Discover the most effective ways to build customer and partner portals using Salesforce — from fully customized web and mobile frontends powered by Salesforce APIs to native Experience Cloud sites.
The Significance of Frontend Portals
Today’s businesses are expected to provide partners, customers, and vendors with secure, self-service digital access. Salesforce offers a scalable foundation to build reliable, tailored portals — whether for onboarding, support, or collaboration.
Two Effective Approaches for Frontend Portals in Salesforce
Option 1: Native Salesforce Experience Cloud (Digital Experience Sites)
With Salesforce’s out-of-the-box tools, you can quickly launch branded portals ideal for authenticated users like customers, partners, or employees.
Key Features:
- Drag-and-drop Lightning Builder
- Prebuilt portal templates
- Secure access via roles and sharing sets
- Multilingual and mobile responsive
- Native access to Salesforce dashboards, Flows, and reports
Benefits:
- Quick to deploy with minimal development
- Inherits Salesforce’s robust security and sharing model
- Low maintenance with Salesforce-handled updates
- Seamless integration with Salesforce automations
Limitations:
- Limited design and UI flexibility
- Licensing costs for authenticated users can be high
- Less control for integrating with third-party tools or optimizing performance
Industry Use Cases:
- Healthcare: Patient support portals
- Finance: Broker and partner onboarding platforms
- Education: Parent and student access portals
Option 2: Custom Mobile/Web Portals Using Salesforce APIs
Create fully custom web or mobile frontends using modern frameworks (React, Angular, Vue, Flutter) and integrate them with Salesforce using REST APIs.
Key Features:
- Full control over frontend design and interactivity
- API-based access to Salesforce via OAuth
- Easily integrate Salesforce with third-party systems
- Scalable for public or large user bases
Benefits:
- Complete design and branding flexibility
- No Experience Cloud license required for public users
- Ideal for omnichannel access: web, mobile, kiosk
- Easier integration with external platforms and services
Limitations:
- Requires slightly more time and development effort
- API limits and security need to be managed
- Ongoing maintenance and performance optimization handled by your team
Industry Use Cases:
- Retail: Loyalty and rewards apps
- Logistics: Delivery partner dashboards
- NGOs: Donor and volunteer engagement portals
- Real Estate: Custom property listing experiences
Comparison Table
A table comparing the two approaches is shown below:
| Feature / Requirement | Experience Cloud | Custom API Frontend |
| Go-Live Speed | Faster | Slightly Longer |
| Design Flexibility | Limited | Full UI Control |
| Cost for External Users | Higher (license-based) | Lower (API usage-based) |
| Mobile-First Support | Responsive | Native/Responsive |
| Developer Involvement | Low | High |
| Third-Party Integrations | Limited | Flexible |
| Hosting Options | Salesforce-only | Anywhere (AWS, etc) |
Which Strategy Is Best for You?
Choose Experience Cloud if you want a fast, secure, Salesforce-native solution with minimal development effort. Opt for a Custom Frontend if you need advanced UI control, deep integrations, or mobile-first architecture.
Both options can help deliver engaging, scalable digital experiences, tailored to your audience and business goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are my options to build portals with Salesforce?
You can either use Salesforce Experience Cloud for faster, secure portal deployment or build a Custom Web/Mobile Frontend integrated via Salesforce APIs for full design flexibility.
When should I use Experience Cloud?
Use Experience Cloud if you want a quicker go-live, lower development effort, and built-in Salesforce features like Flows, dashboards, and multilingual support.
When is a Custom Frontend better?
A Custom Frontend is ideal when you need advanced UI/UX, mobile-first access, third-party integrations, or cost-effective public access without per-user Salesforce licenses.
What about licensing costs?
Experience Cloud: Higher, based on authenticated user licenses.
Custom Frontends: Lower, based on API usage and hosting costs.
Who can help me build the right portal?
Previse IT can help you evaluate, design, and implement your Salesforce portal. For front-end development, they collaborate with Scale — specialists in custom web and mobile applications. Learn more about Scale.
Let’s Build Your Next Portal
Need help evaluating the best approach or building your next Salesforce-powered portal?
We’ve built portals for healthcare, finance, education, logistics, and NGOs — using both native and custom approaches.
Previse IT has extensive experience with Salesforce, including the implementation of Digital Experience Sites for building secure and scalable portals. For any frontend-specific development, Previse IT collaborates closely with their technology partner, Scale. To learn more about Scale, visit https://www.scale.agency/.
Contact us for a free consultation or architectural session.
