Client portal
What's the best client portal for freelance designers?
Short answer
Pick a portal that shows the client everything about the job in one link, with no login: the brief, the approved scope, revision rounds used, invoices they can pay, and the final files, held until the balance is paid. PaloWorks gives every project that portal on every plan, with a message thread and your logo on Studio.
Free for 1 client, 3 active projects. No card to start. Updated by PaloWorks.
Worked example
What your client sees
One portal link for a brand identity project, midway through.
- Brief
- Submitted
- Scope
- Approved
- Revision rounds
- 1 of 2 used
- Deliverables
- 3 of 5 done
- Deposit invoice
- Paid
- Balance invoice
- Due, with a Pay button
- Final files
- Held until the balance is paid
What to look for
No client login
Every password a client has to create is a day the brief or the payment waits.
In PaloWorks
The portal opens from a link. An optional sign-in with an emailed code lists every portal shared with that address.
The whole job in one place
Clients lose links scattered across email threads, then ask you for them.
In PaloWorks
Brief, scope, rounds used, deliverable status, change orders and invoices, with outstanding and paid totals, on one page.
Paying from the portal
The shortest path to paid is a Pay button where the client already is.
In PaloWorks
A Pay all button for open invoices, by card or bank debit where available, plus saved billing details for their accounts team.
Files that follow payment
Releasing final files before the balance clears is how designers end up chasing.
In PaloWorks
Deliverables can be held until an invoice is paid. The portal tells the client why, and downloads open when it clears.
Conversation tied to the project
Feedback in five channels is how rounds go uncounted.
In PaloWorks
A message thread on the portal; you reply from the project page.
Your brand, not ours
Clients should feel they are in your studio.
In PaloWorks
On Studio, your logo and colour on every client page, and documents on your own subdomain. A small PaloWorks credit stays on every plan.
How it works in PaloWorks
Step 1
Start the project
Add the client and send your intake link. Their answers land in the portal.
Step 2
Share one link
Copy the portal link from the project. You can replace or revoke it at any time.
Step 3
They follow along
Scope, rounds used, deliverables, messages and invoices update as you work.
Step 4
They pay, then download
Pay all clears the balance, and files held until payment open for download.
When PaloWorks is the wrong pick
- If clients need to edit shared files with you or comment on artwork pixel by pixel, pair PaloWorks with a proofing or file-collaboration tool.
- If you need a fully white-labelled portal with no PaloWorks credit at all, that is not offered on any plan today.
Comparing tools? Read PaloWorks compared, including what the others are better at.
Questions people ask
- Do clients need an account to use the portal?
- No. It opens from a link. An optional emailed-code sign-in lets a client see all their portals in one list.
- Can I put my own logo on it?
- Yes, on the Studio plan: your logo and accent colour on client pages, and client documents on your own subdomain.
- Can clients pay from the portal?
- Yes. A Pay all button covers open invoices, by card, or bank debit where available. A plan-based platform fee applies to card checkouts; pricing has the details.
- Is the portal on the free plan?
- Yes. Every project has a portal on every plan. Branding is on Studio.