Client Portal
About

Client Portal started as a single page on a website

Ten years on, over 8,000 customers in 50+ countries have used it, and it still does one job.

  • WordPress plugin
  • Since 2016
  • 8,000+ customers
Laura Elizabeth, founder of Client Portal, holding a mug

The story of Client Portal

It started with a freelancer tired of being asked where the files were. Here’s the story in the founder’s own words.

Hi, I’m Laura, the founder of Client Portal.

I was a freelance designer for many years, with one small, persistent problem. I didn’t need a full project management tool. I just needed somewhere my clients could find the files I’d sent them, without emailing me to ask again. And again. Nothing I looked at was right, so I built a page on my own website.

Around then I was speaking at conferences about freelancing and client onboarding, and I mentioned it. People asked if they could buy mine. Several said they hadn’t realized they needed one until I described it.

So I turned it into a product. Version one was an HTML template and a usage guide. That’s it. People bought it anyway, and enough of them did that I could afford to hire a developer.

In 2017 it became a WordPress plugin. The old website is in the screenshot, in case you’d like to see what looked good in 2017.

The idea hasn’t changed since. Client Portal is a simple place where your clients can see where they are with a project, and only what they should see. It’s the same thing I built for myself.

Laura Elizabeth's handwritten signature

Laura, founder of Client Portal

Questions? Hit reply to any of our emails or write to hello@client-portal.io. I read them.

  1. 2016Laura speaking on stage at a conference, in front of slides reading Trust, Communication, Experience

    The conference talk where people first asked to buy it

  2. The first version of Client Portal: a sales page for a simple HTML template, next to its PDF usage guide

    Version 1: An HTML template and a usage guide. That’s it.

  3. 2017The 2017 Client Portal website, the plugin’s edit screen inside WordPress and the WordPress logo

    Launched as a WordPress plugin

  4. NowToday’s Client Portal homepage, and Laura on stage wearing a Client Portal T-shirt

    Ten years later, still going

“Buying something that integrates the systems I already have is the perfect solution.”
Christina Arnold

What it is, and what it isn’t

Client Portal does one job, and it’s designed to fit around the way you already work.

What it is:

  • A WordPress plugin that runs on your own site
  • The part of your process your clients see, without any of the messy inner workings
  • Built to work alongside your existing tools

What it isn’t:

  • A SaaS app. Client Portal is a WordPress plugin, so you need a WordPress site.
  • A project management tool. Keep using yours for your own work.
  • Priced per client or per seat. Add as many clients as you like.

Key facts

The essentials at a glance. For plans and prices, see the pricing page.

FactDetails
ProductClient Portal
TypeWordPress plugin (self-hosted)
Founded2016
FounderLaura Elizabeth
HeadquartersUnited Kingdom
Websiteclient-portal.io
Customers8,000+
Countries50+
SupportEmail, usually within one business day
Works alongsideGoogle Drive, Dropbox, Google Docs, Calendly, Asana, ClickUp, Basecamp and most tools with a link or embed code
AlternativesWP Customer Area, SuiteDash, Ahsuite

Give every client one place for their project

Client Portal is $199 a year for one site, with unlimited portals and unlimited clients. There’s no higher tier. If it’s not right for you, you’ve got 30 days to get a full refund.

Get Client Portal