Best Project Management Software With Client Portal Tools
After extensive testing, we’ve found the best project management software with client portal tools to help teams collaborate with clients, track project progress and share files seamlessly. Let’s take a look at the top choices.
Written by Kate Hawkins (Editor, Writer)
Reviewed by Valentina Bravo (Editor)
Facts checked by Simona Ivanovski (Fact-Checker, Formatter)
Last Updated:
All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.
Key Takeaways: These Are the Best Project Management Tools With Client Portal Software
- monday.com — The best option for most users, with client-facing features and intuitive boards. Plans start at $12 per month.
- ClickUp — An all-in-one platform with flexible client permissions and public dashboards. Subscriptions available from $12 per month.
- Asana — A good choice for task-based collaboration with clients, featuring guest access and communication tools. Plans start at $10.99 per month.
- Zoho Projects — A solid budget option, with built-in client user roles, detailed permissions settings and shareable project views. Plans available from $4 per month.
- Wrike — Suitable for enterprise teams with complex client projects, with custom roles and external sharing options. Subscriptions start at $10 per month.
Facts & Expert Analysis About Client Portal Software:
- Client portals can centralize communication: Client portals provide space for discussions, file uploads and deadlines to be organized in a single location.
- Permissions controls protect internal data: You can ensure clients see only what they need to with granular access rights so you don’t expose internal workflows.
- Client collaboration improves project speed: Giving clients access to updates and feedback channels means quicker approvals, fewer misunderstandings and faster project completion.
The best project management software with client portal tools streamlines collaboration and maintains transparency for your projects. The top project management software lets clients view and track progress and improve communication in a single, accessible location. The right tool can enhance task management and improve the client onboarding process, too.
We’ve chosen project management software that combines simple user interfaces with powerful features like secure messaging, automating tasks and detailed permissions. These collaboration tools help you manage clients efficiently so they can view project progress, make approvals and see deadlines without intruding on your internal workflow.
Cloudwards’ Choice: monday.com
Cloudwards’ Choice: monday.com
After rigorous testing, monday.com stands out to me as the most well-rounded option. I found it easy to set up dedicated client workspaces, control what external users can see and share updates through customizable boards. Best of all, you can try monday.com totally free with its 14-day trial, or get started with a subscription from just $9 per month.
What Is a Client Portal?
A client portal is a secure workspace that lets businesses collaborate with clients and share project updates, files, timelines and feedback in real time. This centralizes communications and project materials, avoiding endless email threads or scattered messages that can easily be missed.
Project management software with client portals typically looks like shared dashboards, guest accounts or public project views with adjustable permissions. These features make it simple to keep clients informed without showing them internal workflows, and provide transparency that makes collaboration smoother between clients and businesses.
The 7 Best Project Management Tools With Customer Portal Software
| App: | Free Plan | Price | Client Tools | Permissions | File Sharing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 2 users, limited features | $9/month | Shareable boards, client workspaces | Role-based, guest access | File uploads, commenting, update feeds |
 | 100MB storage | $7/month | Guest roles, public dashboards | Granular permissions | Documents, chats, collaborative editing |
 | 10 users | $10.99/month | Guest users, client-facing projects | Task & project visibility controls | File attachments, comments, task updates |
 | 3 users, 2 projects | $4/month | Client users, project portals | Role-based, task-level control | File versioning, forums, chat |
 | Task management only | $10/month | External user sharing, request forms | Custom user roles, advanced permissions | File attachments, approval workflows, activity feed |
 | Limited blocks | $10/month | Shareable pages, client-facing portals via public links | Page-level access control | Collaborative documents, comments, task databases |
 | Unlimited boards & users | $5/month | Board sharing, guest invites | Board-level visibility | File uploads, comments |
1. monday.com — Best Project Management Tool for Client-Facing Workflows
monday.com is exceptionally easy to use, which is why it takes the top spot on our list. Creating dedicated workspaces, customizing dashboards and securely sharing data with clients was simple during testing. You can set precise permissions for clients so they’re not overwhelmed with internal data — they see only what you want or need them to see.
monday.com Hands-On Testing
monday.com’s ease of use and small learning curve make it ideal for external clients who haven’t used project management software before. Sharing a board with clients takes just a few clicks, and customizing what they can see is simple with intuitive permissions settings. Plus, communication is easy with built-in commenting and instant notifications.
monday.com Pricing & Value
monday.com’s best value comes from the Standard plan, which includes guest access and automations for $9 per user per month. All paid tiers have a 14-day free trial, with no credit card required. You can find out more in our in-depth monday.com review.
- Maximum users: 2
- Minimum users: 3; All prices per user
- Minimum users: 3; All prices per user
More plans
- Minimum users: 3; All prices per user
- Enterprise-level features.
2. ClickUp — Best Project Management Tool for Custom Client Dashboards
ClickUp’s flexible, all-in-one platform stands out for its powerful customization and extensive permissions controls. It provides public dashboards, guest roles and detailed access settings across views, lists and tasks. It has a steeper learning curve than other tools, but its resource center is comprehensive and helpful for beginners.
ClickUp Hands-On Testing
ClickUp has a lot of flexibility for project management software, but it comes with a pretty steep learning curve that could be a challenge for new clients. However, once you’ve set it up and explored a bit, it provides a great experience for clients — clean dashboards, simple interactions and permissions that work flawlessly.
ClickUp Pricing & Value
ClickUp has an impressive free plan, with dashboards, documents and guest access. There are some limits, but you can access most of the advanced features on the free plan. Plans providing full manageability start at $7 per user per month, which is ideal for businesses with a budget. Find out more in our ClickUp review.
- Basic functionality with some limitations
- All prices per user
- All prices per user
3. Asana — Best Project Management Tool for Task-Based Client Collaboration
Asana is great project management software for task-based projects, letting you invite clients as guest users for specific tasks. Guest users can see progress clearly and keep communication organized with task comments and file attachments. Its easy-to-use interface has a shallow learning curve, so it’s simple for brand-new users to navigate.
Asana Hands-On Testing
During testing, Asana’s intuitive interface made it easy to invite guests and have clients navigate accessible task views. There’s a slight learning curve, but clients can leave comments, check deadlines and upload files without needing a ton of training.
Asana Pricing & Value
Asana has a free plan, but it limits advanced views and automation. The best client collaboration features are available on plans starting at $10.99 per user per month — this unlocks timelines, task dependencies and additional sharing options. You can read more about the different plans in our Asana review.
- Up to 10 users
- Price is per user. unlimited users, expanded features
- Price is per user. unlimited users, even more features
- Custom pricing, advanced security features
4. Zoho Projects — Best Project Management Tool for Built-In Client Roles
Zoho Projects provides affordable pricing and client portal software that many competitors reserve for higher-tier plans. You can create client user profiles, assign tasks to external users and maintain strict control over milestone, task and document visibility. You can also invoice clients directly through the portal with time tracking and billing tools.
Zoho Projects Hands-On Testing
Compared to other platforms, the Zoho Projects platform is functional but feels a bit dated. It has a little more of a learning curve than other options, but once you’ve spent some time with it, the process of setting up client users, controlling access and tracking time for billing is straightforward.
Zoho Projects Pricing & Value
Zoho Projects is very budget-friendly project management software, with plans starting at just $4 per user per month. You can try it out risk-free with its 10-day free trial, which gives you access to time tracking, reporting and client management features. Find out more in our Zoho Projects review.
5. Wrike — Best Project Management Tool for Enterprise Client Management
Wrike is ideal for teams that handle complex client projects, with external clients and vendors and internal staff working in tandem. You can choose custom guest roles, create dynamic dashboards for each client and customize external sharing permissions to build client portals that are visible and also very secure.
Wrike Hands-On Testing
Wrike offers powerful client portal tools, but its interface is cluttered and not the easiest to navigate. Fortunately, customizing clean and simple client-facing dashboards is straightforward, so guests should feel comfortable with the software pretty quickly — they won’t need training to track progress or submit approvals.
Wrike Pricing & Value
You can test Wrike’s client portal options free for 14 days with its trial offer, with no payment details needed. During the trial, you can access features like shared dashboards and client request forms. If you decide to subscribe, plans start at $10 per user per month, which is a solid value for feature-rich project management software. Read more in our Wrike review.
- Unlimited users. Basic features.
- Price is per user. Plans for 5, 10 and 15 users.
- Price is per user. No monthly option. Plans for 5 to 200 users.
More plans
- For large teams; Enterprise-grade security and scalability; Plans for 5 to an unlimited number of users.
- For teams with complex work needs; Advanced tools and analytics for complex work; 5 to unlimited users
6. Notion — Best Project Management Tool for Flexible Client Portals
Instead of the rigid task lists that other project management solutions use, Notion gives you the option to build flexible, customizable workspaces that can double as client portals. You can share documents, databases, timelines or workspace wikis to create a unique experience for external clients while keeping internal workflows secure and private.
Notion Hands-On Testing
Notion’s flexibility makes it ideal for creating custom client portals, and it’s easy to navigate. Setting up a client workspace took very little time, as did adding timelines, documents and feedback forms. Its task management features aren’t as powerful as those of monday.com or ClickUp, but its feature set should be more than enough for most teams.
Notion Pricing & Value
If you have a small team or you’re an individual, the free plan works well. However, client-facing workspaces are better equipped on its premium plans, with unlimited file uploads, collaboration features and private spaces for teams. Plans start at $10 per user per month. Read more about the pricing in our Notion review.
- 1 user only, Up to five guests, 5MB file upload limit
- 1 user only, Unlimited guests, Unlimited file uploads, Version history
- Unlimited users, Unlocks workspace, User permission settings
- Advanced security features
7. Trello — Best Project Management Tool for Lightweight Client Collaboration
Trello is known for kanban-style boards that make collaboration simple for both internal teams and external clients. It’s lightweight but functional, with guest invites and public boards that make it easy to share project updates and timelines. It’s a solid option for teams that prioritize ease of use in project management software rather than complex features.
Trello Hands-On Testing
During our tests, Trello was the quickest and easiest task management tool to set up and share with clients. We could invite clients to join boards via email, after which it was simple to comment on tasks and check updates, with no significant learning curve.
Trello Pricing & Value
Trello’s free plan is sufficient for small projects, with sharing permitted for personal boards. If you want to unlock advanced views like timelines and calendars and have greater permissions control, a paid plan is a better option — they start at $5 per user per month. Take a look at our Trello review for more information.
- Unlimited users, 10 boards, Unlimited power-ups, Unlimited storage
- Price is per user, Unlimited boards, Custom fields, Invite guests
- Price is per user, Several new views
- Price is per user, Advanced admin & security settings
How to Choose the Best Project Management Client Portal Software
When choosing project management software with client portal capabilities, it’s important for external collaboration to be as easy and seamless as possible. This means looking for features that allow for controlled client access, clear communication and secure sharing. Below are the key points we considered when evaluating the best tools:
- Client access and guest support: Tools need to provide a way to invite clients without requiring them to purchase a license, which could include options like guest access, public views or external collaborators.
- Permissions controls: Granular control over what clients can see or edit is necessary, so tools should have customizable permissions settings for projects, tasks and pages.
- Shareable portals: Client portals need to display available information clearly, so tools should have custom views, shared links or dedicated client-facing spaces.
- Sharing and communication tools: A good tool will allow clients and businesses to share files, leave messages or comments, and provide feedback directly within the workspace.
- Ease of use: As clients might not be familiar with the software, it’s essential for tools to be simple to use, even for complete beginners.
Our Methodology: How We Tested the Best Project Management Tools With Client Dashboard Software
We tested each tool to assess how effectively they enable external communication, manage access and support collaboration — all without compromising internal team workflows. We looked at sharing dashboards, uploading files and assigning tasks, and checked how intuitive it was to set up the portal and grant clients access to shared content.
- Client setup: We created a client user profile for each platform, testing how easy it was to set up the portal, grant access, limit visibility and establish communication between clients and team members.
- Workflow options: We built mock projects to see how tasks, files and milestones can be shared across internal and external users, including feedback and approval for each step.
- Access control: We explored permissions controls for each tool, checking that external clients can be granted permission to see only what they need to without exposing any internal data.
- Usability across roles: We looked at the user experience for project managers and clients, checking for any points of friction, confusing navigation or onboarding issues.
- Value for the money: We examined pricing tiers and feature sets to determine the level of access and functionality each tool includes, which is especially important if teams are working with multiple clients.
Final Thoughts
The right project management software with client-facing portals makes it easy to manage external collaborations. The tools we recommend let you focus on task management, have secure file sharing and provide easy ways to track project progress — all while keeping your teams’ internal project management processes safe and private. monday.com is the best all-round choice, but any of the software listed here will perform well.
Have you used project management software to track progress with clients before? Which features are most important to you — collaboration tools, a user-friendly platform or something else? Which platform do you think offers the best project management solution? Let us know in the comments, and thank you for reading!
FAQ: Project Management Tools With Client Portals
Client portal software gives external users secure access to specific, internal project information. It allows clients to view project progress, share files, provide feedback and stay on track with the workflow without having full access to the company’s internal system.
Generally, the three types of project management software are collaborative (teamwork and task tracking), scheduling (timelines and dependencies) and comprehensive platforms (task management, documentation and reporting).
monday.com is a great choice for client communication, as it has clear visual boards and customizable client views. ClickUp is also worth taking a look at — it provides flexible permissions and real-time commenting features for clients and team members.
Microsoft Project does not include native client portal functionality. Microsoft Teams offers some client-facing options, but a dedicated platform like monday.com is better suited for client portals.