How does Foyer compare to SmartVault?
Foyer is a custom branded client portal for both secure file sharing, and collaboration. Your portal is for you and your clients to upload and download files, send real-time chat messages, and even sign files all in one place. Foyer is a SmartVault alternative that is interactive and designed to keep you and your clients engaged. You will never miss a new file upload or message from a client.
In this guide, we will compare how Foyer is as a SmartVault alternative, and show you how Foyer's interactive features like real time chat and notifications will lead your business to better results. As a bonus, you'll achive this at half the price of SmartVault. Let's get started!
Feature comparison between Foyer and SmartVault
 |  | |
|---|---|---|
Secure Client Portal | ||
File Sharing | ||
In-Transit and At-Rest Encryption | ||
Custom Branding | ||
DocuSign Integration | ||
Real-Time Messenger | ||
Website Builder | ||
Client Invitation Status | ||
File Preview |
Foyer Workflow
Foyer gives you a portal where you can securely interact with any number of clients. You can make "Spaces" which are our all-in-one solution for exchanging files, sending secure messages, and even requesting signatures. Think of it as a secure chat like iMessage or WhatsApp for you and your clients. You can even make a Space with internal users which is great to stay secure while exchanging files inside of your firm.
Clients can login, drag and drop files to share, click to preview or download, and send secure messages to your business. Every interaction is protected end to end with encryption, so you can focus on your business while we focus on keeping you safe.
SmartVault Workflow
SmartVault gives users a portal for users to login, and upload files. When clients upload or download files, email notifications can be configured to alert the business of new files. This workflow is fine for simple cases, but it is not an interactive experience with your clients and as soon as a client has a question or needs to follow up, SmartVault's solution could pose security risks.
Imagine a client has a quick question about a file upload or needs to communicate with your business. The client will need to use email to send questions, but this has two issues. First, if your client types any sensitive information in their email inquery, that information is immediately at risk of being leaked. That's because email, by default, is not a secure medium. Second, email is not effective for quick back and forth conversations like you would have in the real world. Think: would you rather chat with your friends over email? Or would you rather use iMessage and WhatsApp? SmartVault pushes you to use email, while Foyer has an experience similar to iMessage and WhatsApp.
Foyer vs SmartVault Pricing
Foyer has simple pricing with no minimum requirements. We don't keep our features behind confusing pricing tiers. Our Standard plan has all our essential features for only $10/internal user/month. If you need a custom domain and email, you can use our Premium plan for only $15/internal user/month.
Price Information Collected March 2024
SmartVault has three pricing plans (plus an enterprise plan). It can be confusing which plan to pick for your business, because its not clear which features your business might need. We estimated the monthly price here, by being optimistic for SmartVault that you'll only need their cheapest plan (which is still well over 2x the price of any Foyer plan).
You can save $216 per year for each user by using Foyer
Foyer is a modern secure portal solution with powerful file sharing and collaboration features that is built to be interactive, secure, and cost effective. SmartVault is dated, missing key collaboration features, and expensive. Why not get more for less? It is easy to get started with our simplified pricing plans. The Standard plan is just $10/internal user/month and has all of our features. Need a custom integration with your business? This is where our enterprise plan comes into play. Not sure? Try our 14 day free trial today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the Best Alternative to SmartVault?
While there are many services out there to consider, we think the best SmartVault alternative is Foyer. That's because Foyer includes everything you will need from a client portal at a great price. You get all the features you'd expect from a SmartVault alternative like secure file sharing, secure messages, e-signatures, custom forms, and even a full website builder. All of that at just $10 per month per staff user.
How Do I Migrate Data Off of SmartVault?
It can be tricky to migrate your data off of SmartVault, but it is possible. Every case is a little different, because it depends which SmartVault features you've used. For that reason, we have personalized support for migrating your data off of SmartVault and on to Foyer. For help migrating, including setting up Foyer to be just like your SmartVault setup, contact our support team.
Is SmartVault Too Expensive?
Whether or not a service is too expensive ultimately depends on your budget, but when you compare SmartVault to similar services, like Foyer, you'll find that there are other services out there that provide similar features for less.
As a comparison, to get all of SmartVault's features you'll pay at least $336 per year (as of March 2024) while you can find a SmartVault alternative like Foyer, at $120 per year (per staff user).
To know if using a different service is right for you, make sure to write down a list of all the most important features your business needs. Then, only consider the options that are both in your budget, and have those essential features.
