Stop Emailing Spreadsheets: Build a Client Portal in 48 Hours (No Code Required)
The complete guide to building secure, branded client portals on monday.com using Softr. GDPR & US data privacy compliant. Trusted by agencies in the US, UK, Canada & Europe.
300+
Portals Built
2-4 Weeks
Typical Delivery
80%
Less Emails
What is a monday.com Client Portal?
Written by: Mindflows Team - Official monday.com Partner • Softr Expert • 300+ businesses served • 50+ portals built
A monday.com client portal is a secure, branded web application that gives external clients access to project data, files, and communication without requiring monday.com licenses. Unlike sharing boards directly—which exposes your internal workspace and requires guest licenses—a client portal built with Softr presents only the information clients need through a clean, professional interface.
Clients log in to their own branded portal to view project status, download files, submit requests, and communicate with your team, while all data syncs automatically with your monday.com boards in real-time. This approach eliminates 60-80% of licensing costs while providing a superior client experience.
monday.com Native Access vs Softr-Based Client Portals
Companies using monday.com for project management have two main approaches for giving external clients access to project data: native monday.com guest access or custom Softr-based portals. Each approach has distinct tradeoffs in cost, customization, and client experience.
monday.com Native Guest Access
Designed for: Internal team collaboration with occasional external stakeholders
Cost: $10-16 per guest user per month
Features:
- Direct access to monday.com boards
- Real-time collaboration within monday.com interface
- Familiar interface for monday.com users
- Quick setup with no development required
Limitations:
- Exposes internal board structure and column names
- Per-seat licensing becomes expensive at scale (20+ clients = $2,400-3,840/year)
- Limited branding and customization
- Clients see operational complexity (statuses, internal notes, etc.)
- No filtered views—guests see what you share, not role-based filtering
Softr-Based Client Portal
Designed for: Professional client-facing access at scale
Cost: $2,500-10,000 one-time development + ~$100-300/month hosting
Features:
- Complete brand customization (logo, colors, domain)
- Role-based data filtering (clients see only their projects)
- No per-user licensing—unlimited client users
- Clean, professional interface hiding internal complexity
- Custom forms, dashboards, and file management
- GDPR-compliant architecture with EU data residency option
Limitations:
- Requires upfront development investment
- Ongoing hosting costs (though minimal)
- Updates require configuration changes (not real-time board sharing)
When to Choose Each Approach
Choose monday.com native access when:
- Fewer than 5-10 external users
- Clients need to directly edit monday.com items
- Quick, temporary access for specific projects
- Budget constraints prevent portal development
Choose a Softr portal when:
- Managing 10+ external clients
- Brand experience matters for client relationships
- Need to reduce ongoing licensing costs
- Require GDPR compliance with EU data residency
- Want to hide internal operational complexity
- Clients should see only their own filtered data
Cost comparison: For agencies managing 20+ clients, a Softr portal saves $10,000-30,000 annually in licensing costs while providing superior client experience. The portal pays for itself within months.
Mindflows expertise: Mindflows specializes in building Softr portals on monday.com, having delivered 50+ portal implementations for agencies in the US, UK, Canada, and EU. We handle the architecture, development, and ongoing support so you can focus on client work.
What is the difference between monday.com native sharing and a custom Softr portal?
Companies using monday.com for project management have two main approaches for giving external clients access to project data: native monday.com guest access or custom Softr-based portals. Each approach has distinct tradeoffs in cost, customization, and client experience. For agencies managing 20+ clients, a Softr portal saves $10,000-30,000 annually in licensing costs while providing superior client experience. The portal pays for itself within months.
The Email Chaos Problem (You Know This Pain)
Sound familiar? Your inbox is drowning in client emails asking the same questions...
"What's the status of my project?"
You answer this 10+ times per week. Each email interrupts your work and requires context-switching.
"Can you send me that file again?"
Files scattered across emails, Dropbox, and Google Drive. Clients can never find what they need.
"When will this be done?"
Clients lack visibility into timelines. You're constantly providing manual updates that are outdated by tomorrow.
"Who's working on my account?"
Team assignments live in your internal systems. Clients feel disconnected from their dedicated team.
The Real Cost:
Agencies spend 5-10 hours per week on status update emails. That's $15,000-$30,000/year in lost productivity per team member—time that could be spent on billable client work.
The Solution: A Self-Service Client Portal
Give clients 24/7 access to their project data—without sharing your internal monday.com workspace.
Fewer "status update" emails
Client access to project data
From start to launch (basic portal)
What Clients Get:
What is the difference between native monday.com sharing and a custom client portal? Native monday.com guest access allows external users to view boards directly within the monday.com interface, but requires guest licenses and exposes your internal workspace structure. A custom Softr portal, by contrast, provides a separate branded web application where clients access only the filtered data you choose to share—without needing monday.com licenses and without seeing your internal workflows. For businesses managing multiple clients, custom portals reduce licensing costs by 60-80% while delivering a more professional client experience.
monday.com Native Sharing vs Custom Softr Portals
Understand the key differences to choose the right solution for your client access needs.
When to Choose a Custom Softr Portal
- You manage more than 5 active clients and want to avoid per-user licensing costs
- Client experience and professional branding matter to your business
- You need GDPR or CCPA compliance with proper access controls
- You want to hide internal workflows while showing clients relevant project data
Why monday.com + Softr Is the Perfect Stack
monday.com: Your Backend
You're already managing projects in monday.com. Why build a separate database? Your monday.com boards become the single source of truth.
- No data duplication
- Real-time sync
- Use existing workflows
Softr: Your Frontend
Softr connects directly to monday.com and lets you build beautiful, branded portals without writing code. Two-way sync keeps everything current.
- No-code builder
- Custom branding
- Built-in authentication
The 6-Step Portal Build Process
Follow this framework to build your portal. Most basic portals launch in 2-3 days.
Map Your Client Data Requirements
Step 01Identify exactly what information your clients need: project status, deliverables, invoices, files, or communication history. Document the user journey from login to task completion.
Pro Tips
- Start with your most-requested client questions
- Map data that's already in monday.com
- Prioritize 'must-have' over 'nice-to-have' for v1
Structure Your monday.com Boards
Step 02Organize your monday.com workspace with portal-ready structures. Create clear relationships between clients, projects, tasks, and deliverables. Add client-specific columns for filtering.
Pro Tips
- Use Connect Boards for relationships
- Add a 'Client' column to every board
- Create views specifically for portal data
Connect Softr to monday.com
Step 03Set up the native Softr-monday.com integration. Configure API permissions, select which boards to expose, and establish two-way data sync for forms and updates.
Pro Tips
- Use Softr's native integration for real-time sync
- Test API connections before building pages
- Configure write-back permissions carefully
Design & Build Portal Pages
Step 04Create your portal interface: dashboard overview, project detail pages, file library, request forms, and messaging. Apply your brand colors, logo, and custom domain.
Pro Tips
- Keep navigation simple (max 5-6 menu items)
- Use list + detail page pattern for projects
- Add visual status indicators for clarity
Configure Security & Access Control
Step 05Implement role-based access so clients only see their data. Set up user authentication, enable SSO if needed, and configure data filtering rules.
Pro Tips
- Filter data by logged-in user's email
- Use Softr's conditional visibility
- Test access with multiple test accounts
Test, Train & Launch
Step 06Thoroughly test with realistic data and multiple client scenarios. Train your team on portal management, then soft-launch with a pilot group before full rollout.
Pro Tips
- Create a pilot group of 3-5 clients
- Document common workflows for your team
- Gather feedback before full launch
Compliance & Security: The Best of Both Worlds
Our approach meets international data privacy standards—whether your clients are in New York, London, Toronto, or Berlin.
For EU Clients (GDPR)
- Data stored in EU-based servers (Softr EU region)
- Right to erasure (delete client data on request)
- Data processing agreements available
- Cookie consent and privacy policy templates
For US & CA Clients
- CCPA compliant (California Consumer Privacy Act)
- PIPEDA compliant (Canada's privacy law)
- SOC 2 Type II certified infrastructure
- 256-bit SSL encryption standard
Security Features Built-In
Authentication
Email/password, Magic links, SSO/SAML
Access Control
Role-based permissions, Row-level filtering
Data Protection
Encryption at rest & transit, Audit logs
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about building client portals on monday.com
Have more questions? Contact us directly
You Might Also Like
Explore other portal solutions that could transform your business
Ready to Build Your Client Portal?
Whether you're in New York, London, Toronto, or anywhere else—we help agencies build client portals that save time and impress clients. Book a free strategy call.
Serving agencies in the US, UK, Canada & EU • GDPR & CCPA Compliant • 300+ Portals Built
Ready to bring clarity to your operations?
Stop fighting your tools. Start running your business with systems that actually work.