the client portal to onboard new clients, manage contracts, and provide customer support
ClickUp best features
- Fully customizable for resource management
- Desktop and mobile access so that you can collaborate with customers from anywhere
- 1,000+ templates allow you to add features, functions, and tools as you grow
- Client onboarding is a breeze with the customizable Customer Onboarding Template by ClickUp to help you streamline client onboarding and provide a positive customer experience
- Dashboards track the progress of projects, visualize data, and make informed decisions. They can be customized to show the information that is most important to you, and you can create multiple dashboards to track different aspects of your work
- Comments can be used to collaborate with team members, provide feedback, and ask questions. You can assign comments to specific tasks or @mention team members to get their attention
- Whiteboards are a great way to visualize your work and get everyone on the same page
ClickUp limitations
- Its rich set of features can create a learning curve for some users
- Not all views are available in the mobile app—yet
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- ClickUp AI: Available on all paid plans for $5/Workspace member/month
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (8,566+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,775+ reviews)
2. Monday
Monday is a project management software with a client portal that helps teams collaborate and get things done.
Its intuitive and simple user interface and flexibility make Monday stand out. Unlike several Monday alternatives, It can be used by teams of all sizes and industries.
Monday is ideal for businesses that work with remote clients or need to share sensitive information.
Monday best features
- Super intuitive and user-friendly platform
- Plenty of add-ons, templates, and customization options
- Scales up beautifully as you expand
Monday limitations
- Some users complain about too many daily emails coming from the platform
- Some reviewers say customer support needs improvement
Monday pricing
- Free
- Basic: $8/month per seat
- Standard: $10/month per seat
- Pro: $16/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Monday ratings and reviews
- G2: X/5 (X+ reviews)
- Capterra: X/5 (X+ reviews)
Check out our full comparison on Monday vs Airtable.
3. Zoho
Zoho projects software is a cloud-based project management platform with a client portal feature. It’s a project management client portal that allows businesses to share project information with their clients in a secure and organized environment.
Unlike many Zoho alternatives, the platform is super-affordable and easy to use. This makes it a great option for small businesses and teams looking for a cost-effective way to manage their projects.
Zoho best features
- Provides many functions and capabilities
- Customizable dashboards and reporting functions
- Great customer support
Zoho limitations
- Settings can be difficult to navigate
- Some reviewers report unstable integrations
- Not all browsers are supported
Zoho pricing
- Free
- Premium: $5/month per user
- Enterprise: $10/month per user
Zoho ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (376+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.3/5 (372+ reviews)
4. Freshdesk
Freshdesk client portal software provides a helpdesk platform enhanced with automation and AI that streamlines customer support.
Tailored for businesses, be it B2B, e-commerce, SaaS, or remote, this user-friendly and scalable solution emphasizes secure data handling, collaboration, and easy integration with existing tools.
If you’re a modern enterprise seeking an intuitive support system, Freshdesk may be a good option.
Freshdesk best features
- Able to unite many functions onto one platform, such as marketing, sales, etc.
- Easy to navigate with emails, chat, and calls in one central location
- Simplifies the workload with one complete solution
Freshdesk limitations
- At certain times, customer response may be slow, even for urgent issues
- It is difficult to coordinate all the correct tools to create a customized platform
- There is little flexibility with custom modules
Freshdesk pricing
- Free
- Growth: $15/month
- Pro: $49/month
- Enterprise: $79/month
Freshdesk ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (2,961+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (3,127+ reviews)
Bonus: 10 Best Freshdesk Alternatives and Competitors in 2023
5. Wrike
Wrike is an all-in-one OKR (objectives and key results) management tool featuring Kanban boards, Gantt charts, time tracking, and over 400 integrations.
With custom workflows, auto-assignment, and automated reporting, it optimizes delivery and provides clear visibility into team progress.
While some Wrike alternatives may be easier, the platform provides a solid all-in-one solution with views and integrations that aren’t easily matched.
Wrike is Ideal for teams aiming to streamline goal achievement.
Wrike best features
- All-in-one comprehensive solution
- Helpful features for dependency management
- Prevents tasks from “falling through the cracks”
Wrike limitations
- Servers sometimes run slow
- Less customizable than some of its competitors
- Some users feel the system is confusing
Wrike pricing
- Free
- Team: $9.80/month per user
- Business: $24.80/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- Pinnacle: Contact for pricing
Wrike ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.2/5 (3,469+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4../5 (2,454+ reviews)
6. Accelo
Are you looking to manage client projects and workloads, proactively resolve project issues, and clearly understand your project status? Client work management software Accelo may be a good choice for you!
The platform provides a comprehensive view of projects with real-time data on staffing, budget, and progress. And its client portal is easy to use for both businesses and clients. Customers can easily find information, support tickets, upload files, and leave comments.
Accelo is used by agencies, consulting firms, IT firms, marketing firms, and more.
Accelo best features
- Easy and quick access to critical information
- Handles everything from tasks to tickets, campaigns, and more
- Outstanding user interface
Accelo limitations
- Difficulty with retainer agreements, Accello sometimes auto-assigns leftover hours
- Some reviewers report occasional bugs and functionality issues
- Limited customizations
Accelo pricing
- Plus: $24/month per user
- Premium: $39/month per user
- Bundle: $89/month per user
Accelo ratings and reviews
- G2: 404/5 (490+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (159+ reviews)
7. Asana
Asana is a project management tool that helps teams collaborate and get things done.
It offers a variety of features, including task management, file sharing, and communication tools.
Asana also has a full client portal project management feature that allows businesses to share project information with their clients in a secure and organized way.
If you’re looking for Asana alternatives, you might consider ClickUp or Monday.
Asana best features
- Clean, colorful, and intuitive interface that makes tracking easy
- Wide variety of integration options
- Offers a generous free plan
Asana limitations
- Limited functions for recurring tasks
- Requires a strong internet connection to work properly
- Must purchase at least 2 licenses to upgrade from free to paid
Asana pricing
- Basic: Free
- Premium: $10.99/month per user
- Business: $24.99/month per user
Asana ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (9,457+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (12,096+ reviews)
8. Smartsheet
Spreadsheet software Smartsheet is a cloud-based platform for work execution that helps teams plan, track, automate, and report on all their work. It provides powerful automation tools, high flexibility and customization, and collaborative features to improve your communication.
Smartsheet’s client portal is a secure and customizable way to share project information with clients and customers. It lets clients view project timelines, budgets, and milestones, upload files, and leave comments.
While Smartsheet alternatives can provide a much wider selection of features, tools, and automations, it’s an excellent choice for small businesses looking to keep things simple.
Smartsheet best features
- Robust communication features allow for comprehensive communication plans
- Excellent automations, time tracking, and progress report features
- Does an outstanding job tracking and prioritizing workloads
Smartsheet limitations
- Several users have problems finding their way to the smoothest customizations and views
- It comes with a steep learning curve
Smartsheet pricing
- Free
- Pro: $7/month per user
- Business: $25/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Smartsheet ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (14,193+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (2,980+ reviews)
9. Trello
Trello delivers a highly visual approach to project and client management. Its Kanban board system helps teams organize and track their work in a way that makes everything fun.
Finally, you can use Trello’s Power-Ups to add client portal functionality to your boards. There are a number of Power-Ups that can be used for this purpose, such as the Client Portal Power-Up and the Collaborators Power-Up.
It’s tough to find Trello alternatives that equal its visual simplicity, but you might consider Wrike or ClickUp since both also provide Kanban board views.
Trello best features
- Awesome, visual design and user-friendly platform
- Super-easy to use, even for beginners
- Great deal for the price
Trello limitations
- In some circumstances, its design can be limited (such as no side scroll)
- May be difficult for task management when juggling multiple projects and clients
- Easy to lose information if you make a mistake
Trello pricing
- Free
- Standard: $5/month per user
- Premium: $10/month per user
- Enterprise: $7.38+/month per user
Trello ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (13,367+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (22,691+ reviews)
10. OneDesk
Looking for a combination of HelpDesk and project management tools? OneDesk Project Management Client Portal helps teams collaborate, track progress, and deliver results.
OneDesk helps teams manage projects from start to finish, provide customer support and communications, and generate reports that track progress and identify trends.
OneDesk cloud-based project management software is a good choice for small-to-medium companies who want to access data from anywhere with an internet connection.
OneDesk best features
- Combines multiple features into one platform
- Easy to use and configure
- Does a good job streamlining all project data
OneDesk limitations
- Limited customization options
- Not well-suited to enterprise-level businesses
- No free version
OneDesk pricing
- Standard: $11.99/month per user
- Premium: $13.99/month per user
- Enterprise: $15.99/month per user
OneDesk ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (31+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.2/5 (9+ reviews)
Choosing the Right Project Management Software for Client Collaboration
Efficient project management team collaboration and seamless client communication are more important than ever before.
The 10 project management software tools with client portals we’ve explored in this article underscore the blend of functionality, user-friendliness, and transparency businesses demand in 2023.
ClickUp offers a comprehensive suite of tools tailored to meet the unique needs of every team.
Whether juggling multiple projects, collaborating with clients, or looking for better task organization, ClickUp has you covered. Dive into its hundreds of features and see firsthand how it can revolutionize the way your teams work.
Try ClickUp now and transform your project management experience!