What is the best client portal software for consultants in 2026?
Assembly for the cleanest portal that starts free, HoneyBook for US-based solos who want everything guided, SuiteDash when clients run into the dozens, Onehub when the engagement is confidential.
A consultant's portal has a different job from an agency's. You have fewer clients, but every engagement follows the same thread: a signed proposal, deliverables to approve, hours or a retainer, an invoice. And each client must see their files and nobody else's. A good portal holds that thread in a branded space clients open because they have something to do there: sign, approve, pay.
We compared nine tools on those needs, using their pricing pages and hundreds of user reviews. Most of the lists ranking for this search are written by a vendor that puts itself first, and several still quote Assembly's old prices. The trap is rarely the entry price. It's the next tier: a client cap, a portal sold as an add-on, a vendor badge you can't remove.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored placement is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The best client portal by type of consultant
Cleanest portal, free for 5 contacts, then $29/mo billed yearly
Best for US, UK, Canada, AustraliaClient portal from Starter, $29/mo billed yearly
Best all-in-one for solosProposals, signed contracts, invoices: $190/yr for 9 active clients
Best for many clientsUnlimited clients and staff from $180/yr
Best flat yearly price$335/yr, three extra users free
Best for confidential workData room with NDAs, watermarks and full audit trail
The 9 client portals for consultants, compared
The full ranking. The price shown is the first plan that actually includes a client portal, not the cheapest plan on the page.
| Best for | What sets it apart | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assembly | Best overall | Clean portal, free up to 5 contacts | 4.2/5 | Starter $29/mo (yearly) | ✓ | Solo, early-stage firm | Visit → |
| 2 | HoneyBook | Best for US-based solos | Guided client portal on every plan | 4.1/5 | Starter $29/mo (yearly) | — | Solo in US, CA, UK, AU | Visit → |
| 3 | Plutio | Best all-in-one solo | Proposals, e-signed contracts, invoices in the portal | 4.0/5 | Core $190/yr | — | Solo consultant | Visit → |
| 4 | Bonsai | Best for contracts and time | Contract, time tracking and invoice linked | 3.9/5 | Essentials $19/user (yearly) | — | Hourly or retainer freelancer | Visit → |
| 5 | SuiteDash | Best for many clients | Unlimited clients and staff on every plan | 3.8/5 | START $180/yr | — | Firm with 50+ clients | Visit → |
| 6 | Dubsado | Best flat yearly price | Dedicated portal on both plans, 3 extra users free | 3.8/5 | Starter $335/yr | — | Solo or firm of up to 4 | Visit → |
| 7 | Moxie | Best budget white label | White-labeled portal with custom domain on Pro | 3.7/5 | Pro $20/mo (yearly) | — | Budget solo | Visit → |
| 8 | Onehub | Best for sensitive files | Data room: NDAs, watermarks, audit trail | 3.6/5 | Standard $12.50/user (yearly) | — | Confidential engagements | Visit → |
| 9 | Agiled | Best full CRM | CRM, proposals and time, portal as add-on | 3.5/5 | Starter $24/mo (yearly) | — | Firm wanting one tool | Visit → |
Prices read on each vendor's pricing page in 2026, in USD, before tax. Yearly plans are paid upfront.
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
How we compared and scored
We read each tool's pricing page, logged its caps (active clients, contacts, users), checked which plan unlocks the portal, white label and custom domain, then cross-checked with what users say on forums and review sites. We didn't let a vendor's own ranking count: Agiled tops the first result for this search, and it wrote that list.
Scores match our other client portal rankings when a tool already appears there: one tool, one score across Labs. Ease of use carries the most weight, because a portal your client never opens is wasted money.
- Ease of useSetup time, clarity for a busy client, password-free access.30%
- Value for moneyFirst plan with a portal, client caps, cost for a solo and a 3-person firm.20%
- Features and depthProposals, e-signature, deliverable approval, time, invoicing, confidentiality.25%
- Customer supportReported response times, docs, onboarding help.10%
- IntegrationsOnline payments, calendar, accounting, automation.15%
No affiliate link changes a score or a rank.
Assembly
Assembly is the new name of Copilot: same product, same team. Each client gets a space you build from apps (3 on the Free plan, $5/mo for each extra app). For a busy executive who logs in twice a month, it's the easiest portal on this list to find their way around.
Many lists still quote $39, $149 and $399. Those numbers are out of date: the official page shows Starter at $29/mo billed yearly ($49 monthly).
- Free forever plan, big enough for a pilot engagement
- One space per client, built from apps
- Custom domains and badge removal on Professional
- ✓The clearest portal for a client in a hurry
- ✓Free start with a real client
- ✓Scales to a 5-user firm without switching tools
- ✗Starter caps at 50 active contacts: contact 51 pushes you to Professional
- ✗Assembly badge stays until Professional
- ✗Extra apps ($5/mo each) and credits beyond 200 ($0.60 each)
The pick if you want your client to find everything in one place with zero training. Count contacts, not companies: if each client brings three stakeholders, 50 contacts means about 16 clients.
HoneyBook
HoneyBook takes client payments by card or ACH and includes a client portal on every plan, Starter included. Reviewers keep picking it over Dubsado for speed: the portal is guided and clients don't get lost.
The hard limit is geography: HoneyBook only supports professionals in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Outside those four, it's off the table.
- Client portal from the Starter plan
- Card and ACH payments built in
- ACH payments at 1.5%
- ✓Reviewers pick it for speed
- ✓Portal included from the cheapest plan
- ✓Yearly billing saves up to 18%
- ✗Only for pros in the US, Canada, UK and Australia
- ✗Card fees add up on large consulting invoices
- ✗Premium at $109/mo is steep for a solo
If you're in one of the four countries and want the least setup, start here. On a $10,000 engagement paid by card, at 2.9% + 25¢ that's about $290 in fees: push ACH for big invoices.
Plutio
Plutio covers the commercial side of an engagement: proposal, legally binding contract with e-signature, invoice. Clients see it all in their portal. Plutio takes no cut of your invoice payments, which matters when a project invoice runs into five figures.
Core is built for solo work, with a hard limit of 9 active clients. Past that, you're on Pro.
- Legally binding contracts with e-signatures
- No cut of invoice payments
- White label +$9/mo on Core and Pro, included on Max
- ✓Cheapest all-in-one for a solo: $190/yr
- ✓Proposal, contract and invoice in one thread
- ✓Users praise the portal and proposals
- ✗Core caps at 9 active clients
- ✗Busy interface, and long-standing bugs reported by users
- ✗Automations less reliable than expected, per several reviews
The right call if you work alone with fewer than ten live clients. Go yearly once the trial convinces you: $190/yr works out to $15.83/mo. If you regularly pass 9 active clients, price SuiteDash before upgrading to Pro.
Bonsai
Bonsai is built for freelancers: contracts, time tracking and invoices. The client portal starts on Essentials. It isn't on Basic, which catches anyone comparing entry prices only.
The portal is mostly for viewing and paying. Users say you get little control over how it looks, and Bonsai branding only goes away from Premium. A custom domain is announced but not live yet.
- Time tracking linked to invoicing
- Client portal from Essentials
- Bonsai branding removed on Premium
- ✓Most direct hours-to-invoice flow on the list
- ✓Clear per-user pricing
- ✓Full-feature trial
- ✗No portal on Basic
- ✗Little control over portal design
- ✗No custom domain yet
- ✗Called pricey by some for features they never use
Pick Bonsai when your problem is billing time, not portal looks. For a solo, Essentials at $19 billed yearly is enough. For a 3-person firm it's $57/mo: at that point, compare Plutio Pro and SuiteDash.
SuiteDash
SuiteDash is a full client portal with what it calls "Extreme White Labeling", the feature users praise most. Pricing is one price per month or year, not per user, and clients and staff are unlimited on every plan.
The catch is the learning curve. One consultant said it took almost a month to get comfortable, with 20+ hours of setup. Load times of several seconds are the most common complaint.
- Unlimited clients and staff, even on START
- Deep white labeling
- 100 GB to 2 TB storage, $5/mo per extra 250 GB
- ✓Cheapest once you have many clients: $15/mo billed yearly
- ✓A flat price that doesn't climb as the firm grows
- ✓The most complete white label on the list
- ✗Long learning curve
- ✗Slowness is the top complaint
- ✗Human support in 24 to 48 hours, per users
The best value if you have more clients than free time to switch tools later. Skip it if you need to be live tomorrow. The one-time Century plan ($2,240 for START) equals about 12 years of START billed yearly, so only buy it if you're sure.
Dubsado
Dubsado gives each client a dedicated portal for project access on both plans. Its strength is control: automations you shape yourself. Reviewers who compare it with HoneyBook say the same thing: more control, more setup.
The pricing quirk is good news for small firms: the first three extra users are free, so a firm of four pays no seats at all.
- Client portal on both plans
- 3 extra users free
- Extra brand for $10/mo
- ✓$335/yr, about $27.92/mo, for a team of four
- ✓21-day trial on Premier, no card
- ✓Strong automation for repeat engagements
- ✗Setup takes time
- ✗Some reviewers call the portal underdeveloped
- ✗From the 4th extra user, $25 to $60/mo by tier
The cheapest serious option for a firm of up to four people. Budget a few evenings to build your workflows during the 21-day trial, on a real engagement.
Moxie
Moxie is a freelancer tool: in its portal, clients see their tasks, invoices and forms. On Pro, the portal is white-labeled on your custom domain, with unlimited project collaborators. Users like that clients get in without creating an account, and that work requests come in as tickets.
- White-labeled portal and custom domain on Pro
- Unlimited project collaborators on Pro
- Teams at $32/mo yearly for five members
- ✓Lowest price on the list for a custom-domain portal
- ✓Clients get in without an account
- ✓Strong value for a small team on Teams
- ✗No portal on Starter
- ✗Design feels dated
- ✗Portal less polished than specialists, per some reviews
The smart pick when your brand matters and the budget is tight: $20/mo billed yearly for a portal on your domain. Up to five people, Teams at $32/mo costs less than three seats elsewhere.
Onehub
Onehub isn't an all-in-one: no proposals, no invoices. It's secure file sharing by client, and its Data Room Edition is a real virtual data room: stealth mode, NDAs clients accept before entering, document watermarking, automatic indexing and full audit trails.
Custom domain and white label are a $100/mo add-on, or included depending on the Enterprise setup.
- NDA acceptance before access
- Watermarks and full audit trails
- Automatic indexing
- ✓The only tool here built for strong confidentiality
- ✓Affordable per-user price outside the Data Room
- ✓Clean fit for due diligence
- ✗No proposals, invoices or time tracking
- ✗Data Room Edition at $300/mo billed yearly
- ✗White label is a $100/mo add-on
Use it alongside your invoicing tool when an engagement needs proof of access. For everyday consulting, it's overkill: an all-in-one portal is enough.
Agiled
Agiled brings together CRM, proposals, time tracking and a client portal. It also wrote the list that ranks first for this search, and put itself first. We scored it on its pricing page and user feedback, not on that list.
Read this before paying: on Starter and Pro, the client portal and the custom domain are $19/mo add-ons each ($15 yearly for the portal). Both are included from Business.
- CRM, proposals and time in one tool
- Portal and domain included on Business and Scale
- 14-day refund window
- ✓Widest feature set on the list
- ✓Clear tiers by number of users
- ✓Trial includes Business features
- ✗Portal is an add-on on Starter and Pro
- ✗Monthly prices not shown
- ✗Lots of modules: slower to learn for a solo
Worth it if a CRM is what you need most and the portal comes second. For a solo who wants a portal first, it's $39/mo billed yearly (Starter plus portal add-on), more than Plutio or Moxie for a less polished client side.
What you'll actually pay
The big number is almost always the yearly price, and not always for the plan that includes the portal. Two real cases, billed yearly, shown per month, using the first plan with a client portal.
You alone, 8 active clients
A 3-person firm, 60 clients
Flat fee or per seat?
- Find the first plan that includes the portal, not the cheapest plan.
- Count active contacts, not client companies.
- Add white label if it's sold separately (Plutio $9, Onehub $100).
- Compare yearly and monthly: Assembly Starter goes from $29 to $49.
- Check the client cap of your target plan before importing engagements.
- Run the math over three years, not one month.
Six habits that make a portal actually get used
What consultants who keep their portal past the first engagement have learned, from forums and reviews. Works whatever the tool.
Route every action through the portal
ClientsClients log in when they have something to do. Send the proposal to sign, the invoice to pay and the deliverable to approve only through the portal, never as an attachment. Otherwise, forum users report, some clients keep replying to the wrong email thread months later.
- Rule
- Sign, pay, approve: portal only
Trial it on a real engagement
MethodDummy data proves nothing. Pick a friendly client and run one full engagement through it: proposal, deliverable, invoice. HoneyBook gives 30 days with no card, Dubsado 21 days on Premier, SuiteDash 14 days on its top plan, Agiled 14 days with Business features, Plutio and Bonsai 7 days. Assembly doesn't need a trial: its Free plan holds 5 contacts.
- Longest trial
- 30 days (HoneyBook)
Keep one final version per deliverable
ApprovalThe most common consulting dispute is over which version of a report is the right one. Upload each version with a number and ask for approval on the final one only. An approval trail in the portal beats an "ok" buried in an email.
- Naming
- Report_v3_final, approved in portal
Test client separation before inviting anyone
SecurityCreate two dummy clients, log in as the first, and look for the second one's files. A dedicated portal separates them by default. In a shared workspace like Notion, guests only see pages they're invited to, but a page moved under another one inherits its permissions: that's where the reported leaks come from.
- Test
- 2 dummy clients, 5 minutes
Count contacts, not clients
PricingAssembly counts active contacts, Plutio active clients, Agiled contacts. A client who brings their CFO and a project lead counts as three contacts. List your real stakeholders before picking a tier.
- Assembly Starter
- 50 active contacts
Keep the data room separate from the portal
ConfidentialityFor a highly sensitive engagement, don't stretch your portal past what it does well. Open a data room for the confidential files only (Onehub Data Room: NDAs, watermarks, audit trails) and keep your usual portal for the proposal and the invoice.
- Onehub Data Room
- $300/mo billed yearly
The right portal for how you work
Three questions cut the list in half: how many live clients, do you invoice through the portal, and is the work confidential?
Solo, fewer than 10 clients
Small firm, many clients
Confidential engagements
When a portal is the wrong choice
- Is the portal included in your target plan, or sold as an add-on?
- Can clients get in without creating an account?
- Does each client see only their own files?
- Does the vendor's branding go away on your plan?
- Is a custom domain included?
- Is the tool available in your country (HoneyBook isn't everywhere)?
Portal picked, what comes next
These pages go further, depending on what you need.
The general ranking, Softr and Notion included.
You run an agencyClient portals for agenciesRequests, reporting, seats and clients.
Invoicing is your priorityInvoicing software for consultantsQuotes, invoices, reminders.
Proposals are your priorityProposal software for consultantsTemplates, e-signature, open tracking.
You need project management for a firmProject management for consulting firmsPlanning, staffing, client view.
You're leaving HoneyBookHoneyBook alternativesWhat to switch to, and how.
Client portals for consultants · FAQ
Do consultants really need a client portal?
Not with two or three steady clients; yes once you're chasing signatures, approvals and invoices across email threads. The portal pays off when every action a client takes happens in it. Before that, a shared folder works.What's the cheapest client portal for a solo consultant?
SuiteDash START at $15/mo billed yearly ($180/yr), then Plutio Core at $15.83 ($190/yr, 9 active clients). Assembly has a free plan for 5 active contacts if you only need to start small.Flat fee or per seat for a 3-person firm?
Flat fee. SuiteDash START stays $15/mo with unlimited staff, Dubsado Starter stays $335/yr because the first three extra users are free, and Moxie Teams covers five members for $32/mo yearly. Per-seat Bonsai Essentials comes to $57/mo for three.Which portal lets clients log in without a password?
Moxie and HoneyBook let clients reach their portal without creating an account, per user reviews. LaunchBay, formerly Motion.io, offers magic links for portal access from its Essentials plan at $19 per team member billed yearly.Client portal or data room for due diligence?
A data room, whenever you must prove who read what. Onehub Data Room Edition adds NDA acceptance, watermarking and full audit trails for $300/mo billed yearly. For routine engagements, a portal's client separation is enough.Is Copilot now Assembly?
Yes, Copilot became Assembly. Watch out for lists still quoting $39, $149 or $399: the official page shows Starter at $29/mo billed yearly ($49 monthly); check Professional and Advanced on the pricing page when you choose.HoneyBook or Dubsado for a solo consultant?
HoneyBook if you want speed and a guided portal and you're in the US, Canada, UK or Australia; Dubsado if you want control and don't mind setup. Dubsado costs $335/yr on Starter, HoneyBook $29/mo billed yearly, so $348/yr.Is there a free client portal?
Assembly's Free plan has no time limit: 1 internal user, 5 active contacts, 3 apps. Everything else on this list is paid, with trials from 7 days (Plutio, Bonsai) to 30 days (HoneyBook).