Frequently asked
questions

Docivault is a secure document exchange platform built for professionals — CAs, lawyers, consultants, financial advisors, architects, and anyone who exchanges sensitive documents with clients regularly. It replaces email, WhatsApp, and shared drives with a purpose-built workspace where every client gets their own secure portal.

Any professional who regularly exchanges sensitive documents with clients. This includes Chartered Accountants, Company Secretaries, lawyers, financial advisors, consultants, architects, and small firms with 1–50 team members. If you're currently sending documents over email or WhatsApp, Docivault is built for you.

Google Drive and Dropbox are generic file storage tools. Docivault is purpose-built for professional client relationships. It offers individual client portals, document request checklists with per-item status tracking, role-based access (Admin / Member / Client), a full audit log, in-browser document preview, and comments on documents — none of which exist in generic storage tools.

The Three-Space Model is Docivault's core innovation. Every client gets three separate document workspaces: Private (visible only to you and admins — for drafts, internal notes, and sensitive work-in-progress), Shared (all assigned team members — for collaborative documents and team reviews), and Client (the client and their assigned team — for final deliverables and client-uploaded documents). Documents can move between spaces as work progresses.

No. WhatsApp is not designed for professional document exchange. There is no audit trail, no access control, no version history, and messages mix personal and professional communications. Under India's DPDP Act, sending personal financial data over uncontrolled channels can create compliance risk. Docivault provides a secure, logged, and controlled alternative.

All documents are transmitted over HTTPS (TLS encryption). Access to documents is controlled by role-based permissions — clients only ever see their own documents. Every action (upload, view, download, comment, login) is logged with timestamp and user ID. Two-factor authentication is coming in v1.1. No document ever passes through email or an uncontrolled channel.

Data is stored in India. We do not transfer personal client data outside India without explicit consent, in line with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP Act, 2023).

The activity audit log is a complete, timestamped record of everything that happens in your account — every upload, download, document view, comment, login, and space move — with the user's name and timestamp. It is visible to admin users and can be exported as a CSV file. Private space documents are excluded from the shared activity feed for confidentiality.

No. Each client has a fully isolated workspace. When a client logs in, they see only their own documents and requests — not any other client's. This is enforced at the data layer, not just the UI layer.

2FA is on the roadmap for v1.1, available to Pro and White-Label plan users. The Free and Starter plans will have email-based OTP login. Enterprise-grade authenticator app support (TOTP) is included in the v1.1 release.

Yes. The Free plan is free forever — not a time-limited trial. It includes 1 user, 5 clients, and 2 GB storage. You can use all core features including the Three-Space Model, client portal, and document requests without paying.

No. Docivault charges a flat monthly fee per firm — not per user. The Pro plan at ₹1,299/month covers up to 10 users. This is why Docivault is dramatically cheaper than tools like TaxDome (₹58,000+ per user per year) or SmartVault (₹40,000+ per user per year).

GST is charged in addition to the listed price at applicable rates. A GST invoice is automatically generated and available for download from your billing dashboard.

Annual billing gives you roughly 2 months free: Starter saves ₹1,200/year (₹4,788 billed annually vs ₹5,988 monthly). Pro saves ₹3,600/year (₹11,988 vs ₹15,588). White-Label saves ₹12,000/year (₹47,988 vs ₹59,988).

Yes. You can upgrade at any time — the upgrade is pro-rated so you only pay for the days remaining in your billing period. Downgrades take effect at the start of the next billing cycle. Your data is never deleted when you downgrade.

You create a request with a list of documents needed from a client, set a due date, and send it. The client sees the checklist in their portal and uploads each document directly. Each item tracks its own status: Open → Awaiting review → Closed. You can approve items, request revisions, or send reminders in one click. A task is automatically created for your team when a request is submitted.

Yes. PDFs and images can be previewed directly in the browser — no download needed and no third-party apps. The viewer shows file metadata (name, size, upload date, uploader, space) and a comment thread alongside the document.

Yes. Each client has per-space categories — you can create categories like "ITR", "Form 16", "GST Returns", "Contracts", etc. for each space independently. Admins can manage a master category catalog and apply categories to specific clients and spaces.

Yes. You can assign multiple team members to any client. Assigned members get access to the Shared and Client spaces for that client. The Private space remains visible only to admins, regardless of team assignment.

Yes. Docivault is designed to align with India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act (2023). Data is stored in India, you retain data sovereignty, and all data access is logged and auditable. We are working toward a formal compliance certification. Consult your legal counsel for advice specific to your practice's obligations.

Docivault provides a complete audit trail (who accessed what, when), secure document transmission, and controlled access — all features that support good record-keeping practices. We recommend consulting ICAI guidelines for your specific documentation and record-retention obligations.

Yes. Admin users can export a full audit log as a CSV file from the Security settings. The log includes every action, the user who performed it, the document involved, and the timestamp.

Your clients receive an invitation email with a secure link to set up their portal login. The process takes under a minute — they set a password (or use a magic link) and immediately see their workspace. No app download required.

Clients can: view all documents shared with them (in the Client space), upload documents to you, respond to document requests by uploading the requested files, reopen a completed request if something changes, view documents in-browser without downloading, and send a document request back to you. They cannot see your Private or Shared spaces.

Yes. The client portal is fully responsive and works on any smartphone or tablet. Clients can upload photos of documents directly from their phone's camera, making it easy for them to submit physical documents digitally.

Yes. If a client needs to update a document after a request is closed, they can reopen it. The request returns to the "Awaiting review" state and you'll receive a notification. The audit log records the reopening with a timestamp.