BEST-OF · 2026

Best Software for Agencies with Client Portals and Task Tracking

Agencies do not just need task lists. Clients expect a place to send requests, check status, review files, approve work and, in some cases, manage billing access without seeing the agency’s internal mess. We ranked this list from the site’s fixed agency software index, then looked specifically at client access and task tracking. GoHighLevel is strongest if you want agency CRM, marketing automation and client operations together; monday.com is the clearest native service-portal angle; ClickUp is the flexible task-tracking pick; Asana is cleaner if you want guest collaboration without a heavy setup. The main warning is simple: a shared project board is not always a true client portal. Before you roll anything out, check whether clients get a dedicated portal, a guest seat, a shared workspace or a CRM-linked customer area.

Reviewed by Marcus Taylor · how we score · Last updated 2026-06-30 · compare tools · affiliate disclosure

PICK

GoHighLevel 91/100 · EXCEPTIONAL EDITOR'S CHOICE

GoHighLevel is the closest thing the agency world has to an operating system. It bundles a CRM, email and SMS marketing, landing pages and funnels, calendars, pipelines and a deep automation builder into one account — and then lets you slap your own logo on it and sell it to clients as software. For agencies whose business is running marketing for other businesses, that combination is hard to beat.

✓ PROS

Replaces a stack of separate tools with one login
True white-label — sell it as your own product
CRM, email, SMS, funnels and automations in one place

✕ CONS

Steep learning curve — expect a slow first month
Can feel overwhelming until you turn features off

Best for: Agencies that want to run client marketing and resell software under their own brand

AT A GLANCE

Ease of use7.8/10

PricingFrom $97/mo

Agency fitWhite-label / resell

from $97/mo

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PICK

HubSpot 89/100 · EXCEPTIONAL BEST FOR SCALING

HubSpot started as a marketing tool and grew into a full CRM platform, and for agencies that lean inbound it is the safe, scalable choice. The free CRM is good enough to run a small pipeline on, and as clients grow you layer on the Marketing, Sales and Service hubs without moving systems. Everything ties back to a single contact record, which makes reporting genuinely useful.

✓ PROS

Genuinely good free CRM to start on
Marketing, sales and service in one record
Strong, well-rewarded agency partner program

✕ CONS

Professional tiers get expensive fast
Contact-tier pricing can surprise you

Best for: Agencies scaling inbound and managing their own plus clients pipelines

AT A GLANCE

Ease of use8.2/10

PricingFree CRM + paid hubs

Agency fitAgency partner program

Free, then $15/seat/mo

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PICK

Monday.com 86/100 · EXCELLENT BEST WORK OS

Monday.com is a work OS rather than a single-purpose tool. You start with boards and shape them into whatever the agency needs: a project tracker, a content calendar, a client pipeline, a dashboard for retainers. That flexibility is its strength and its trap, because the same blank canvas that adapts to your process will sprawl into chaos if nobody owns the setup.

✓ PROS

Bends to almost any workflow
Colourful boards the whole team will actually use
Doubles as projects and a light CRM

✕ CONS

Per-seat pricing adds up across a team
Can sprawl without setup discipline

Best for: Agencies wanting a customisable hub for projects plus light CRM

AT A GLANCE

Ease of use8.6/10

PricingFrom $9/seat (3 min)

Agency fitProjects + light CRM

from $9/seat/mo

Try free ↗ Read full review →

PICK

ClickUp 85/100 · EXCELLENT BEST VALUE PM

ClickUp tries to be the one app an agency runs its delivery on, and on value it largely succeeds. Tasks, docs, goals, whiteboards and native time tracking all live in one place, so the path from a brief to tracked, billable work never leaves the tool. For a price-conscious agency, that consolidation is the whole pitch.

✓ PROS

Packs projects, docs and time tracking into one app
Generous free plan that small teams can live on
From about $7/user/mo when you do pay

✕ CONS

Feature overload can overwhelm new users
Occasional performance lag on big workspaces

Best for: Agencies that want project management, docs and time tracking in one cheap tool

AT A GLANCE

Ease of use7.6/10

PricingGenerous free plan

Agency fitPM + docs + tracking

Free, then $7/user/mo

Try free ↗ Read full review →

PICK

ActiveCampaign 85/100 · EXCELLENT BEST EMAIL AUTOMATION

ActiveCampaign is where email gets serious. The automation builder is the best in this set — branching logic, conditional waits, behavioural triggers and segmentation deep enough to run genuinely sophisticated client campaigns. For an agency whose value is in clever lifecycle and nurture sequences, it gives you room the simpler tools do not.

✓ PROS

Best-in-class automation builder
CRM and email in one platform
Handles complex client campaigns well

✕ CONS

Automation builder has a learning curve
Pricing scales with contact count

Best for: Agencies running sophisticated email automation for client campaigns

AT A GLANCE

Ease of use7.4/10

PricingFrom $15/mo

Agency fitEmail + CRM automation

from $15/mo

Start free trial ↗ Read full review →

PICK

Asana 84/100 · EXCELLENT

Asana is the project manager you pick when you want it to just work. The interface is clean and quick, the learning curve is gentle enough that a new account manager is productive on day one, and it has the maturity and reliability that come from years in market. For agencies whose priority is dependable delivery rather than maximum configurability, it is the comfortable default.

✓ PROS

Clean, fast and genuinely pleasant to use
Low learning curve — teams adopt it quickly
Reliable, mature and well supported

✕ CONS

No native time tracking
Pricier than ClickUp at $10.99/user/mo

Best for: Agencies that want clean, reliable project tracking without the clutter

AT A GLANCE

Ease of use8.8/10

PricingFree for small teams

Agency fitClean cross-team PM

Free, then $10.99/user/mo

Try free ↗ Read full review →

At a glance

Tool	Index	Ease	From	Free	Best for
GoHighLevel	91	7.8	from $97/mo	—	Agencies that want to run client marketing and resell software under their own brand
HubSpot	89	8.2	Free, then $15/seat/mo	✓	Agencies scaling inbound and managing their own plus clients pipelines
Monday.com	86	8.6	from $9/seat/mo	✓	Agencies wanting a customisable hub for projects plus light CRM
ClickUp	85	7.6	Free, then $7/user/mo	✓	Agencies that want project management, docs and time tracking in one cheap tool
ActiveCampaign	85	7.4	from $15/mo	—	Agencies running sophisticated email automation for client campaigns
Asana	84	8.8	Free, then $10.99/user/mo	✓	Agencies that want clean, reliable project tracking without the clutter

Popular comparisons from this list

GoHighLevel vs HubSpot

The all-in-one resale platform vs the inbound CRM giant. Which should run your agency?

ClickUp vs Asana

Best-value all-in-one PM vs the clean, reliable favourite.

Monday.com vs ClickUp

The flexible work OS vs the all-in-one value pick.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Choosing the right tool

Check the portal type before comparing task features. A native client portal usually gives clients a dedicated login, request hub and controlled view of work. A guest-access workspace can work well, but it often needs careful permissions, templates and client education.

Do the client-user maths early. GoHighLevel starts from $97/month and includes unlimited users, but usage-based services and the Branded Client Portal App can add cost. monday service has Customer Portal user limits by plan, while ClickUp and Asana use guest models with their own rules.

Separate client visibility from internal delivery. Clients may need task status, files, approvals and comments, but they should not see margins, resourcing, private notes or unrelated projects. The best setup has a clear internal space and a controlled client-facing layer.

Treat free plans as trials, not rollout plans. monday.com Free has no guests or viewers, ClickUp Free has storage and feature-use limits, and Asana Personal is limited to two users. Free can prove the workflow, but client operations usually need a paid tier.

Watch the limits that appear after launch. Forms, automations, integrations, storage, activity history, AI credits, portal users and permission-controlled guests can all change the real monthly cost. Check those limits against live client volume, not a tidy demo workspace.

Choose around the agency job, not the nicest interface. Use GoHighLevel if CRM, automation and client operations matter as much as tasks. Use monday service for ticket-style portal workflows. Use ClickUp or Asana when internal task execution is the centre of the system.

FAQ

What is the best client portal and task tracking software for agencies?

GoHighLevel is the strongest pick if you want CRM, marketing automation, client communication, customer portal features and task management in one agency-oriented platform. The trade-off is cost: it starts from $97/month, and usage-based services or portal add-ons can increase the bill.

Is ClickUp a real client portal for agencies?

ClickUp is better described as portal-style client access than a classic native client portal. Agencies can build a client workspace using guests, Docs, dashboards, Forms, comments and permissions. That gives plenty of control, but it takes more setup than a dedicated portal product.

Is monday.com good for agency client portals?

monday.com is strongest here when you are using monday service and its Customer Portal, which has an external URL and does not require portal visitors to be monday.com users. Standard monday work management is different, and the Free plan is not suitable for client portals because it has no guests or viewers.

Should agencies use Asana for client collaboration?

Asana is a good fit if you want clean project tracking and controlled guest collaboration. Guests can be invited to specific tasks, projects, teams or portfolios, and they only see what is shared. The caveat is that Asana’s branded client-management story should be treated as coming soon or account-dependent, not assumed.

Which tool is ranked first on this list?

GoHighLevel is ranked first here because it has the strongest overall fit for this use case in our current scoring model.