What is a client portal for an agency?
A client portal is a private, logged-in space where each client handles their side of the work with your agency: briefing new requests, answering questions, approving deliverables, collecting files and paying. It replaces the mix of email threads, shared drives and payment links most agencies run on.
In AgencyPro the portal is the client-facing side of the same system your team works in, so a request a client submits is the same record your team assigns, comments on and invoices. Not sure whether you need a portal or a project management tool? Read client portal vs. project management software.
The short version
- Included on every plan, starting with Basic at $39/mo. Unlimited clients and no per-client fees; you pay the plan price plus any extra team seats.
- Clients submit requests, follow status, reply to comments, share files, message your team, pay invoices and manage subscriptions. Tickets are added on Pro.
- You set the logo, favicon, colors, custom domain (with automatic SSL), menu order and labels, and the onboarding steps clients see after first login.
- Sending notifications from your own email domain and removing the "Powered by" attribution are Plus features.
What do clients do in the portal?
Six jobs that usually happen over email move into one place clients can return to.
Each service can have its own request form: default fields plus custom text, textarea, file, select, checkbox and radio fields, with conditional show/hide logic. The request lands in your queue with the client, service and attachments already filled in.
How requests work for your team →Clients see where each request stands (Pending, In Progress, Client Review, Completed, Cancelled, or statuses you define) and reply in client-visible comments. Internal comments and notes stay hidden from them.
Client approvals and proofing →Each client has their own storage with folders, drag-and-drop multi-file upload, in-browser preview of images, PDFs and video, and ZIP download of selected files or whole folders. Storage is unlimited, with a 10GB cap per file.
File sharing details →Clients start conversations with team members from the portal, attach files and search past messages, so project talk stops living in personal inboxes.
Clients open their invoices and pay through a payment link by card, ACH bank transfer or digital wallet (Stripe) or PayPal. The invoice moves to Paid on its own when the payment clears. AgencyPro adds no transaction fee on top of Stripe's.
Billing and invoicing →Clients buy from your service catalog, see their active subscriptions, update their payment method and pause, resume or cancel when you allow it. On Pro they can also buy credit packs and open support tickets.
Productized services and subscriptions →What does one client request look like from the client's side?
A hypothetical example: a marketing agency onboards a new client and runs a landing page request through the portal on Basic.
You add the client company as an organization, add its marketing lead as a contact and send the portal invitation. She logs in at portal.youragency.com and walks through your onboarding steps, including a downloadable brand questionnaire.
From the dashboard she clicks New Request, picks "Landing page design" and fills in the form for that service: goal, audience, a select field for page type, and a file field where she uploads the brand guide. The request reaches your queue with all of it attached.
Your designer asks one question in a client-visible comment while the team discusses scope in an internal note she never sees. When the draft is ready, the request moves to Client Review and she replies with her changes in the same thread.
The final files land in her storage folder for that project. The invoice arrives by email and also sits under Invoices in the portal; she pays it by card through the payment link and it changes to Paid on its own.
Limits that apply: unlimited clients and client contacts on every plan, unlimited storage with files up to 10GB each, and 1 workspace on Basic, 3 on Pro, 5 on Plus and unlimited on Enterprise. To run the same flow for a retainer client, see retainer requests. The first-login welcome flow is covered in client onboarding, and messages, comments and tickets in client communication.
What can your agency configure?
The portal carries your brand and only shows clients what you choose. For removing AgencyPro branding entirely, see white-label options by plan.
Branding (Basic)
Logo, favicon, primary and secondary colors, and email templates with merge tags such as {client_name}.
Custom domain (Basic)
Add a CNAME record for a subdomain such as portal.youragency.com, verify it, and SSL is issued automatically.
Navigation and wording
Reorder, hide and relabel portal menu items. Edit interface and notification text, and manage locales, in Translations.
Client onboarding
A welcome flow after a client's first login, with optional steps and documents they can download.
Organizations
Group several client contacts under one company, assign an account manager, attach the services and subscriptions they have bought, and tag them.
Impersonation
Authorized team members view the portal as a specific client to check what they see. Each session is logged.
You can also embed a live chat widget (Intercom, Crisp, Tawk, LiveChat, Zendesk or your own code) in the portal from Workspace Settings > Integrations.
Which plan includes which portal features?
The portal itself is on every plan. Pro adds tickets, credits and proofing; Plus removes the remaining AgencyPro branding. Full details are on the pricing page.
| Feature | Basic | Pro | Plus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Client portal, requests, comments and status tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| File storage (unlimited, 10GB per file) and messaging | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Invoices and payments (Stripe, PayPal) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client onboarding flow | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Logo, colors and custom domain with SSL | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tickets for quick client questions | No | Yes | Yes |
| Credit packs and hourly services | No | Yes | Yes |
| Design and video annotation, versioned proofing | No | Yes | Yes |
| Notifications from your own email domain | No | No | Yes |
| Remove "Powered by" (no AgencyPro branding) | No | No | Yes |
| Workspaces (separate portal environments) | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| Monthly price (1 seat included) | $39 | $79 | $149 |
| Each extra team seat | $15/mo | $20/mo | $30/mo |
What does a client portal cost for your team?
You pay for the plan plus each extra team seat. Clients are free, however many you invite.
That matters when you compare portal tools that charge per client or per client user: in AgencyPro, adding your 31st client does not change the bill. Adding your fifth designer does.
Example: a 4-person agency with 30 clients
- Basic: $39 + 3 x $15 = $84/mo
- Pro: $79 + 3 x $20 = $139/mo
- Plus: $149 + 3 x $30 = $239/mo
The 30 clients and all their contacts add $0. Annual billing lowers the base price to $32.50, $65.83 or $124.17 per month.
How do you set up the portal in AgencyPro?
Six steps, in the order most agencies do them. Our guide on how to set up a client portal covers the planning side.
In Workspace Settings, upload your logo and favicon, set primary and secondary colors, and edit the email templates clients receive.
Add a CNAME record that points your subdomain to your workspace, verify the domain, and wait for DNS to propagate. SSL is generated automatically.
Create the services clients can request or buy, then add the custom fields each request form needs so briefs arrive complete.
Hide menu items clients do not need, relabel the rest in your own words, and add onboarding steps and documents for first login.
Create each client company, add its contacts, and send portal invitations now or later. You can resend or cancel pending invites.
Use impersonation to open the portal as one of your clients and confirm they see the right services, files and invoices.
When AgencyPro is not the right fit
A portal is not the answer for every agency. These are the cases where we would point you elsewhere, or at least slow down. Weighing a custom build? Read build vs. buy a client portal.
Basic and Pro show a "Powered by" attribution and send notifications from the default sender. Removing both takes Plus: $149/mo plus $30 per extra seat.
If you need custom objects, bespoke screens or a portal that mirrors an internal database, a no-code portal builder or a custom build will fit better.
The CSV importer brings in clients and services. Projects, tasks, files and comment history from another tool are not imported; migration help is a Plus service.
If you send one monthly report and nothing else, a shared drive costs less. A portal pays off when clients submit work, review it and pay you in the same place.
Comparing options? See our roundup of client portal software.
“It allows me to invite clients to a portal that looks and feels like my company, not third-party software. This branding has significantly increased my clients’ trust.”
Frequently asked questions
Can I put my own branding on the client portal?
Yes. On Basic you set your logo, favicon, brand colors and email templates, and connect your own domain with automatic SSL. Sending notifications from your own email domain and removing the "Powered by" attribution are Plus features. See the white-label page for the full breakdown by plan.
What can clients do in the portal?
Clients submit requests through your service forms, follow request status, reply in client-visible comments, upload and download files, message your team, pay invoices, manage subscriptions and their payment method, and buy from your service catalog. On Pro they can also buy credit packs and open support tickets.
Do client logins count as paid seats?
No. Every plan includes unlimited clients with no per-client fee. Seats are for your team: one is included, and each extra seat costs $15/mo on Basic, $20/mo on Pro or $30/mo on Plus. You can add several contacts from the same client company under one organization.
Can clients submit requests through the portal?
Yes. Each service can have its own request form with custom fields (text, textarea, file, select, checkbox and radio) and conditional logic. A submitted request appears in your queue with the client, service and uploaded files already filled in, and your team works it from list or Kanban view in project management.
Can my team see exactly what a client sees?
Yes. Authorized team members can use impersonation to view the portal as a specific client. A banner shows while impersonation is on, and each session is logged for audit.
Can I bring my existing clients over?
Yes, for client records. The native CSV importer handles clients and services, and you choose when to send portal invitations. Projects, tasks, files and comment history from your old tool are not imported automatically. Migration assistance is included on Plus.
Does the portal work on mobile?
Yes. Clients can use the portal in a mobile browser to check status, reply to comments, upload files, send messages and pay invoices.