Free client portal: what Free covers and where Pro starts
Share, request and get approval from clients on Tarkle Free, and see where the signed-in portal starts on Pro.
If you are looking for a free client portal on Tarkle, the Free plan lets you share files by link, collect files with a request, protect shared files with a password and gather client feedback and approval. The signed-in client portal, where each client signs in and sees what you shared with them, starts on Pro and is included on Agency.
Is there a free client portal on Tarkle?
Not on Free. On Tarkle, each client signs in with their email and sees only what you shared with them: files, transfers and requests. They can also upload back into their own folder. The portal runs on your custom domain, or on your workspace's tarkle.com address when you have not set one. The invite email carries your logo and brand colour.
On Free, turning on portal access for a contact is refused. Apart from that, a client on Free works through links: you send a link and the client opens it, with no account needed to download.
The Free plan is also sized for one person: 1 workspace, 1 person, 5 GB of storage and up to 1 GB per upload.
What can you do for clients on Free?
These are the things you can use with clients on Free today:
Share files. Pick files or folders, get one link and send it. The person opening it does not need an account. Free allows 15 transfers a month. See share files by link.
Request files. Send a link where the client uploads into the folder you choose. Free allows 1 active request form and 50 request submissions a month. See file requests.
Protect shared files with a password. Require a password before anyone can open a transfer. See password protection.
Collect client feedback and approval. Turn images and PDFs into a review board that clients comment on and approve with one link, no account needed. Free allows 5 active boards in each workspace. See client feedback.
Use your own domain and branding. Free includes one custom domain for each workspace. Free includes custom branding. The "Powered by Tarkle" line stays on every Free page. A brand page on Free has no custom domain of its own. See custom domain.
Where does a link stop being enough?
Links work well until a client has several things from you over several weeks. Then the problems start: they search their inbox for the link from three weeks ago, they ask you to send it again, and a request for new files arrives as a separate email.
The signs that you have outgrown links are practical:
The same client asks you to resend files more than once a month.
You work with several clients and want each one to see only their own material.
You want clients to find old files, new requests and approvals in one place without asking you.
You want the sign-in page, invite email and portal to look like your business.
If two or more of those are true, a client portal is worth weighing. If none are, Free keeps covering links and requests, and you can move to Pro when the portal earns its place. For a longer view of the trade-off, read client portal vs file sharing.
What do you get on Pro?
Pro adds the fully branded client portal: a branded place for your recipients to receive and manage the files you share with them. Open a contact in Contacts, turn on Portal access, and Tarkle emails the contact a one-time sign-in link. After that, the client enters their email on the sign-in page and gets a new link by email.
The client then sees Home, Files, Shared and Requests. Their uploads go into one private folder in your Library. You set how much each contact can upload: the limit is per contact and starts at 5 GB. To change it, open the row's three-dot menu in Contacts, choose Storage limit, type the amount, then Save.
Here is what Pro adds on top of Free:
Pro includes 2 workspaces.
Pro includes 3 TB of cloud storage.
Pro uploads go up to 200 GB.
Pro includes file versioning.
Pro includes unlimited team members.
Pro includes team folders.
Pro includes 90-day file recovery.
Pro includes priority support.
Pro costs $29 per month, or $19 per month billed yearly ($228 per year). See the pricing page for every plan.
Before you upgrade, add up the clients who would sign in. If it is one or two, a branded link and a request may cover you. If it is a handful, the portal pays for itself in resend requests you no longer answer.
When is Agency the better fit?
Agency includes everything in Pro, plus 20 workspaces for your clients, 6 TB of cloud storage and a 100% white-label platform. Your clients log in and manage their files and team on your own domain. The "Powered by Tarkle" backlink is replaced by your agency name. It also includes a client provisioning portal.
Choose Agency when you run client work as a business, with several clients who each need their own space. A freelancer with a few clients is often better served by Pro. Read a workspace for every client and white label for agencies to see how the two differ.
Common mistakes
Expecting sign-in on Free. Free clients open links. There is no account for them to log into until you are on Pro.
Moving to Pro before you need the portal. With one client and one project, a request link and a password from the Free plan cover the job.
Ignoring the size limits. Free allows up to 1 GB per upload and 5 GB of storage in total. Large video or design files can fill that quickly.
Mixing up Pro and Agency. Pro is a portal for your own clients. Agency is a white-label platform with a branded workspace for each client.
Next step
Start on Free and set up your custom domain. Then send your first file request. When clients begin asking you to resend links, compare the portal with your own setup. You can start for free today, with no credit card. You can move to Pro when the portal earns its place.
What to remember about Tarkle
Tarkle's Free plan covers sharing files by link, file requests, password protection and client feedback and approval. The signed-in client portal starts on Pro and is included on Agency. Start for free, and move to Pro when the portal earns its place.