In this blog article, we explore the world of project management software that caters specifically to client-facing teams. Moving away from popular, all-in-one solutions, we spotlight six lesser-known tools with dedicated client portals. We delve into their unique features, benefits, and how they compare to generic tools. Our discussion particularly highlights the software solution 'Anywhere,' illustrating its exceptional features, pricing, and suitability for client-oriented work. Our aim is to guide businesses, particularly client-focused agencies, towards more tailored software options that truly address their unique project management challenges.

6 Least known Project Management Software Tools With A Client Portal to explore in 2023

What criteria have we used to curate this list 

In the vast universe of project management, there are countless solutions available. They range from the all-in-one "Swiss army knives" of tools to the specialist "surgeon's scalpel" designed to address a unique need. In this article, we're focusing on the latter category: tools purpose-built for teams who work with external clients.

Given that effective collaboration with clients is crucial throughout a project's lifespan, we're shining the spotlight on tools that offer smooth interaction and come equipped with a dedicated client portal. Our aim is to exclude those tools which, while capable of handling client work, are not custom-designed with this critical focus in mind.

In essence, this article unveils some under-the-radar project management software with client portal that client-facing teams should consider. Each of them features a dedicated client portal, enhancing agency-client collaboration—a key ingredient for successful project management for client work.

What is project management software with client portal?

Project management platforms featuring client portals represent a specialized class of software solutions. They're employed by businesses and client-facing teams for project planning, task organization, and facilitating collaborative efforts. But the signature characteristic that sets them apart is the provision of a unique client portal.

This exclusive client portal operates as a secure, user-friendly digital center. It empowers clients with the ability to log in, oversee their details, interact with project coordinators, request progress reports, upload necessary files, monitor project stages, offer feedback, and in certain situations, even make payments or authorize documents. In essence, this portal simplifies the client's journey by bringing together all project-related aspects in one place.

The key features of this type of project management platform go beyond just organization and coordination. They also offer advanced features, like integrations with other tools, robust reporting, and often customizable user interfaces, to fully cater to the unique demands of managing client work.

Here's an overview of the key features you can expect in such advanced project management platforms:

• Task Organization: With this feature, you can easily create, allocate, and monitor tasks, enhancing your project management efficiency.
• Document Control: This advanced feature aids in the secure handling and distribution of documents, maintaining a structured workflow.
• Planning Instruments: These built-in tools assist in scheduling tasks and establishing deadlines, ensuring your projects always stay on track.
• Collaboration Capabilities: These features promote synergy amongst team members and clients, fostering a collaborative environment.
• In-depth Reporting: With this functionality, the software generates comprehensive reports covering aspects like project progression, hours spent, and more, giving you a clearer picture of your project status.
• Integration Compatibility: This advanced feature allows your project management platform to harmoniously integrate with other software in use, streamlining your work processes.

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Why go for a Project Management tool with a Client Portal? And How is it Different?

A client portal can be a real plus point for your agency. Here's why, in simpler terms:

1. More Openness: Clients can peek into the project any time they want. They see what's done, what's next, and when to expect it. This openness helps keep everyone on the same page.
2. Easier Chat: Forget messy emails and lost documents. A client portal keeps all chats, files, and notes in one place. It's like having a neat, organized desk—everything's easier to find!
3. More 'Me' Time: With all client stuff in one place, you spend less time searching and more time doing. Quick decisions, faster work—your team will thank you!
4. Happier Clients: When clients feel involved, they feel happier. They can watch the project grow, drop in their thoughts, and chat directly with the team. It's like being part of the family!
5. Safe and Sound: Sharing important stuff needs to be safe. And client portals make sure of that. They're built to keep all the client's info under lock and key.

How is it different from general project management tools?

Many project management tools are like a big toolbox—they have a bit of everything. But when you're working with clients, you need more than just 'a bit.' That's where client portals come in. Unlike regular tools, they offer a dedicated space just for clients—a cozy corner where clients can watch, learn, and interact. It's this focus on client work that makes them stand out from the rest. So, if client work is your game, a project management tool with a client portal should be your aim!

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Are there any pitfalls with Client Portals? And how to be cautious?

While client portals in project management tools can be a huge win, there can be a few hiccups. Let's talk about them:

1. Over-Sharing: With a client portal, your clients can peek into their projects. But what if they see something they're not supposed to? You don't want to spill all the beans. So, you need a tool that lets you control what clients can see.
2. Too Much Noise: A client portal makes it easy for clients to drop in their thoughts. But sometimes, this can turn into too many cooks in the kitchen, distracting your team from their work. The trick is to find a balance and a tool that lets you manage client interactions.
3. Privacy Matters: Client portals need to be safe, like a locked diary. A single slip could lead to a big mess. So, it's crucial to pick a tool that treats privacy like a queen.
4. Training Time: A new tool means a new learning curve for your team and your clients. It might take a little time and patience before everyone gets the hang of it. But once they do, it's smooth sailing!

In short, while a project management tool with a client portal can be awesome for client work, it's important to keep these points in mind. Choose a tool that lets you control what the client sees, manages interactions effectively, prioritizes privacy, and is easy to learn. This way, you'll reap all the benefits, without the bumps!

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Top project management software solutions with client portals

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1. Anywhere

Intro 

Based in Seattle, Anywhere was built by Supreet and Atul. They ran a client-focused business for more than 10 years. But they couldn't find a project management tool that was just right. So, in 2020, they made Anywhere. It's a tool that's easy to use and comes with handy mobile apps. It's perfect for teams looking for a no-fuss project management software with client portal.

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What Makes Anywhere Stand Out?

• Unique Client Portals: Anywhere provides each of your clients with a dedicated portal. Clients can access their portal using a special 'magic link', so there's no extra password to remember - just one click and they're in. Helps you offer a collaborative user experience to your clients right from day one. 
  
  

• Full Control: With Anywhere, you're in the driver's seat. You can choose what each client sees in their portal, making it as simple or detailed as needed. Use the 'Private mode' in chats to keep internal conversations hidden from clients.
  
  

• Make It Yours: Anywhere is all about personalization. Change colors to match your brand, hide 'Anywhere' branding, use your domain and email, and even rename the tool! It's a fully customizable platform that can reflect your brand, giving you a more professional look.
  
  

• Simple and User-Friendly: Customers have praised Anywhere for its easy learning curve. As Antra Prasad puts it, "Our company loves this software because it is user-friendly and easy to understand." Similarly, Victor Iwan appreciates its intuitive interface, stating, "It's simple to use... It saves time and increases productivity!"
  
  

• Stellar Customer Support: Anywhere prides itself on quick, responsive customer service. You won't be waiting for 24 hours for a reply. Anywhere's team monitors their chat closely, responding in real time. As Sylvia Brade from Village Impact says, "Fantastic and reassuring support. Much appreciated as a new user."
  
  

• ‍Complete Project Handling: With Anywhere, you gain access to a platform that leaves no aspect of project management untouched. Whether it's managing unlimited projects, sorting tasks into organized task lists, or dealing with complex task dependencies, Anywhere has it all covered. Add to this an array of features like task assignments, reminders, recurring tasks, integrated chats, Custom fields, document management, repetitive tasks, Loom integration, time tracking, detailed reporting, and interactive dashboards - it's truly your all-in-one solution for effective project management.
  
  

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What's not good with Anywhere 

• Anywhere does not currently have Project Budgeting in place, this is a work in progress. 
• Anywhere does not currently have a Form view, again this too is a work in progress. 

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How Much Does Anywhere Cost?

Anywhere offers three pricing tiers:

1. Start: Perfect for small teams getting started with project management. For just $9.99, you get up to 10 user seats, with each additional user seat costing $3.99 user per month. Plus, you get 10 guest/client seats for free.
2. Grow: For teams looking to level up, the Grow plan unlocks all Anywhere features. Each user seat costs $12.99 per user per month, and you also get three free client seats for every paid seat. That's like getting four users for the price of one!
3. Scale: Ideal for larger businesses or enterprises with various departments and locations. The Scale plan includes everything in Grow, plus Single Sign On, Custom Permission & Role Management, and an option for custom deployment.

2. Acello 

Intro

Acello was founded in 2009 by two friends, Jason Brown, and Chris Peterson. They were both working in the software industry and saw a need for a better way to manage projects. They set out to create a software platform that would make it easier for businesses to track their projects, collaborate with team members, and communicate with clients.

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Pros

• Easy to manage freelancers & retainers.
• All activity related to a project, including emails, is linked to the projects. 
• You can create Quotes, generate invoices, manage billing, etc all in one place.  

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Cons

• According to some users, the UI is not as modern as in other Project Management tools available out there. It's been there since 2009 & part of it looks & feels old.
• Some users on G2 mention that their documentation is not up to date. 
• No custom reports. 
• No White Labelling: The Nimbus platform does not offer white labeling or rebranding capabilities.

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Pricing

Acello's pricing starts at $24/user/month for their Plus plan & $39/ user/month for their Premium plan. Both require a minimum of 5 user seats.

3. Nimbus

Intro

Nimbus Web was founded in 2012 by a team of developers who were frustrated with the lack of productivity tools available to them. They set out to create a suite of tools that would help people to be more productive, both at work and at home.

The company's flagship product is Nimbus Note, a note-taking app that allows users to take notes, create to-do lists, and collaborate with others. Nimbus Note is available on all major platforms, including Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.

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Unique Features

In addition to Nimbus Note, Nimbus Web also offers a number of other productivity tools, including:

• Nimbus Capture: A screenshot and screen recording tool
• Nimbus Clipper: A web clipper that allows users to save web pages to their Nimbus account
• Nimbus Portal: A collaboration platform that allows teams to share files, documents, and calendars

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Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Easy to use: Nimbus Note is a very easy-to-use note-taking app. The interface is clean and simple, and the features are easy to find and use.
• Versatile: Nimbus Note is a very versatile note-taking app. It can be used for a variety of tasks, including taking notes, creating to-do lists, and collaborating with others.
• Secure: Nimbus Note is a very secure note-taking app. Your notes are encrypted and stored in the cloud, so you can access them from anywhere.
• Affordable: Nimbus Note is a very affordable note-taking app. The free plan is very generous, and the paid plans are very reasonable.

Cons:

• Not really a project management tool: Nimbus is a comprehensive note-taking app but it is not a full-fledged project management tool & lacks Task Management features. 
• Nimbus Portal: Nimbus portal is a new upcoming offer from the same team that offers Task Management & client portals, it's still a request-based access. 
• No reviews: Since the Nimbus portal is still in early access as of the writing of this article on June 23, there are no actual reviews available from the actual users. 
• No White Labelling: The Nimbus platform does not offer white labeling or rebranding capabilities. 

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Pricing

Plus: Their most basic paid plan starts at $9/user/month & you can add a max of 20 users on this plan. There are no free guest seats & every additional client portal is charged at $20/month.    

Team: Starts at $12/user/month. Offers 3 free guest seats per portal. Any additional client portal requires $20/Month. 

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4. Flowlu

Intro

Flowlu was founded in 2011 by two entrepreneurs, Tomas and Juraj. The company was originally called MyHours, and it was a time-tracking application. In 2013, the company rebranded to Flowlu and expanded its offerings to include project management, CRM, and invoicing.

Flowlu is a cloud-based software that helps businesses of all sizes to manage their projects, finances, and team collaboration. The platform is designed to be easy to use and affordable.

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Pros & Cons

Pros:

• An all-in-one business management tool. 
• CRM has a round-robin feature for leads.
• Knowledge base & Client portal support. 

Cons:

• Supports only one assignee per task. 
• Limited integration on Calendar. 
• There is a steep learning curve due to it being a general-purpose all-in-one tool

Pricing

The Team plan starts at $39 for 8 users & external users are limited to 10, The Business plan starts at $74 a month for 16 Users there are more plans available with a higher number of users & limits. 

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5. One Desk

Intro

OneDesk was founded in 2012 by two IT professionals, Ilya Brodsky, and Alexander Tsirulnikov. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California. OneDesk is an all-in-one help desk and project management software solution that helps businesses of all sizes to manage their customer support, projects, and tasks.

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Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Helps with Help Desk, Project Management & Professional Service Automation 
• An on-premise deployment option is available. 
• Supports customer invoicing. 

Cons: 

• No project-specific custom fields, there is a fixed set of columns you can use for project data. 
• The UI feels a little outdated.
• No white labeling options are available. 

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Pricing

OneDesk's pricing starts at $13.99 per user per month for their Standard Plan, $15.99 for Premium & $18.99 for Enterprise plans.

 

6. ManyRequests 

Intro

ManyRequests is client portal software that helps you create requests & Invoices that you can share with clients on a client portal. 

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Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Requests: Create client requests, requests show up on the client portal & can have a 
• Forms: Helps you create Services & forms to gather inputs using forms. 
• Invoices: Create & share invoices with clients using the client portal. 

Cons: 

• Not really Project Management Software. 
• No white labeling option.
• There are no Task Management capabilities.

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Pricing

The Basic plan starts at $129/ Month & supports 5 team members. The Pro plan comes with a price tag of $299/ Month with 10 user seats allowed. Each extra seat is $20/ month. 

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FAQs about project management software with client portals

1. What is a client portal in a project management tool?

A client portal is a secure, digital space within a project management tool where clients can access project details, communicate with project managers, upload documents, track progress, provide feedback, and more. It's essentially a one-stop-shop for everything a client needs for their project.

In Anywhere, the client portal is a secure, personalized space where your clients can keep track of project details, engage with the team, upload documents, monitor progress, provide feedback, and more. It acts as their unique hub for all project-related activities. The clients can also access the Anywhere client portal with a single click on their unique magic link. 

2. How secure is a client portal?

Client portal security is crucial, and good project management tools take this very seriously. These portals should come with robust security features, such as SSL encryption and secure user authentication, to keep your client's data safe.

Security is a top priority for Anywhere. The platform incorporates robust security measures, like SSL encryption and secure user authentication, to protect client data and provide a secure user experience.

3. Can I control what my client sees in the portal?

Absolutely! The best project management tools allow you to control what your clients can or cannot see. This means you can tailor each client's portal to provide only the information they need, reducing clutter and confusion.

Anywhere gives you the power to control what your clients see in their portal. You can customize each portal to provide only the necessary information, making it a streamlined, user-friendly experience for your clients.

4. Do all project management tools come with a client portal?

No, not all project management tools have client portals. Many popular tools focus mainly on internal team management. However, there are specialized tools like Anywhere that offer dedicated client portals for enhanced client-facing project management.

Unlike many project management tools, Anywhere has a dedicated client portal specifically designed to enhance client-facing project management.

5. Do clients have to pay to access the portal?

Typically, no. Access to the client portal is generally included in the project management tool's pricing plan. However, the specifics may vary from tool to tool.

Client access to the portal is included in Anywhere's pricing plan, making it a cost-effective solution for client-facing teams.

6. Is training required to use these tools?

While these tools are designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, there may be a learning curve initially. Many providers offer helpful resources like tutorials, guides, and customer support to help users quickly get up to speed.

While Anywhere is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, they also provide comprehensive resources like tutorials, guides, and stellar customer support to ensure you're never left in the dark.

7. Can multiple clients access the same portal?

It depends on the project management tool, but generally, each client gets their unique portal to ensure privacy and manage client-specific tasks and communication effectively.

Anywhere ensures each client gets their unique portal for privacy and efficient management of client-specific tasks and communications. If howevere the individual client users are part of one client team, they do get access to same set of data unless otherwise modified. 

8. Can I integrate other tools with the client portal?

Yes, many project management tools with client portals allow for integration with other popular tools your team may be using. This could include tools for communication, document management, invoicing, and more.

Anywhere allows for seamless integration with other popular tools that your team uses, making it a versatile solution for your project management needs.

9. What happens to the client portal once the project is completed?

Usually, the client portal remains accessible even after project completion. This provides a complete history of the project, allowing clients to revisit past projects, documents, and communications if needed. However, the exact approach can vary based on the tool you're using.

In Anywhere, the client portal remains accessible even after project completion. This allows clients to revisit past projects, documents, and communications, providing a complete project history. However, if you want to revoke access, just Archive the project. All archived projects are still available for agencies to review at a later date but the clients can not access them anymore using the client portal. 

10. Is it possible to customize the look and feel of the client portal?

Many project management tools with client portals allow for customization. You can adjust colors, logos, and sometimes even the layout to match your brand, providing a more seamless experience for your clients.

Anywhere offers extensive customization options. You can adjust colors, logos, and even the tool's name to align with your brand identity, providing a more personalized experience for your clients. 

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Build and manage effective client portals with Anywhere App

In the world of client-facing projects, communication, transparency, and organization are key. With Anywhere, you have a powerful tool that combines all these into a dedicated client portal. Tailored to meet your unique needs, it offers a platform for streamlined collaboration and project management.

Anywhere lets you build a client portal that's intuitive and easy to use. With it, your clients can keep tabs on project progress, share documents, provide feedback, and more. All these in a secure environment that's just a click away. The feedback collected from the clients also helps you identify high risk projects where clients are unsatisfied. It helps you take proactive action & prevents churn, increasing overall client satisfaction & retention. You can also add custom fields in your client projects.  

Managing your client portal is a breeze with Anywhere. You get to decide what your clients see, ensuring they get the information they need without any clutter. Plus, you can tweak its look and feel to match your brand, creating a seamless and professional experience.

Beyond just managing client work, Anywhere gives you everything you need for project management. From task assignments, reminders, and comments to integrations, time tracking, and insightful reports – it's all there in one place.

With its flexible pricing options and stellar customer support, Anywhere makes managing client work more efficient, organized, and transparent. Give it a try and see how it can transform your client-facing project management.

DISCLAIMER: The data compiled in the following report has been gathered from publicly available data and from our interaction with potential buyers. This means the comparison data can be outdated, incomplete or inaccurate. We advise you to do a personal evaluation of all tools before making a decision.