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Comparison

Client portal options for agencies, compared

Agencies keep clients in the loop with one of six kinds of tool, from email and shared docs to all in one business suites and dedicated client portals. The right one depends on whether you want one system for the whole business, or one calm place built around each client's project.

Updated

What are the main kinds of client portal?

Each kind solves a different problem. The named examples are there to make each kind concrete, each described in its maker's own words, not as a ranking.

Kind of toolWhat it isFits best when
Email and shared docsThreads, a shared folder and a status document.You have very few clients and short projects.
Guest access in a project toolClients invited into the board your team already works in.The client is hands on and wants to see every task.
All in one business suite, for example SuiteDashA CRM and client portal with invoicing, projects and more in one platform.You want one system for sales, billing and delivery.
Branded client portal, for example AssemblyA branded client experience with messaging, files, payments and contracts, plus apps you build.You want payments and contracts inside the portal.
Request portal, for example ManyRequestsClients submit work through request forms, with recurring billing and subscriptions.You sell productized or subscription services.
Workflow platform, for example MoxoHuman and AI workflows across clients, vendors and internal teams.You run complex, multi step operations with enterprise controls.
Project portal, SightpaneA client portal and agency workspace built around each project.You run client projects with phases, approvals and a launch date.

What do these tools say they are?

In each maker's own words, from their home pages, read on October 13, 2026.

  • Assembly describes itself as an AI app builder for businesses, with a CRM, a branded client experience on your own domain, messaging, file sharing, payments, contracts, and an API and MCP.
  • SuiteDash describes itself as an all in one business platform that combines a CRM and client portal with invoicing, projects and white label, with unlimited staff and clients on a flat price.
  • ManyRequests calls itself the client portal built for agencies, centred on request forms, a branded hub, recurring payments and subscriptions, and white label options.
  • Moxo describes itself as a human and AI workflow automation platform for business operations, with portals for clients, vendors and internal teams.

When is Sightpane the right choice?

  • Your work is projects with phases, approvals and a launch date, and clients mostly want to know where things stand.
  • You want clients to approve, request changes and message in one place, with every decision on record.
  • You want an AI that answers clients from the project's own data and shows its sources, and never changes anything without a confirm.
  • Your team already works with AI agents and wants them on client projects through MCP, with scoped tokens and a call log.
  • You want to choose what each client sees, project by project.

When is another tool a better fit?

Sightpane is focused, and some needs are better served elsewhere.

  • You need card payments taken inside the portal. Sightpane has invoices, receipts, statements and an outside pay link, and the studio marks payments by hand.
  • You need contracts signed inside the portal. Sightpane keeps contracts as files, with no e-signature built in.
  • You want a CRM and sales pipeline in the same tool.
  • You sell subscriptions where clients submit a stream of small requests through forms.
  • You want to sign up and start alone today. Sightpane is set up with each agency after a demo.

How do you choose a client portal?

  1. List what clients ask most

    Read your last month of client email and note the questions that come up again.

  2. Decide what must live in one tool

    Billing, contracts, CRM and delivery can sit together or apart. Choose on purpose.

  3. Check what the client sees

    Sign in as a client. The first screen should answer where things stand without a tour.

  4. Test with a real project

    Run one live project through it for a few weeks before you move every client.

  5. Check AI and data access

    Ask what the AI can see, whether it can change anything without a confirm, and what is logged.

  6. Check how pricing grows

    See whether the price rises with clients, seats or projects, and how that fits the way you grow.

Questions

It depends on the work. All in one suites fit agencies that want sales, billing and delivery together, request portals fit productized services, and a project portal like Sightpane fits agencies running projects with phases, approvals and a launch date.

An agency's logo, colours and domain are set up with it during onboarding, so its clients see the agency's brand.

No. Sightpane shows invoices, receipts and statements with how to pay and an outside pay link, and the studio marks payments by hand.

Yes. The live demo at demo.sightpane.com is open to anyone, with example projects and a switch between the client and the agency side.

Sources

Each maker's own home page, read on October 13, 2026. Features and plans change, so check them there before you choose.

See it on a real project.

Open the live demo with example projects, or book a short demo and we set Sightpane up with you.

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