Assembly review (2026): pricing, features, pros and cons

Billing and payments

Clients can view and pay invoices inside the portal, and Assembly lists invoicing and payments among its core features. Payment processing fees apply when you collect payments, but the rates aren't listed on the pricing page.

Contracts and forms

E-signature contracts and forms with intake workflows sit next to billing. Onboarding a client, signing the agreement and collecting the first payment can all happen in one place, which is the core of Assembly's appeal.

Files, data rooms and review

Secure file sharing and data rooms are listed. Clients can upload designs or PDFs for review with comments pinned to specific spots, and staff can request documents that clients upload against a checklist.

Messaging, tasks and knowledge base

A Messaging Center handles client communication, tasks sit alongside it, and a knowledge base is available for self-serve answers. Notifications come wired into the apps you deploy.

AI app builder

The AI app builder creates apps and deploys them into the portal. The free plan includes 75 build credits a month and 3 apps, and Starter includes 200 credits and 5 apps. On paid plans, extra credits are $0.60 each and extra apps $5 a month. AI model selection starts on Professional. Assembly describes the process in four steps: describe the app or start from a template, approve a plan, build and deploy, then iterate. It says no separate hosting or login setup is needed.

AI-powered CRM

The CRM covers contacts, companies and automations, and the apps you build read from that client and company data. It's a lighter CRM than a dedicated sales tool, but it keeps client records in the same place as the portal.

Integrations and API

Assembly connects through Zapier, Make and an MCP connector from Starter, with an API from Professional. You can embed tools like Airtable, Calendly and ClickUp inside the portal through iFrames.

Compliance

Assembly says it's SOC 2, HIPAA and GDPR compliant. The Advanced plan adds an audit log, enforced MFA and a HIPAA BAA, and Enterprise adds custom SSO.

Assembly's portal is clean and modern, and it covers the moments clients care about in a transactional relationship: signing, paying, filling in a form and finding a file. Clients sign in with secure magic links, so there's no password to forget. There's no native mobile app for clients. Assembly says they use mobile-friendly browser links instead. Because sign-in is by magic link, clients only need access to their email, which removes one of the most common reasons clients stop using a portal.

For requests, Assembly describes a service intake pattern: the client picks a service, completes a scoping form and submits it, and the status stays visible to them. Document requests work as a checklist the client uploads against. Feedback on designs or PDFs can be pinned to a spot on the file. Conversations live in the Messaging Center, so the client doesn't need to search their inbox for the latest update.

What it doesn't do on its own is manage the conversation. A vague request arrives as written, unless your scoping form forces structure, and if a client goes quiet, someone on your team does the chasing. You can set up CRM automations and build custom apps to help, but briefing and follow-up stay a team job by default. On the free plan you can test the full client flow with up to 5 contacts before paying anything.

Free covers 5 active contacts and 1 internal user. Starter is $49 a month for 50 contacts and 1 internal user. Professional is $139 for 500 contacts and 3 internal users, and adds custom domains, the API and removal of the Assembly badge. Advanced is $599 for unlimited contacts and 5 internal users. Extra internal users cost $39 a month each on Professional and $79 on Advanced. Enterprise starts at $2,000 a month with unlimited internal users and custom SSO. Yearly billing lowers the paid plans to $29, $99 and $499 a month.

For a 5-person team with 10 clients, contacts aren't the problem: even at three contacts per client, 30 contacts fits Starter. Internal users are. Starter includes 1 and can't add more. Professional includes 3 and adds users at $39 a month each, so five people is $139 plus $78, or $217 a month, with the custom domain included. Advanced includes 5 for $599, which only makes sense if you need its audit log, enforced MFA or HIPAA BAA. On yearly billing, Professional with two extra users drops to $157 a month.

Team size is what moves the bill. A 3-person team with 10 clients fits Professional at $139 a month, with the custom domain included. A 15-person team on Professional is $139 plus twelve extra users at $39, or $607 a month. Advanced adds users at $79 each, and Enterprise starts at $2,000 a month with unlimited users. If you're a two-person firm with 40 clients, though, Starter at $49 is very good value, provided one internal user is enough.

Integrations: Zapier, Make, API, MCP connector, Embeds (Airtable, Calendly, ClickUp).

Assembly is a strong pick when the portal's main job is transactions: contracts, invoices, forms, document collection and files, presented well, with magic-link sign-in that keeps clients out of password resets. The AI app builder adds real flexibility for firms that want a custom dashboard or onboarding flow. Watch the per-user cost past three people ($39 each on Professional), and expect your team to keep doing the chasing. For small firms with many clients that bill through the portal, it's one of the most polished options here.