Stop emailing attachments back and forth.
This covers two kinds of software. Client portals: a place your clients log in to upload documents, see what's outstanding, check status and pay invoices. And internal tools: the scheduling board, intake form, approvals queue or stock count your team currently runs on email and memory.
Both are small, focused web apps. The trick is keeping them small.
What it costs
Client portal / internal tool MVP from $8,500
If who logs in and what they're allowed to do is already clear, I can quote from the intro call. If roles or integrations are fuzzy, it starts with a discovery sprint ($1,500, credited in full if the build starts within 60 days).
Prices updated October 2026
Starting prices. The final price is set in a written proposal.
How long
Typically 6–10 weeks after discovery. It's an estimate, and the proposal gives yours.
What you get
- Logins by email and password, with magic links or two-factor if you want them
- Role-based access: clients see their own things, staff see what their role allows
- File uploads with type and size limits, so nobody sends a 2 GB video by mistake
- Status tracking for requests, documents or jobs
- Email notifications when something needs someone
- An admin panel for your staff
- An activity log of who did what, when
What I'll need from you
Who logs in (clients, staff, or both) and what each of them must see and do. Your current workflow, even if it's a stack of forwarded emails. Your branding. Someone who can say "yes, that's how it works" or "no, it's never like that".
What I'd build it with
Laravel with React (often through Inertia), a MySQL database, S3-compatible storage for files, and a transactional email service for notifications. Security is the standard set done properly: HTTPS, hashed passwords, least-privilege access, backups. I can build with requirements like HIPAA or PCI in mind, but compliance of your operation depends on your policies, hosting and agreements. I'm not an auditor.
PDF, JPG, XLSX · up to 25 MB each
Portal, or just a shared folder?
A Google Drive folder per client is fine if you have twenty clients and nobody loses track.
It stops being fine when you need to know what's missing without opening forty folders, when clients upload to the wrong place, when you want reminders to go out by themselves, or when staff turnover means nobody remembers which folder is the real one.
Need a back-end developer for a client project?
I'm available for white-label work. I'll sign your NDA, work in your repo, and you stay the client's contact. Send me the brief and the deadline and I'll tell you whether it fits.
Portal questions
Is it secure?
Can clients pay invoices in it?
Can it look like our brand?
Can you add features later?
Related sample
Client document portal
A concept portal for a fictional bookkeeping practice: document requests, uploads with status, reminders and a staff overview.
See the sample
Who logs in, and what do they need?
Answer that in a few sentences and that's a start.