Denby: a simpler Copilot alternative
Copilot, renamed Assembly in 2025, is a polished client portal with billing and card payments, contracts, forms, an app marketplace and a well-designed client experience. It charges extra for internal users beyond those included. Denby is simpler and flat-rate with unlimited team members, and built around document requests with automatic reminders.
Denby and Copilot side by side
| Aspect | Denby | Copilot (now Assembly) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Flat per firm: $19, $49, $99 or $249 a month. Unlimited team members on every plan. | Starter from $39, Professional $149 and Advanced $399 a month on annual billing; extra internal users from $39 each. No charge per client. |
| Setup time | About 20 minutes to send your first request. | Quick to start; longer if you configure apps, automations and billing. |
| Client login | Clients enter their email and click a one-time link. No password. | Clients sign in to their portal account. |
| White label | Logo, colour and favicon on every plan; own domain from $49; Denby footer removed from $99. | Custom branding and domain; removing the “Powered by Assembly” badge needs the Advanced plan. |
| Learning curve | Low. | Low to moderate, depending on how many apps you enable. |
| Payments | Your own payment link on each invoice; Denby never handles money. | Built-in billing and card payments, with processing fees. |
When to choose Copilot
- You want to take card payments and run subscriptions for clients inside the portal.
- You'd use an app marketplace and integrations to extend the portal.
- Your team is small enough that per-user pricing stays reasonable.
When to choose Denby
- Your team will grow and you don't want the price to grow with it.
- Collecting documents is the main job, and you want reminders handled for you.
- You want a fully white-label portal without the top plan.
Moving from Copilot to Denby
Add your clients and their contacts in Denby, then invite them; they sign in with a link, so there are no passwords to reset.
Keep invoices already issued in Assembly until they're paid; send new ones from Denby with your own payment link.
The trial is 14 days with no card, so you can run one real client through Denby before deciding.