We’ve yapped quite a lot about the importance of having a proper client portal solution when running a service-based business. From its many benefits to must-have features or exploring the best solutions available on the market.
But what use is that for businesses that are just starting out, don’t have a strong client base just yet, or are simply struggling in this economy, forcing them to cut down the budget?
None. You’re right.
But you don’t have to drop the client portal idea completely! Coming to the rescue are the free versions of such platforms. And no, we don’t mean free trials. 🙄
In this article, we’re going to test out the best free client portal software platforms available on the market, share their pros & cons, and our thoughts on each solution, to give you only the very best options to choose from.
What Does It Mean That A Client Portal Software Is Free?
Doing our research for this article, we’ve come to a really sad realization. Those that tried to come up with similar lists on this topic, for some reason, listed tools that are either not free at all, don’t offer a client portal in their free plan, aren’t even a client portal software, or offer just a free trial.
So before we start our analysis, let’s set the record straight.
A free trial does not equal a free tool. ❌
And just because some list many software platforms as free, doesn’t necessarily mean they actually are.
The client portal software platforms listed in this article come with a fully functional free plan, and we’ll do our best to test & review all of them.
Best Free Client Portal Software To Try In 2024
Having said that, once we’ve cut out the tools that aren’t actually free and those that were so bad we didn’t even want to mention them here, we’ve managed to find 4 best free client portal software platforms that are actually worth your attention.
Enjoy.
Article Rundown
And if you’re in a hurry, don’t worry.
We’ve got you covered with a rundown of this article, sharing the conclusions and most essential information on each tool discussed below.
SuperOkay: the most limited out of all the free client portal software platforms we’ve reviewed — allows for adding only one client & uploading 10 documents. Perfect for testing out SuperOkay and its possibilities in terms of creating custom pages for clients, but not ideal for actually using it long term. With this tool, we can embed files, applications, and manage our tasks for specific projects. Unfortunately, it’s a bit unintuitive and comes with outdated designs.
Ahsuite: also focuses on file embeds and task management in its free plan, however, the limits are far more stretchy than those of SuperOkay. We can add up to 10 client portals, for free. In turn, Ahsuite is also a bit outdated-looking and slightly unintuitive.
Aligned: the best in terms of free file & application embeds. Aligned presented itself as an intuitive tool that’s very modern-looking. We can easily create client-specific pages with different elements, embeds, tasks, and more. However, this tool is pretty limited, allowing adding only 3 client portals.
Zendo: the most flexible out of all free client portal software platforms discussed. Zendo’s free forever plan allows for adding unlimited clients, each with a password-protected client portal. It also comes with many features for service selling & productization, including payments & subscriptions. The only thing missing from this free client portal software is embedding external applications & files, which comes in the paid plans, along with extensive customization & white labeling. However, a work-around is sharing files or links directly with clients via its real-time chat.
Pricing Comparison
Even though we’re only focusing on the free plans each client portal software platform offers, we think that it’s equally important to take a peek at the paid plans.
After all, if you decide to upgrade some day, the tool you want to go for should be reasonably priced.
So, below, you’ll find monthly prices for each client portal software discussed in this article.
| SuperOkay | Ahsuite | Aligned | Zendo | |
| Tier 1 | FREE | FREE | FREE | FREE |
| Tier 2 | $12 | $29 | $35 | $49 |
| Tier 3 | $38 | $69 | $60 | $199* |
| Tier 4 | $146* | — | custom | — |
*SuperOkay — only the very last pricing tier gives us unlimited clients.
*Zendo — the third-tier plan comes with unlimited seats, perfect for bigger teams.
It’s also worth noting that all the tools mentioned offer significant discounts when going for annual billing. For example, Zendo with its 50% sale for the Pro and Max plans.
Feature Comparison
Besides a detailed review of each tool, we’ve also prepared a more helicopter-like comparison of all the features we get in the free plans of the 4 client portal software platforms discussed.
Feel free to take a look at the table below.
| SuperOkay | Ahsuite | Aligned | Zendo | |
| Embedding files | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Client communication | ❌ | ❌ | Comment-based communication | Real-time chat |
| Selling services | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Payments | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Quotes/Proposals | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Invoices | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Productized One-Offs | ✔️ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Subscriptions | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
| Task management | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
| Clients/Projects | 1 | 10 | 3 | unlimited |
| Client Requests | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✔️ |
Detailed Reviews
And if you can manage to find 15 minutes to spare, read on for a detailed review of each client portal software that includes a free plan.
You’ll get to read about our experience using each tool in-depth, take a look at the full pros & cons lists, find out the G2 ratings, limitations, and more.
#1 SuperOkay
SuperOkay was founded in 2017 by the joined forces of Radu Ceucă & Maria Constantinescu in London, UK. Almost seven years into existence, SuperOkay remains a platform that eases project management and client portal creation.
With different projects we can create for our clients and the templates SuperOkay offers, it may stand as a strong candidate in our personal client portal Hunger Games.
G2 rating: 4.6 ⭐
Our Experience With SuperOkay
The first impression was super okay, but the longer we were using SuperOkay, it turned out to be… not so okay anymore.
Okay, enough with the okays.
Although we get a nice onboarding experience with different templates we can start with and a 5-step product introduction, using the tool after finishing onboarding is when it all goes downhill.
Turns out that SuperOkay is not intuitive at all.
For one, the important settings are scattered all over the place, which we’ve seen before and hated.
For two, some features are premium, aka, reserved for the paid plans, but are not labeled as such causing frustration when trying to use them.
For three, the client portal is completely empty, until we add the desired client to that project not once, but twice in the settings.
To keep the list going, the embedding is horrid, at least in the case of embedding Google sheet files. Because in this case, we only get to see the awkwardly cut out rows of data that have been filled out, instead of the whole page/sheet we’re embedding.
Another example is the fact that clicking on action items, aka to-dos on the client’s end, results in the client portal turning into a whole blank page.
In turn, a nice bonus from SuperOkay is the fact that we can package and sell additional services through the platform. However, here we also managed to stumble into numerous issues.
For one, figuring out how to actually make our packaged services accessible for clients bordered on miraculous, for two, if we don’t link to a Stripe checkout we create in Stripe ourselves, the “Buy now” button leads to a guide from Stripe, which is visible on the client’s end.
Free Plan Includes
- Only 1 client & 1 project portal,
- 10 documents.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Includes templates | Is very limited |
| Includes packaged & billable services | Is not intuitive |
| Includes tasks | The designs are outdated |
| The embedding does not work as expected |
#2 Ahsuite
Ahsuite was already featured on our blog in the category of the best client portal software in general, but this tool also offers a free plan to use. Ahsuite was founded back in 2021 by a trio of Kevin Frei, Aaron Hazelett, and Sudhir Kumar.
Ahsuite is a customer portal software builder that focuses on sharing different data for different clients by creating custom pages. The thing that Ahsuite focuses on most is iFrame embeds.
G2 rating: 4.8 ⭐
Our Experience With Ahsuite
Ahsuite is pretty similar to SuperOkay. It’s pretty unintuitive, while offering outdated designs.
But there are two things Ahsuite does much better than SuperOkay — embedding files & its free plan limitations.
The embedded files look much more visually appealing than the ones in SuperOkay, plus we get to create even up to 10 client portals for free, whereas SuperOkay allows for only 1 client portal in its free plan.
The iFrame embeds are what grabs our attention the most using Ahsuite, but this tool also offers simple task management in its free version.
And again, besides the fact that it’s a bit unintuitive, we appreciate the free task management.
It’s worth noting that if you were to start your journey with Ahsuite on a free trial of one of the paid plans, you won’t be able to turn to the free plan that easily. The tool doesn’t automatically switch your account to the free version, nor does it let you choose to use it after trying out one of the paid plans. We recommend starting from the free plan, testing out the paid plans on different test accounts, or contacting Ahsuite’s support in this case.
Free Plan Includes
- 10 client portals,
- file/iFrame embeds,
- task management.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Allows embedding | Is not intuitive |
| Includes tasks | The designs are outdated |
| Allows for 10 client portals created for free | The features available are scarce |
#3 Aligned
Aligned is yet another client portal software platform that decided to include a free plan in its offer. This solution focuses on project management & client portal building, with virtual data rooms.
Founded in 2021 by Gal Aga, Gal Deitsch, and Yotam Sela, Aligned targets a B2B audience who wants to improve their overall sales & deal management. For us, Aligned seems like the perfect project management software with a great individual client portal builder.
G2 Rating: 4.8 ⭐
Our Experience With Aligned
Remember the rooms in online text-based RPG games? Aligned decided to bring the nostalgia back.
This tool is all about building “rooms” for clients. And the rooms are actually client portals, specific for each client or project. Moreover, just like with SuperOkay, Aligned comes with templates that ease our setup, however, Aligned templates are much more modern.
Adding to the more modern design is also the intuitiveness that Aligned brings, and beats SuperOkay and Ahsuite at.
It makes it easy to create client-specific pages with embedded files, project tasks, comments, and anything in between.
Setting up each room is the easiest we’ve seen this far, we simply add the elements we wish to include as we go, kind of like building a no-code landing page.
And besides a few minor setbacks, the room/client portal builder in Aligned is the best one we’ve seen thus far.
A few examples of that is the fact that we can embed files into small windows, yet the files don’t load properly in this case. There’s a few seconds long black screen, and only then does our file load. This brings to the point that file loading in Aligned is overall pretty long.
Moreover, there’s a limit of 3 rooms only on the free plan, which makes it quite limited.
Lastly, some aspects of the platform may be considered unprofessional. For example, there’s confetti flying upon tasks marked as completed in the Plan section, which is visible to clients. Although we personally very much appreciate the confetti, some businesses may not find it fitting.
Free Plan Includes
- 3 rooms,
- room analytics — for example, stats on who visited your room,
- personal domain — which is simply the root name that goes before .teamaligned.com in your client portal’s URL,
- secured room share [email & password protection].
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Includes templates | Is very limited |
| Is very intuitive | File loading takes ages |
| Looks modern | May be considered unprofessional, for example, because of flying confetti upon marking tasks as completed |
| Includes task management & project planning | Embedding files into small elements is allowed, but comes with a weird black screen |
| Embedding files is the best we’ve seen thus far | — |
#4 Zendo
Zendo, just like Aligned, came to life in 2021, however, this tool is a child of one — Jakub Gaj. Zendo is a customizable client portal software that offers a free forever plan, not limiting its features as harshly as the previously-mentioned platforms.
Besides unlimited clients & unlimited client portals, Zendo offers collaboration tools for you and your clients, like its real-time chat, as well as various features for selling & productizing services, and more.
G2 rating: 4.9 ⭐
Our Experience With Zendo
Zendo is a bit of a different player than Ahsuite, SuperOkay, or Aligned. Mainly, in the sense that it goes beyond the features of a typical client portal.
Besides collaborating with clients with Zendo’s client portal, we can also set up a whole service-based business using this platform.
But as far as the client portal features go, Zendo gives our clients password protected access to their documents, invoices, quotes, subscriptions, a place to order new services, the possibility to submit requests, and a real-time chat for communication.
Moreover, each client gets a personal dashboard with all the essential details and recent documents easily reachable.
We love the fact that Zendo actually allows our clients to properly communicate with us. Because, unlike similar tools, this one ditches simple project comments and offers a real-time chat instead.
To top it all off, it’s intuitive and modern-looking.
The only thing we’d say is missing in the free forever plan is app and file embedding, but sadly we can’t have everything for free, right? The paid version goes all out on white labeling, client portal customization, including embedding external applications, files, custom colors, sections, naming, and more.
A nice walk-around if you want to stick to the free plan is simply sharing files directly in the chat with your clients. 👀
All in all, Zendo is the tool to choose if you want to forgo the client or project limitations, and combine a client portal software platform with service selling & productization.
Free Plan Includes
- Unlimited clients, client portals & requests,
- productized & custom services,
- recurring billing cycles & one-offs,
- basic white-label features,
- custom statuses & workflows,
- quotes & invoices,
- custom fields,
- no transaction fees,
- custom views,
- payments,
- real-time chat,
- and more.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
| Unlimited clients & client portals | Embedding external apps and advanced client portal customization comes in the paid plans |
| Unlimited requests | |
| Includes professional service selling & productization, including subscriptions | |
| Clients get personal dashboards | |
| Includes real-time chat for client communication | |
| Is modern-looking & intuitive |
Final Choice: Aligned Or Zendo?
The client portal market turns out to be pretty generous. We get 4 fully functional free client portal software options we can go for without spending a penny.
And after giving each tool a test round, we’d suggest choosing between two tools specifically:
- Go for Aligned if you’re all about file & app embedding, flexible client portal creation, including adding a custom welcome message and various elements, all sprinkled with proper intuitiveness.
- Go for Zendo if you don’t want to be limited by the number of clients you want to onboard, and wish to combine your client portal with service selling & productization. With features like personal dashboards for clients, a real-time chat for communication, subscriptions, payments, and more, Zendo can actually help you setup & run your business, for free.
And why did we omit SuperOkay and Ahsuite?
SuperOkay’s free plan is simply too limited to be actually using it to organize client data and share project information, unless you have only 1 client, and don’t plan to onboard any more clients in the future.
Ahsuite on the other hand is very similar to Aligned, but performs worse in terms of intuitiveness and the lack of modern look, ultimately visible to our clients.
However, if 3 clients that we can add to Aligned is not enough, and you’re all about file & app embedding, consider stomaching the unintuitiveness, because Ahsuite allows for 10 client portals on its free plan.
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Frequently Asked Questions: Free Client Portal Software
Are There Any Free Client Portal Software?
Despite what you may thinking, there actually are a few fully free client portal options out there. In this article, we’ve analyzed four best options in terms of the features offered, ease of use, and more. We’ve tested SuperOkay, Ahsuite, Aligned, and Zendo, to choose the best solution.
Why Would You Use A Free Client Portal Software?
Using a free client portal software not only resuscitates your budget, but also very much helps to improve client management, enhance client relationships, organize customer data, and more. With features that ease file sharing, communication, and task management, both sides of the business can stay up-to-date, avoiding any unnecessary back-and-forth.
Which Free Client Portal Software Is The Best?
After testing and analyzing four free client portals, we’ve concluded that the best options are Zendo and Aligned, because of the ease of use they offer, the modern designs we get, and the features we can operate for free. SuperOkay was way too limited, allowing us to add only 1 client, whereas Ahsuite turned out to be less intuitive and way less modern-looking than the competition.
Zendo or Aligned: Which Free Client Portal Is Better?
Out of the two winners we’ve selected, you may now be wondering which of these is better. The answer is that it depends. If you’re after file and app embeds for free, while don’t mind a limit of adding just 3 clients, then go for Aligned. And if you’re after unlimited clients & client portals that come with file sharing, efficient communication, and features for service selling, then go for Zendo. Zendo doesn’t include file & application embeds in its free plan, but does offer a real-time chat that can be used to share client-specific information.
