Stop running client work out of your inbox

Email was designed to deliver messages, not to hold a document set that two people keep adding to for years. That is why client work in an inbox degrades the way it does: the attachment is in the thread, the thread is one of forty, and the version everyone should be using is somewhere in the middle of it. Droplana replaces that part with one private portal per client - the same link every time, holding everything that has moved in either direction, with comments attached to the file they are about.

The real cost of doing client work in email

You probably don't think of email as a tool. It's just… there. But every freelancer, agency, and consultant who's ever sent a deliverable knows the small daily friction:

• "Did you get my last message?"
• "Sorry - resending the file, the link expired."
• "Use the V3-FINAL-final.pdf, ignore V2."
• "Can you forward me that PDF you sent in March?"
• A 12 MB attachment that bounced and you didn't notice for two days.

Each one is small. Together, they're hours a week - and they make you look less professional than you are. For the full picture on what a client portal is and how to evaluate one, see our client portal guide.

Side-by-side comparison

When Droplana wins (real scenarios)

Sending the third revision

Email: "Attached is V3. Ignore V2 - that one had the wrong logo. Also please use the file from yesterday's email for the copy." Droplana: You upload the new version. Your client opens the same link they've been using. The current file is right there.

Onboarding a new client

Email: A welcome message, a separate email with the contract, another with the questionnaire, another with the Stripe link. Four threads before you start. Droplana: One link. Welcome note, contract, questionnaire, payment info - all in one place.

Months later, they need that thing again

Email: "Hey, can you resend that final logo file? I think it was around April?" You go digging. Droplana: They open the same link they've always used. The file is still there.

A 200 MB video deliverable

Email: Bounces off the mailbox limit. You upload it to WeTransfer instead, and the free-tier link stops working after its expiry window. They miss it. Droplana: Upload it to the client's portal - 200 MB is inside the per-file ceiling on every paid plan, though above the 100 MB free-plan limit. The link is the client's permanent portal link, so there is nothing to re-send.

Chasing five documents from a new client

Email: You send a message listing what you need - ID, proof of address, last three payslips, signed contract. A week later you're retyping that same list in a follow-up because nobody remembers what's still missing. Droplana: You set up a document checklist once. It stays visible in their portal, showing exactly what's outstanding, so you never have to re-list it.

When email is still fine

We'll be honest. You don't need Droplana for everything.

Email is still great for: quick replies, scheduling, casual updates, talking to people who aren't clients, and keeping a paper trail of formal communication.

Droplana is for the actual work part of your client relationship - files, deliverables, briefs, and per-file feedback. The stuff you're sick of digging through your inbox to find.

Most of our users keep using email for the first contact and move into Droplana once a client is real.

How it works (3 steps)

1. Add a client. Takes 10 seconds. They get their own isolated portal.
2. Upload files, add per-file comments. From your dashboard. As many as you want.
3. Send them their portal link. They verify their email once. No account. No setup. No confusion.

Check our simple pricing (or start free)

Storage levels and team seats scale with your plan.
Security, per-client encryption, isolation, in-browser PDF signing, and data export are the same on every plan.
No per-client fees. Tax calculated by Creem at checkout.

Check who are we building Droplana for