Key takeaways
- Experience Cloud is fastest when portal users mainly work with Salesforce data and standard self-service patterns.
- A custom portal makes sense for very large audiences, unusual user experiences or data spread across many systems.
- Compare total cost, including licenses per member or login versus development and hosting.
- Security and sharing design matter in both approaches.
When a business wants customers or partners to log in and serve themselves, the first decision is where the portal lives. Salesforce Experience Cloud provides portals on the platform; a custom portal is built with web frameworks and connected to Salesforce through APIs. Both are good choices in the right situation.
Experience Cloud strengths
- Direct access to Salesforce data, permissions and automation without building an API layer.
- Templates and components for cases, knowledge, accounts and partner sales.
- Built-in authentication, including single sign-on and social sign-on options.
- Faster time to launch for standard self-service use cases.
Custom portal strengths
- Complete freedom over design, interactions and performance.
- No per-member or per-login platform licensing, which matters for large audiences.
- Easy to combine data from Salesforce, ERP, billing and other systems in one experience.
- Can be shared with a mobile app built on the same back end.
Side by side
| Experience Cloud | Custom portal | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to launch | Faster for standard use cases | Longer; more to design and build |
| Licensing | Per member or per login | Hosting and development costs instead |
| Flexibility | Good within platform patterns | Unlimited |
| Data access | Native Salesforce data and sharing | Through APIs, plus other systems |
| Maintenance | Salesforce handles the platform; you maintain configuration | You maintain code, hosting and security |
Questions that decide it
- How many users will log in, and how often? Large audiences can make per-login licensing expensive.
- Is most of the data in Salesforce, or spread across several systems?
- Does the experience need to feel like a branded product rather than a portal?
- Who will maintain it, and with what skills?
- How quickly does it need to launch?
Hybrid options
Some organizations launch on Experience Cloud to prove value quickly, then build a custom front end later for high-volume journeys. Others use Experience Cloud for partners, who need deep Salesforce access, and a custom portal for consumers. The right answer can differ by audience.
Security in either approach
Whichever you choose, design access carefully: external users should only see their own records, guest access should be minimal, and every API call from a custom portal should be authenticated and authorized for the specific user.
We build both Experience Cloud portals and custom portals connected to Salesforce; see our web development and Salesforce development services.
A worked example
A distributor wants partners to place orders and customers to track deliveries. Partners are a few hundred users who need deep access to products, pricing and their own opportunities, so an Experience Cloud partner portal fits well. Consumers number in the tens of thousands, log in occasionally and only need order tracking, so a lightweight custom tracking page backed by an API is more economical. Two audiences, two right answers.
Cost factors to compare
| Experience Cloud | Custom portal |
|---|---|
| Member or login licenses | Design and development |
| Configuration and custom components | Hosting, monitoring and security |
| Ongoing admin | Ongoing development and updates |
Frequently asked questions
Is Experience Cloud expensive?
It depends on the number of users and license type. For small partner or customer audiences it is often cost-effective; for very large audiences, compare it with custom development and hosting.
Can a custom portal use Salesforce data securely?
Yes, through an API layer that authenticates users and enforces what each user may access.
Which is faster to launch?
Experience Cloud is usually faster for standard self-service features such as cases, knowledge and account details.
