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Client Portal Builder vs Softr for monday.com: Which fits your workflow?
Both Client Portal Builder and Softr can build client portals on top of monday.com. We compare how they differ in setup, flexibility, client access, communication, automations and pricing.
Table of contents
Use the navigation below to quickly jump to your desired section and learn more about each topic.
If you manage clients, projects or services in monday.com and want to give external users their own portal, both Client Portal Builder for monday.com and Softr are viable options. The comparison has changed significantly in 2026. Softr now supports monday.com as a native data source with two way synchronization and read and write actions. Client Portal Builder, meanwhile, is built specifically as an app for monday.com and is configured directly inside the monday.com workspace.
The main question is therefore no longer whether Softr can connect to monday.com. It can. The more useful question is which approach better fits the way you want to work with monday.com and your clients. This guide focuses specifically on Client Portal Builder and Softr. For a broader comparison, see our guide to different ways to build a client portal with monday.com, including monday service, Vibe, WeWeb and custom applications.
TL;DR
Two approaches with different product philosophies
Client Portal Builder is the more focused option if monday.com is already the center of your client workflow and you want a dedicated client portal that stays closely connected to your boards, client data, communication and automations. It offers configurable pages and content sections, client-specific visibility, branding, custom domains, editing and communication within that portal model. Softr is the broader app-building option if you want to combine monday.com with other data sources or need more freedom around layouts, authentication and application logic. It gives you a more open canvas for building different types of external applications beyond a dedicated client portal.
Architecture
A dedicated monday.com app vs a general app builder
Client Portal Builder is a dedicated app for monday.com. You install it from the monday.com Marketplace, configure the portal from a board view, connect monday.com boards as portal sources and manage client access from the Clients Board. The portal is designed around monday.com data and workflows from the beginning.
Softr is a standalone no code application platform. monday.com is one of the data sources you can connect to a Softr application. You build the frontend in Softr and map monday.com boards and columns into Softr blocks. The same application can also use other data sources alongside monday.com.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated monday.com app | ||
| Configured inside monday.com | ||
| Built specifically for client portals | ||
| Supports monday.com as a data source | ||
| Supports other data sources | ||
| General no code app builder |
The biggest difference between Client Portal Builder for monday.com and Softr is architectural, and that distinction affects almost every other part of the comparison.
Data sources
Connecting and displaying monday.com data
Client Portal Builder uses Board Sources to determine how monday.com data relates to each client. Supported patterns include showing each client their own subitems, assigning a dedicated board per client, selecting client specific items from a shared board or showing a shared board to everyone. The app then displays that data through portal sections such as Board Tables and Board Grids.
Softr connects monday.com boards to dynamic blocks. A block can use one monday.com board as its source, while multiple blocks in the same application can connect to different boards or even different data sources. Softr also supports monday.com Connected Boards and subitems.
Both products can display live monday.com data to external users. But the underlying approach is different: Client Portal Builder asks "Which monday.com data belongs to this client?", and Softr asks "Which data source should power this block in my application?".
For a workflow already structured around clients in monday.com, the first model can be more direct. For an application that combines several systems or presents data in many different ways, Softr's block based model may provide more general flexibility.
Client access
Client specific access and permissions
Client Portal Builder centers access around the Clients Board. Each client is represented by an item, while Board Sources determine the monday.com board data associated with that client. Pages and sections can additionally be shown or hidden according to Status values on the client item.
Softr has a broader application permission system with logged in users, custom user groups, page and block visibility, action permissions, conditional record filters and global data restrictions. A common client portal pattern is to match the logged in user's email or another user property against records in the connected data source.
Both products can prevent one client from seeing another client's information, but they model permissions differently. Softr therefore offers more general purpose permission logic, while Client Portal Builder provides a more opinionated model built specifically around client relationships in monday.com.
Client input
Letting clients update monday.com data
Client Portal Builder lets you make individual item columns editable within portal sections. Current supported editable monday.com column types include Status, Text, Long Text, Number, Date and File. Editing can be enabled or disabled per column.
Softr's monday.com integration provides broader create, read, update and delete functionality. Softr states that most monday.com fields that can be edited in monday.com can also be edited through Softr, although there are exceptions. Mirror fields are read only, while Formula, Progress and Workdocs fields are currently unsupported.
So this is one area where the products have a meaningful difference: Softr currently provides broader general data editing capabilities. Client Portal Builder provides a narrower set of editable column types, but editing happens directly inside a portal model designed around your existing monday.com workflow.
Both products support client input and data editing. But this difference may matter considerably if your portal is intended to become a full external application rather than mainly a controlled client facing view of monday.com.
Client communication
Communication with clients
Client Portal Builder lets clients comment and exchange files on individual monday.com board items. Those item comments are stored as monday.com Item Updates, and your internal team can write and reply from the Client Comments view inside monday.com. Client comments can also trigger monday.com automations and appear in the portal activity feed.
Softr also has a Comments feature that can be attached to records in list, grid, table and item detail views. Comments can include file uploads and notifications, but Softr documents that these comments are stored inside the Softr application itself, rather than requiring an additional table in the connected data source.
Both products support comments, but this is one of the clearest differences in how deeply the communication connects back to monday.com. If your team wants client conversations to remain part of the monday.com item workflow, Client Portal Builder has the more direct model. If your application itself is the main interaction layer and comments do not need to become monday.com updates, Softr's own comment system may fit perfectly well.
Automations
Automations and workflows
Client Portal Builder adds its own triggers and actions to monday.com's native automation and Workflow Builder. These include events such as client logins and comments, actions for creating login methods or enabling clients, and portal Action Buttons that can trigger automations on monday.com board items. They can be combined with native monday.com actions and conditional workflow logic.
Softr has its own workflow engine with a monday.com integration. Softr workflows can react to events such as form submissions, button clicks or record changes and then add, retrieve, update or delete records on monday.com.
Again, the difference is mostly about where you want the logic to live:
- Client Portal Builder: client action → monday.com automation or workflow automation
- Softr: client action → Softr workflow → monday.com and potentially other systems
So automation is another area where both products are capable but take different routes. For teams already building most business automation in monday.com, keeping this logic there can reduce the number of systems involved. Softr becomes more interesting when the automation needs to span a wider application stack.
Portal design
Portal design and layout flexibility
Client Portal Builder provides a structured portal builder with portal pages and predefined section types. Board data can be presented as tables or grids alongside client information, text, callouts, embedded content and other content sections. The portal theme supports your logo, configurable colors and a selection of web fonts, and you can connect a custom domain.
Softr is designed as a broader application builder. Its block system includes layouts such as lists, tables, calendars, charts and Kanban boards alongside static and application focused blocks. Softr also supports custom domains.
This is an area where Softr offers the broader design canvas. Client Portal Builder intentionally offers fewer decisions because it is specifically building a monday.com client portal rather than a general web application. For example, Client Portal Builder currently (as of September 2026) does not provide dashboard style chart sections, while charts are part of Softr's block system.
If extensive frontend customization is central to the project, Softr is likely the stronger fit. If you primarily want to turn monday.com workflows into a structured client experience without designing an application from scratch, the narrower Client Portal Builder approach can be an advantage.
Portal access
Client login options
Client Portal Builder currently supports credentials with email and password as well as Google authentication. Login methods are associated with clients on the Clients Board and are independent from monday.com user seats.
Softr provides a wider authentication set, including email and password, email codes, magic links and Google sign in. Softr also supports SAML and OpenID based single sign-on options. If advanced authentication options are a deciding requirement, this provides more choices.
Pricing
How pricing compares
Client Portal Builder has one feature plan for the entire monday.com account. It currently costs $200 per month with monthly billing or $150 per month when billed annually, equivalent to $1,800 per year. The public pricing is account based rather than presented as a client user tier.
Softr has several plans, but its monday.com data source is currently available on Pro and higher. Pro costs $119 per month monthly or $99 per month when billed annually. It includes 10 team app users and 50 client app users. Additional client users cost $1 per user per month up to 250 on Pro. Business costs $395 monthly or $329 per month when billed annually and includes higher user and usage limits.
The pricing models are quite different, so simply comparing $150 with $99 would be misleading. Also pricing can change, so it is worth checking both products' current pricing before making a final decision.
For a smaller portal, Softr Pro may have the lower starting price. As the number of external users or requirements grow, its user based limits and plan features become part of the calculation. Client Portal Builder instead uses one account wide product plan without feature tiers or per-client pricing.
At a glance
Client Portal Builder vs Softr for monday.com
Both products can create client portals powered by monday.com, but they take different approaches. This overview highlights the main differences in monday.com integration, portal capabilities, access and pricing.
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Integration with monday.com | ||
| Dedicated monday.com app | ||
| Live two-way monday.com data | ||
| Comments stored on monday.com | ||
| Native monday.com automations | ||
| Portal capabilities | ||
| Client specific data visibility | ||
| Edit monday.com data | ||
| Create and delete monday.com records | ||
| Use non-monday.com data sources | ||
| Charts, calendar and Kanban layouts | ||
| Access and permissions | ||
| Email and password login | ||
| Google login | ||
| SSO | ||
| Custom user groups and role permissions | ||
| Pricing | ||
| One feature plan | ||
| No per-client pricing | ||
| Starting price with monday.com | $150 to $200 per month 1 | $99 to $395 per month 2 |
| Comparison based on available product information as of September 2026. All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. | 1 Client Portal Builder can be subscribed monthly or annually. | 2 monday.com data source is available on Softr Pro and higher. |
Better fit
When Client Portal Builder is the better fit
Client Portal Builder makes the most sense when monday.com already is the operational center of your client workflow. It is particularly suitable when your team wants to continue managing clients, projects, files, updates and automations in monday.com while adding a separate external interface on top.
The strongest reasons to choose it are the dedicated monday.com setup, client centered Board Source model, comments that become monday.com updates, and direct use of monday.com automations and workflows. You are not introducing another general application platform. You are extending the workspace you already use. The same monday.com centered approach can be adapted to different client workflows. See examples for agencies, consulting firms and architecture firms, or explore all client portal solutions by industry.
When Softr is the better fit
Softr makes more sense when the portal is really becoming a custom business application. If you want to combine monday.com with other systems, need additional interface layouts, want broader authentication and permission options, or expect to build internal tools and other applications alongside your client portal, its wider no code platform is a significant advantage.
Softr also currently supports a broader range of monday.com editing operations, which may be important for highly interactive external applications.
Conclusion
Which should you choose for a monday.com client portal?
Both products can now build a genuine client portal powered by monday.com. The choice mostly comes down to how much of the experience you want to keep centered on monday.com. There is enough overlap between the two products that the best way to decide is to test the workflow that matters most to you in both.
If monday.com remains your team's system of work and you mainly need a dedicated client facing layer around those existing boards, workflows, files and conversations, Client Portal Builder for monday.com is the more specialized approach. If you want monday.com to be one component inside a broader custom application, Softr gives you more freedom to build beyond the boundaries of a dedicated client portal.
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