SmartVault is a well-established document management and client portal platform built for accounting and tax firms, with deep compliance features and AI-assisted document requests. ClientBrief takes a narrower, simpler approach — send a checklist, get uploads, skip the setup.
By the ClientBrief Team · Last updated August 2026
SmartVault is priced per user: $55/user/month on Business Pro, $65 on Accounting Pro, and $85 on Accounting Unlimited with annual billing ($75, $85, and $110 respectively on monthly). Every plan carries a seat minimum — three users on Business Pro, two on the Accounting plans — so a solo practitioner pays for at least two seats, roughly $1,560/year rather than $780. That's built for firms that need full document management and compliance tooling — if you just need clients to upload files against a checklist, it's more system than most solo practitioners or small firms need.
SmartVault's per-user minimums on several plans mean you may already be paying for seats you don't need. Since ClientBrief doesn't require client logins, there's no client-portal-account migration to do — export your client contact list, build your checklist in ClientBrief, and send it out. Any documents already in SmartVault stay there; you're only moving the intake step going forward.
Does ClientBrief include SmartVault's compliance and document management features?
No. ClientBrief doesn't do folder structures, permissions, e-signatures, or AI-assisted document requests — it's a checklist-and-upload tool only. If you need a full document management system with compliance tooling, SmartVault covers more ground.
How does ClientBrief's pricing compare to SmartVault?
SmartVault runs $55/user/month (Business Pro), $65 (Accounting Pro), and $85 (Accounting Unlimited) on annual billing, with 2-3 user minimums that mean a solo practitioner still pays for two or three seats. ClientBrief is $7.99/month flat, with unlimited clients, no per-user cost, and no seat minimum.
Can I migrate from SmartVault to ClientBrief?
Yes. Export your client contact list, build your checklist template in ClientBrief, and start sending it to new and existing clients. There are no client portal accounts to recreate since ClientBrief doesn't require clients to log in.
When should I keep using SmartVault instead?
If your firm needs full document management — folder permissions, e-signatures, AI-assisted requests, and compliance features — on top of collection, SmartVault's broader feature set is likely worth the per-user cost.
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