Lifetime client portal: what you get when you pay once
Does a lifetime plan include a branded client portal? Yes, on three plans. See what clients see and what each includes.
A lifetime client portal means you pay once and your clients get a branded place to sign in and find their files, with no monthly fee on your side. The client portal is a Pro feature, and every lifetime plan includes it. The difference is how far the branding goes and how many client workspaces you get: a solo freelancer can start with a Pro lifetime plan, and an agency with many clients should look at the Agency lifetime plan.
This guide shows what a client sees, what each one-time plan includes, and how to pick between them.
What a client sees when they sign in, and how it differs from a plain file link
A client signs in to your client portal on your portal address, either your custom domain or your workspace's tarkle.com address, and the page carries your logo and colours. They type their email, and Tarkle emails them a 6-digit code that expires after 10 minutes. Your invite email points to that sign-in page, and on later visits they type their email and get a new code.
Inside, the sidebar has Home, Files, Shared and Requests. Brands and Feedback show only for a client who has a brand page or a feedback board. They download what you shared with them, and they can upload files back into a private folder. Each contact's upload allowance is 5 GB by default, and you can change it per contact.
Their own settings sit under Personal profile, where they can add a second step at sign-in. An authenticator app works on every address. A passkey works only on tarkle.com addresses, so on your own domain a client uses an authenticator app.
A client sees only what you shared with them. If the relationship ends, you turn their portal access off and their next click is refused.
A plain file link suits one delivery. Use the portal when the same client comes back for files every week or month.
Photo by Zulfugar Karimov on Unsplash
What lifetime means for a client portal
A lifetime plan is a single payment with no renewals. Regular Pro is a monthly or yearly subscription. The Terms of Service list a one-time purchase as a single payment whose access term is the Product Life, defined in section 6.6, and say a one-time purchase is never charged again for the same plan.
Lifetime plans do not include the AI assistant. To try Tarkle before you pay, use the Free plan, which lets you share and request files. The refund policy says one-time purchases are not refundable after processing, except where required by law. On Free, portal access can't be turned on, so the portal starts on Pro.
The three lifetime plans
Prices below are the one-time prices on the lifetime plans page.
Pro 500 GB, $29 once: 500 GB of cloud storage, 1 workspace, 1 team seat, and the client portal.
Pro, $169 once: 3 TB of cloud storage, 2 workspaces, unlimited team members, and the client portal.
Agency, $299 once: everything in Pro, plus 20 workspaces for your clients, 6 TB of cloud storage, a 100% white-label platform and a client provisioning portal.
How branded is the portal on each plan
On Pro 500 GB and Pro, clients see your logo and your colours when they sign in. Custom domains are available on every plan, so you can open the portal from your own domain. The "Powered by Tarkle" backlink stays on your pages on these two plans.
On Agency, the platform is white label. Your clients log in and manage their files and team on your own domain, for example cloud.acme.com, and the "Powered by Tarkle" backlink is replaced by your agency name. Read more on the white label for agencies page.
If a client would be put off by a small "Powered by Tarkle" line, the Agency plan is the one that replaces it. If your clients will not notice, a Pro plan saves you money.
What the Agency lifetime plan adds for several clients
The Agency plan changes how you handle many clients at once. You can create up to 20 workspaces for your clients. When you create a new workspace on Agency, choose For a client, enter the client's email and, if you want, a storage amount for that client. Your client is invited to that workspace as Admin.
Every workspace draws from your organization's shared 6 TB pool. A storage limit per client keeps one client from using the whole pool. The plan also lists a client provisioning portal.
Organizations group the contacts of one company, and transfers, requests, files and brands can belong to an organization.
Which lifetime client portal plan fits you
A solo freelancer should start with Pro. It has 3 TB and 2 workspaces, and the client portal is included. If you have only a few clients and a small storage need, Pro 500 GB at $29 is the lowest one-time price. It has 1 workspace and 1 team seat, so it suits one person.
An agency that serves many clients, wants each one in a separate workspace, or wants to run the platform on its own domain under its own name should choose Agency. You get 20 client workspaces, 6 TB and your agency name in place of ours. Only Agency replaces the "Powered by Tarkle" line. If you want to compare it with other storage deals, read lifetime cloud storage for agencies.
Common mistakes
Buying Agency when you have three clients and no need for white label. Pro does the job.
Expecting the portal on the Free plan. It starts on Pro.
Assuming the AI assistant comes with a lifetime plan. Lifetime plans do not include the AI assistant.
Forgetting to turn on Portal access for each contact. A client cannot sign in until you do.
Comparing a lifetime plan with a marketplace deal as if they were the same thing. Check the storage, the seats and the branding in each.
Next step
List your clients, count how many need their own workspace, and decide whether the "Powered by Tarkle" line matters to them. Free lets you share and request files before you pay for anything. Then pick a plan above, or start on the Free plan first. For the white-label side of the Agency plan, read the white-label Dropbox alternative guide.
What to remember about Tarkle
Tarkle gives each client a branded sign-in with a 6-digit code sent to their email, and a signed-in place that shows only what you shared with them. The client portal is on the Pro 500 GB, Pro and Agency lifetime plans, and Pro and Agency are also available monthly. Start on the Free plan to share and request files, then start for free when you are ready.