Keep the conversation. Give documents a place to return to.

Droplana is a client document portal: one private, permanent portal per client for two-way document exchange, with no client account. WhatsApp, Telegram and Slack are messaging apps. Many clients like them because they are already on their phone, so documents end up there too. This Droplana vs messaging apps comparison is about documents, not conversation: it follows one client file from request to correction to return.

Published by Droplana. Vendor documentation checked 21 September 2026. The examples are fictional; no reduction in chasing or response time has been measured.

Droplana vs messaging apps for documents

Chat is useful for a quick question or arranging a call, especially when the client already uses it. Documents can also work there if your team can find the right copy and your chosen service meets your requirements. Slack channels and file search are not the same as one person's phone history.

Document job	Messaging apps	Droplana
Send and receive files	Attachments in chats, channels or threads	Uploads in both directions in one client portal
Ask for missing items	Messages; some services offer lists, reminders and workflows	Document checklist with fixed reminders
Discuss a file	Replies and threads, depending on the service	Comments attached to each file
Colleague access	Depends on accounts, channels and workspace permissions	Practice: five seats; Studio: unlimited; all staff can access all clients
Client experience	Depends on the app, account and invitation model	Browser portal; no account; email verification on a new device by default
Retention and deletion	App, plan, chat type and admin settings matter	Free: up to 180 days per file; active paid plans have no plan-imposed limit
Cost	Consumer chat and paid team workspaces have different billing models	Flat business pricing and allowances below
Data location	Check the specific service and its region options	Files, comments and metadata on Hetzner in Germany

Where chat gets hard for documents

Chat is fast and personal. A client answers a quick question in seconds or sends a photo from the kitchen table, with nothing to learn. Documents are where it gets harder:

• Files scroll away. The ID a client sent on Monday sits under dozens of messages by Friday.
• Nothing shows what is missing. A chat does not tell you, or the client, which three of six documents are still outstanding.
• Someone has to file each copy. Each photo or PDF has to be saved from the chat into the client's records, named and put in the right place.
• Work and private life mix. Client files can end up next to family photos, often on a personal phone number.
• Access follows the account. When a colleague takes over the client, or a phone is replaced, the history may not follow the work.

The differences between chat apps matter

• WhatsApp: personal messages use end-to-end encryption. What decides whether it suits client documents is the account, backup and business setup you use.
• Telegram: its FAQ distinguishes cloud chats and Secret Chats. Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted and device-specific; cloud chats work across devices. Phone-number visibility and deletion controls also have settings, so there is no single rule for every chat.
• Slack: its plan comparison includes lists on paid plans and 90-day message/file history access on Free. Free data older than a year is subject to deletion; retention settings can shorten that period. File sharing supports uploads up to 1 GB and file discussions.

An image sent as media may behave differently from a file attachment. Test the actual document for readability instead of assuming every app compresses it. Droplana encrypts files in transit and at rest per file; this is not end-to-end encryption. Moving a copy from an encrypted chat does not preserve that chat's protection model.

Try a statement, a correction and a returned report

Use a fictional accounting client who sends a statement with its final page missing.

1. In your chat app: request the statement, receive it, reply with the correction and ask a colleague to locate the final copy. Check the channel or account access and retention settings used in that trial.
2. In Droplana: enable client uploads and request the statement. The client verifies access, uploads the PDF or takes a phone photo, and sees the files in their portal.
3. Review and return: comment on the statement asking for all pages. The client uploads a new copy; you review it and return a report. File comments stay with that file, visible to the business and that client.

Real product demonstration with fictional Ledger & Oak Accounting data. The desktop view shows the shared upload and checklist controls, not a customer result. Open the full-size portal image.

Existing desktop detail from the same fictional exchange: the comment asks for a correction; it does not show a completed correction. Open the full-size comment image.

A document checklist can carry optional due dates. A due-date reminder is prepared two days before and on the date, and reaches the client with their next email, which can be later that day or the next day. The business and the client can switch these reminders off. Separately, enabled inactivity reminders nudge the client after 7 days with missing items and notify the business after 14 days. These fixed schedules do not provide task assignment or branching workflows.

Cost and access when a colleague takes over

For three staff and 30 clients, Droplana Practice costs EUR49/month or EUR490/year plus tax. It includes five seats and 250 GB; Free and Solo have only the owner's seat. Compare that with the chat service you already pay for, including guest/Connect access and retention requirements. A free chat account may cost less in subscription fees. If your existing process works, another portal is not automatically worth adding.

No client signup does not mean no verification. Strict access, the default, verifies the client's email on a new device and remembers that browser for 90 days, so a new phone does not open the portal on its own.

Comments are visible to the business owner, its team members and that client. Every team member can access all the business's clients; there are no internal permission groups. Revoking portal access takes effect immediately, but it cannot recall a copy the client already downloaded.

What Droplana does not do

Droplana has no general chat, calls, channels, mobile app, chat import or messaging integration. Open file-comment threads refresh within a few seconds; files and statuses are not live collaborative documents. Keep required records separately; neither a permanent portal address nor a paid plan guarantees that a file will be there next year.

Who should choose which

Keep chat when its conversation, file retrieval, access and retention fit your work. Use Droplana when a client-specific place for requests, returned files and comments is worth a separate service. Send the client their portal address in chat if useful, but there is no automatic sync.

For a document-focused process, see file sharing without WhatsApp and collecting photos from clients. The client portal guide covers other buying criteria.

Droplana prices and limits

All allowances apply to one business; storage is shared across its clients. Team size includes the owner. Paid prices below exclude tax.

Plan	Monthly / annual price	Clients / team size	Total storage / maximum file
Free	EUR0	3 / 1	2 GB / 100 MB
Solo	EUR19 / EUR190	Unlimited / 1	50 GB / 1 GB
Practice	EUR49 / EUR490	Unlimited / 5	250 GB / 2 GB
Studio	EUR99 / EUR990	Unlimited / unlimited	1 TB / 5 GB

Free files expire up to 180 days after upload; clients, portal access and the Free account remain active. Active paid plans have no plan-imposed retention limit, but chosen expiry, deletion and cancellation rules still apply. A persistent portal is not a permanent archive. Each paid-plan storage add-on costs EUR15/month or EUR150/year plus tax, adds 500 GB and raises the file ceiling to 5 GB. There is no overage billing: reaching capacity blocks new uploads, not access to existing files.

On Free, each file expires 180 days after upload. Your clients and their access stay active, so you can keep sharing new files. Active paid plans have no plan-imposed retention limit. Expiry settings, deletion and cancellation rules still apply; a persistent portal address does not guarantee permanent file availability. Team sizes include you. No setup fees or automatic overage charges. Prices exclude applicable tax.

Compare plan details

Plan limits and services. Team sizes include the owner.

Included	Free	Solo	Practice	Studio
Team size	Just you	Just you	5	Unlimited
Clients	3	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Storage	2 GB	50 GB	250 GB	1 TB
Maximum file size	100 MB	1 GB	2 GB	5 GB
File retention	180 days from upload	No limit	No limit	No limit
Your Droplana address	Includes a random suffix	Your chosen name	Your chosen name	Your chosen name
Data Processing Agreement	Standard	Standard	Countersigned available	Countersigned available
Support	Email	Email	Priority	Priority
Personal setup call	Not included	Not included	Not included	Included

Need more storage?

Add 500 GB for €15/month + tax, or €150/year + tax. Each storage add-on also raises your maximum file size to 5 GB.

Available on all paid plans from your billing page. Add more than one for another 500 GB each. Your team size stays the same.

Questions before choosing

Does Droplana replace WhatsApp, Telegram or Slack?

No. Droplana has file comments, not general chat, calls or channels. Keep a messaging app when conversation is the main job. There are no chat integrations or imports; using both requires manual handoffs.

Can clients send phone photos and receive comments?

Yes, when client uploads are enabled. Clients can use the portal’s Take photo button or choose a file. The business can comment on a specific file to request a correction, and the client can upload a new copy. A photo is not automatically a readable scan.

Does revoking access remove downloaded files?

No. Droplana revocation stops portal access but cannot recall copies already downloaded. Messaging services have different deletion and retention controls; none should be treated as a guarantee that a recipient has kept no copy.

What are Droplana’s Free limits?

Free includes three clients, one seat, 2 GB total storage and a 100 MB file limit. Each file is kept for up to 180 days after upload; clients, portal access and the Free account remain active. Active paid plans have no plan-imposed retention limit, but expiry, deletion and cancellation rules still apply.

Related comparisons

For attachments, see Droplana vs email. For shared folders, see Droplana vs Google Drive and Dropbox. The mortgage brokers page shows requests for supporting documents.