Public Vs Private Portal

Public vs private portal

How to get there: Go to Settings → Security & Privacy.

ProductLift portals can run fully public, fully private, or anything in between.

Public portal (default)

Anyone with the URL can:

  • See posts, votes, comments.
  • Sign up and submit feedback.
  • Vote (after signing up).

This is the standard mode for SaaS feedback boards where customer participation is the goal.

Private portal

Restrict access so only logged-in users (or users you invite) can see anything. Use this for:

  • Internal feedback boards (employees only).
  • Beta-customer-only feedback.
  • Pre-launch or NDA-protected boards.

Configure it under Settings → Security & Privacy → Restrict access. See Restrict access to your portal.

Hybrid: private boards inside a public portal

You can keep most boards public but mark some boards or specific statuses as private so only admins or invited users see them. Useful for an internal roadmap inside an otherwise public portal. See Unlisted statuses and the Privacy controls section.

Approve new users before they may enter

Even on a public portal you can require admin approval before new sign-ups can vote or post. See Approve new users before they may enter.