ShareFile alternative for collecting client documents

ShareFile is secure file sharing and document workflow software. It is part of the Progress product portfolio. Its website presents it to accounting, legal, finance, insurance and healthcare firms, and to businesses in any industry that exchange sensitive files with clients. The product began with file sharing and storage and now covers much more of the work that happens around a client file.

A firm on ShareFile gets a branded client portal with its own logo, colors and subdomain, built-in e-signature, reusable templates and automated workflows. Request lists let you ask a client for a set of documents with due dates and automated reminders, then approve each file or flag it as incomplete. ShareFile also lists integrations with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce and QuickBooks, plus mobile apps.

ShareFile has added AI features as well. Its documentation describes AI document validation, which reviews a file uploaded to a request list and warns the client when the content does not seem to match the request, for example the wrong year or form type. Plan pages show request lists and the AI features on the higher plans, so check sharefile.com for what each plan includes today.

ShareFile is a broad platform, and that breadth is the usual reason a firm starts to look around. If you already keep files in Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive and sign documents in another tool, you may only need the part that collects documents from clients. In that case a storage and workflow platform is more product than the job requires.

The other common reasons come from the client side of the request, where a document is actually uploaded. A portal, a login step and a phone camera each add a place where a request can stall or a poor file can slip through. The list below gives the reasons firms most often mention. They are general reasons, not claims about every ShareFile account or plan.

None of this makes ShareFile a poor product. It means the right ShareFile alternative depends on which part of ShareFile you use. If you rely on its storage, e-signature and workflows every day, replacing it would cost you more than it saves. If the answer is mostly request lists, a tool built only for collecting and checking documents is worth a look.

You start from a ready-made checklist or write your own. Each item can carry an instruction, an example and the checks that apply, such as a required date range, a signature or a minimum validity. You then send the client one secure link. The client needs no account, password or app. The link opens on any phone or computer, and the client can come back to it later to finish.

AI checks every upload the moment it arrives. It looks at image quality (blur, glare, cut-off edges), whether the file is the document you asked for, dates and periods, filled-in signature fields and missing pages. When a check fails, the client sees the reason in plain words and can upload a better file straight away. Your team sees only files that passed, plus anything flagged for a person to review.

Reminders run on the schedule you pick, by email on every plan and by SMS on Pro and Firm. Each reminder lists only the items still missing or waiting for a retake, and reminders stop when the checklist is complete. Accepted files are renamed to a consistent pattern and filed to the DocAsker workspace, or to Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive on Pro and Firm.

Accounting is the first industry ShareFile lists, so take a common accounting job: onboarding a new bookkeeping client. You need bank statements for January to March, last year's tax return, a signed engagement letter and a photo ID for the owner. In DocAsker you put those four items on a checklist, set the statement period on the bank statement item, and send one link.

The owner uploads from a phone that evening. The ID photo has glare across the name, so DocAsker asks for a retake on the spot. The bank statement covers October to December, so the client is told which months are needed. The engagement letter arrives with the signature field empty and is sent back with that reason. Nobody on your team has opened a file yet.

Two days later the reminder lists only the one statement still missing. When it arrives and passes, the reminders stop and the files land in the client's folder with consistent names. Requirements differ by client and jurisdiction, so treat any ready-made checklist as a starting point and confirm the list for each engagement.