How to Give Clients Access to ClickUp (Without Giving Them Your Workspace)

Your team runs client work in ClickUp. Your client wants to know where things stand. The obvious move is to invite them in, and that's where the questions start: what will they see, can they change anything, and does it cost a seat?

ClickUp gives you two built-in options, guests and public links. A third option is to keep clients out of ClickUp altogether and show them a client portal that's fed from your ClickUp work. This guide covers what each one does and when it fits.

Option 1: Invite the client as a guest

Guests are people from outside your organisation who you invite to specific items in your workspace. They don't see anything you haven't shared with them.

What to know before you invite one:

• Guests are invited to items, not Spaces. You share a Folder, List, task or Doc with them. ClickUp doesn't allow guests to be invited to a Space.
• On paid plans there are two guest types. View-only guests can only view. Permission-controlled guests can be given view, comment, edit (without delete) or full edit permission on what you share.
• On the Free Forever plan, guests get full permissions only. You can't limit them to view or comment.
• View-only guests are free and unlimited on paid plans. Permission-controlled guests use a limited number of guest seats. When those run out, inviting another permission-controlled guest adds a paid member seat.
• You can hide individual Custom Fields from guests on paid plans, which is useful for internal fields like budget or effort.
• People on your own email domain can't be guests. ClickUp converts them to limited members, who are charged like members. This rarely affects clients, but it matters for contractors using your domain.

ClickUp's own guidance for client work is to create a private Folder for each client, invite the client as a guest to the items they need, and assign comments to the client when you need their approval. They can resolve the comment to approve or reply with an update.

When guests work well: a client who wants to work alongside your team, comment on tasks and is comfortable learning ClickUp.

Where it gets awkward: your task list is written for your team. Internal comments, half-finished subtasks and shorthand all sit next to the work the client can see. Every guest is another set of permissions to review when a project changes, and someone on your team has to teach the client where to look.

Option 2: Share a public link

ClickUp lets you share views, tasks and Docs with a public link. Anyone with the link can view it in a browser without a ClickUp account.

• Public sharing is available on all plans.
• Publicly shared items are view-only, and private tasks inside a shared view aren't shown. Filters you've applied to the view are included, so you can share a filtered view.
• Private Lists, Folders and Spaces can't be shared publicly.
• Anyone with the link can open it unless you're on the Enterprise plan and require sign-in for public links.

When public links work well: a simple, read-only view of a timeline or board for a client who just wants to see progress.

Where it falls short: the client can't respond in the view, so feedback and approvals go back to email. And a link that anyone can open is the wrong place for anything sensitive.

Option 3: Keep clients in a client portal fed by ClickUp

The third option separates the two audiences. Your team keeps working in ClickUp. The client gets a portal that shows the progress, updates and requests meant for them, and nothing else.

This approach suits client work where:

• the client needs a clear summary, not your task list
• you need clients to approve work or answer questions, with a record of what they said
• you want to check what goes to the client before they see it

Which option should you choose?

Tips whichever option you choose

1. Write for the client, not the board. A list of task names isn't a status update. Summarise what changed, what's at risk and what you need from them. The client status update template gives you a structure.
2. Agree how approvals work. Decide who approves, where, and how quickly, before the first deliverable goes out.
3. Check before you share. Review shared views for internal comments, rates or notes before a client sees them.
4. Follow up with context. If a client hasn't looked at something, link them straight to it. These follow-up email templates help.

How Angelwood works with ClickUp

Angelwood's ClickUp integration shows clients the status of the work, milestones and blockers in their client portal, without giving them access to your workspace. Your team keeps working in ClickUp.

Angelwood drafts client updates from your project work with links back to the source, and your team reviews them before anything is published. Clients approve work and record decisions in the portal, and portal activity shows who needs a follow-up. If you're weighing the two tools, see Angelwood vs ClickUp, or read more about the client portal for agencies.

FAQ

Does ClickUp have a client portal?

ClickUp's help centre doesn't describe a separate client portal. Its guidance for client work is to invite clients as guests to specific items, often in a private Folder per client, or to share views, tasks and Docs with a public link. Some teams use a dedicated client portal connected to ClickUp instead.

Do ClickUp guests cost money?

On paid plans, view-only guests are free and unlimited. Permission-controlled guests use a set number of guest seats that depends on your plan and number of members. Inviting one after those seats run out adds a paid member seat.

Can I give a client view-only access in ClickUp?

Yes, on paid plans you can invite a view-only guest, or share a view with a public link, which is view-only. On the Free Forever plan, guests can only have full permissions.

Can clients see private tasks in a shared ClickUp view?

Not in a public link. ClickUp says private tasks in publicly shared items aren't visible. For guests, check exactly which items you've shared before inviting them.