--- title: "BoardEffect Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra" description: "Is BoardEffect the right Board Management solution for you? Explore 128 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice." source_url: "https://www.capterra.com/p/151082/BoardEffect/reviews/" page_type: "reviews" language: "en" publication_date: "2026-10-19" --- BoardEffect 4.3 (128) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated October 19th, 2026 # Reviews of BoardEffect Ease of use 4.3 Customer Service 4.4 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews JR Jamie R Human Resources Manager and Corporate SecretaryBanking, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “BoardEffect has significantly improved our Board process; creating consistent Board packets, a library to house important documents that remain at the fingertips of our \[sensitive content hidden\], and an easy way for us to provide Board information to our auditors.“ July 8, 2025 CC Charles C AdminAccounting, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “Constant issues with platform bugs, customer service would answer to tickets but not fix issues, not easy for board to navigate, unintuitive document uploading to agendas, minutes integration ineffective and clunky, publishing agendas was a nightmare.“ January 3, 2025 AR Amanda R Executive AssistantNon-Profit Organization Management, 51 - 200 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “I like the ability to have multiple rooms for different committees within one platform, and the ability to keep documents organized and accessible.“ July 8, 2025 SG Sheila G Administrative CoordinatorHigher Education, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “I don't like that you can't alter a survey once you've received a response, and the fact that the server goes down at the most inopportune times, without notification that it's down so we can be better prepared to answer questions when we receive inquiries from our constituents as to why they are not able to log in to BE.“ August 4, 2025 CC Christi C DirectorEducation Management, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “BoardEffect enables our nonprofit organization to effectively communicate and allows board members the agency to cross collaborate with each other in a seamless manner“ July 8, 2025 BM Bonnie M HRBanking, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “Since the transition in early fall, my senior leadership has been unable to access a link to upload their monthly reports for the board to review. “ January 20, 2026 MJ Malik J Administrative DirectorCivic & Social Organization, 501 - 1,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “I appreciated being able to access the full calendar, RSVP to meetings, and check agendas right from my phone, especially when I was traveling for work.“ June 11, 2025 BM Bonnie M HRBanking, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months. “I requested a customer service rep/account rep who is located in the US for the ability to communicate during working hours, but that hasn't happened. “ January 20, 2026 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 128 available reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use R Reviewer Administrator Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Do NOT Recommend" November 2, 2026 1.0 We've been using the platform since 2011 and this past year have decided to end our contract as soon as we possibly can. It's become unusable for many on our Board and therefore useless to us. As an administrator, I can say that I have never had as many issues as I have had this past year. Customer service is outsourced and unfortunately incredibly difficult to understand, offering little to no help, when they finally do get back to you. Pros BoardEffect used to be great, intuitive and easy to navigate. Rollouts this year under Diligent have steadily made the site cumbersome and difficult to use. Administrator's rights have been limited and Board members have had an increasingly difficult time logging in. Cons Cumbersome and difficult to use. Administrator's rights have been limited and Board members have had an increasingly difficult time logging in. Review Source R Reviewer Executive Director Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Executive Director" March 6, 2026 2.0 Fairly poor. Product poor. Support and interest in customer experience poor. Partnership to ease use poor. Pros We converted from Boardpaq to Board Effect 1.5 yrs ago. We remain unhappy with the change. The tool is less efficient and more prone to operator error. Cons Inability to search on content. Board members comfort and adoption. Not as straightforward. The link to virtual meeting is better than Boardpaq Review Source R Reviewer Board Member Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Good Governance and document management" February 25, 2026 5.0 I enjoy the ease of use and the way the documentation streamlines my workflow. It helps me stay organized and prepared, which in turn makes my meetings run more smoothly and feel more productive Pros I love the simplicity and how everything is outlined in a way that allows me to clearly see the agenda, meeting goals, and outcomes from past meetings. Cons Logging in can feel disconnected; I wish this functioned more like a fully integrated meeting software platform. Review Source R Reviewer GC and Corporate Secreatry Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Mixed bag- some good/some need improvements " February 25, 2026 4.0 The tool is something we inherited but we believe it could use some updates. For example, the ease of navigating and a bit more intuitive approach to organization of the folders. Pros Agenda management. It is easy to build an agenda in BoardEffect and a good central location for all of our board-related materials. Cons How difficult it is to operate. There are so many ways to organize the folders and the links to different folders then become very confusing. It is also not a complete tool for Board Management. Ideally, we would have liked to see a way to handle our nom com work through Board Effect. it is also difficult for our board to navigate the tool and it is not as collaborative as we would have liked it to be Review Source R Reviewer Executive Admin Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Would not recommend this platform" February 25, 2026 1.0 I do not feel that BoardEffect values their customer base; especially after the change to Diligent. It is definitely NOT the product for non-profit organizations based on the price, difficulty of use and lack of local (or any) support! They have rolled out functionality that does not work and no one in support even knows about it or how to make it work and then tell you it is not actually included in your package as an excuse for that. Our board members rarely use the platform because they find it cumbersome and difficult to navigate. Pros N/A. There is very little to like about BoardEffect. It is basically being used as a document storage because it is so disliked by our Board and staff. Cons BoardEffect was never very robust in areas like emails, reporting, making esoteric changes or even basic ease of use. New functionality, that was never really asked for and not very useful (like AI), has always been prioritized over fixing functionality that never worked well. Once Diligent took over, it has become an absolute nightmare to get support or CSM help. I have asked repeatedly to speak with our CSM and never get a call and cannot reach out directly because there is no phone number to do so. Review Source R Reviewer CEO Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Change back" February 25, 2026 3.0 Positive until recently, this new version is not acceptable and does not meet our needs as well as the previous version Pros I liked the usability of the previous version. Since the change to the new Diligent one platform it is not as good Cons The new version is difficult for my directors to use and function in well, making meetings less satisfactory and less effective Review Source R Reviewer HR Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Was a good platform, until the change to fully incorporate Diligent" January 27, 2026 2.0 Prior to the changeover, it was a really good platform for the basics we used it for. Once the change occurred, it hasn't been efficient enough for our needs, and the customer service has been incredibly poor. Pros I liked BoardEffect a lot more before it transitioned to being fully led by Diligent. It was a good space to keep our board documents and was easy enough to use for even our least tech-savvy members. Cons Since the transition in early fall, my senior leadership has been unable to access a link to upload their monthly reports for the board to review. I've raised this issue with the BE/Diligent team and have had an active ticket open for a month and a half. Occasionally, I will receive an email from someone on their team that they are working on the issue, and it could be resolved when they decide to roll out their next update. I requested a customer service rep/account rep who is located in the US for the ability to communicate during working hours, but that hasn't happened. The only communications I receive are at times that are not reasonable to be able to create a conversation about the issue. The work has piled up for me because they have been unable to fix this issue, and the lack of support has finally pushed me to the point where we will be looking to leave the platform when our contract is up. I feel there are many other platforms that can do this simple task of sending an upload link to contributors, but for some reason, this issue is the most challenging they have faced, and the support is terrible. Review Source Ronald H. owner Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "BoardEffect is pretty cool" November 27, 2025 4.0 I enjoyed it the little time I used it - it seems to be a very effective force to use especially in a corporate office type environment. Pros I liked the ease of execution the best. Once I started using it, I knew my way around very quickly. Not a fit for my small agency but perhaps in the future. Cons It doesn't seems to fit for a company of our size. We only have 4 employees currently but maybe one day in the future we can grow... Review Source OJ Omar J. Director of Board Relations Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "BoardEffect has been a game-changer!" November 20, 2025 4.0 Overall, BoardEffect has made our efficiency much better when it comes to Board meetings. It has been great to see our technologically hesitant Board members embrace the simplicity of the platform. Pros I love that documents are securely stored within the platform. It makes it easier for Board members to find specific documents. Cons 1\. I wish there was a way to update one document that is stored in multiple places, and it be updated everywhere. Instead of having to edit each document individually in different places. 2. I wish there was a way to integrate BoardEffect and external platforms like Microsoft Sharepoint so it is easier to edit documents. 3. It would also be nice to be able to see older drafts of documents that have been edited. That way, we can see the changes that have been made with each document. Review Source R Reviewer Marketing HR Specialist Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Still learning but easier to navigate than I thought!" November 20, 2025 4.0 At first I was a little overwhelmed but overall the entire site has been relatively easy to navigate. Pros I like that all our meetings and meeting books are neatly organized and easily accessible since that is what we spend 95% of our time on. Cons I'm not a fan of the overall look of the site. It's a little dull. More color or graphics would make it more eye catching, at least for me. I'm more of a visual person. Review Source amit S. Technical Lead Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Simplifies Board Meetings" December 20, 2024 5.0 It's an effective solution for organizing and streamlining board communications and meetings. Pros Preparing for board meetings was much easier as I could share documents securely and update agendas in real-time. Cons The app could use a more modern interface, but it’s still functional and reliable. Review Source Verified Reviewer Director Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "Secure and Easy to Use" July 11, 2025 4.0 We converted to BoardEffect a year ago and overall, it's been a great experience. It fills our needs for a secure, easy-to-use platform for board and leadership meeting information, as well as a cloud-based back-up for emergency procedures, and the search functionality has made it much simpler to find previous reports quickly. Pros BoardEffect is secure and generally easy to use for financial institution Board members and staff. The app is user friendly for tablet use and the web version is great for admins and larger viewing. I really appreciate the meeting packet template functionality and automatic agenda updates when changes are made, as well. In addition, the search function is great when coupled with strong doc naming conventions. Cons When you link to a library doc within a meeting packet, it pulls the whole doc into the packet rather than actually functioning as a link. Generally, we link to docs that are additional resources and longer than we'd like to include in the packet itself, so a page in the packet with the link to that doc would be more useful. The workroom functionality can also get a bit confusing for users who are in multiple groups. Accessing meeting info via the calendar and search helps solve for that though. Review Source R Reviewer VP, CHRO Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "All In One" July 9, 2025 5.0 Overall, it's a smooth experience. I love the different ways we can use the library, the various department home pages, and the user maintenance interface is very easy. We really just love using BoardEffect for our committees! Pros One place for all our board volunteers to receive information with the highest level of security that we found when searching for a board platform. I love being able to add links in the library and not just documents. The daily digest is great, too. I love that users can join the meeting from the platform, and access the book in one place online or in the app. The app is great for users, too. Cons Sometimes the user or admin interface is not quite as intuitive as it eventually no doubt will be- they seem to be updating things. Review Source Michael O. Executive Assistant Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "BoardEffect Saves Me Soooo Much Time!" July 10, 2025 5.0 It has been a lifesaver. Setting up the portal and creating user accounts was easy. Uploading is a breeze, and the collaborative agenda-building feature saves me a lot of time. People no longer have to send me their documents, as they can now upload directly into the agenda themselves. Pros I like that it consolidates many disparate functions into a one-stop shop portal. I no longer have to send email polls, use SurveyMonkey for surveys, maintain a current contact list, or distribute bulky board packets via mail or email. Cons I want to be able to create votes within a meeting agenda so that attendees can vote live during the meeting. I would also like to see attendance keeping as part of the Minutes feature, rather than having to take attendance manually within the board agenda. Currently, only Word integrates with the platform. I would also like to see Excel incorporated. Review Source KS Ketrina S. Executive Assistant Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "BoardEffect Meets our Expectations" July 9, 2025 5.0 Overall, I think that this product meets my expectations. It has saved us a TON of paper, and has the functionalities we desired. Pros What I like most is the "Contributor" functionality. I love that I can send out an email to all department heads that contains a link for them to upload their department reports monthly, without giving them full access to the system. This has saved time in many ways! No more downloading the file, saving it to a folder, then uploading it. Cons The 365 integration is not always on par. This creates a time issue where at that point I do need to download the document, which sometimes downloads in PDF format, then trying to edit the document can become a nightmare. I also don't like that it doesn't agree with Grammarly. I use Grammarly daily, and it is especially helpful when going through long Board books. However, if I try to accept the "suggestions" from Grammarly, it simply reverts back to what the text was before. Review Source R Reviewer Executive Assistant Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "New User, But Pleased Overall" July 3, 2025 4.0 Overall, BoardEffect is an upgrade from our past software. The users like the platform. Support has been very responsive and polite while quickly solving one issue and a recent use question. Pros Ease of user experience. Once we have our Trustees logged in, they seem to be able to easily navigate the information. Cons Setting up reports and Board books for the first time was time consuming. There are hidden menus for some of the options I would have liked to have set up during the initial use. Review Source R Reviewer Director Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Eh... some benefits, but needs some help. " July 9, 2025 3.0 Not my favorite. I feel like there are multiple other platforms are have a much more integrated approach to boards. Creating board books is challenging and very manual. Pros Document storage (the library), ability to archive, ability to deactivate members without deleting their information. Cons not very intuitive or user friendly. Cannot easily track terms, reporting never works, dashboard is difficult to navigate and it does not have built in educational support. Review Source R Reviewer Manager of Board Engagement Events Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Great user experience " July 9, 2025 5.0 Overall we have been very happy and learning how to utilize BoardEffect for more items about our organization Pros User ease both on the back end for admins and front end for Board members. It has been so easy to onboard our new Board members that we even have their training on BoardEffect and have started to utilize it for all sorts of Board members resources. Cons I wish that some of the "add-ons" like mins etc. were built into the standard system as those are standard operating items you need when running a Board meeting Review Source R Reviewer Executive Vice President Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "BoardEffect is Terrible" July 14, 2025 1.0 It doesn't work well...is not user-friendly for administration and I don't know why you changed from BoardPaq it was great. Pros Nothing...I don't know why you changed from BoardPaq it was great. Cons Everything...not user-friendly for administration...I don't know why you changed from BoardPaq it was great. Review Source R Reviewer Controller Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "MEH, it's okay." July 9, 2025 3.0 I find it cumbersome to use and find it isn't as easy to use a template from a prior meeting as BoardPaq. Overall, I am not happy with this product, but we will continue to use it since you took BoardPaq away from us. Pros I can put all my board documents in one place for the board to review. That's about the only thing I like about BoardEffect. Cons The agenda set up. We are not able to put in the time expected to give to each item on the agenda. The Board liked that it would give a total of time we expected the meeting to last. It is also not as user friendly as BoardPaq. BoardPaq was the perfect platform for us. Review Source R Reviewer Director of Marketing and Events Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "BoardEffect Review" July 9, 2025 5.0 My experience has been really positive! I don’t have anything to compare it to but I’m pleased with BoardEffect and find the platform incredibly useful Pros Documents can be any file type when added to meeting book. I also enjoy the attendance feature to track who is present for meetings and who is not Cons It feels like things can be found in multiple places and it makes it hard to track items down when first learning the platform. I also wish the library in a particular work room was in sequential order from top to bottom and not bottom to top. Review Source R Reviewer President Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Absolutely Deficient for the Intended Purpose -" February 28, 2025 1.0 Could not be worse. Inferior programming design. Pros After 12 years of BoardPaq, which was a superior product, we will be leaving BoardEffect. Any other software users would never rate this product as capable. Our Board has unanimously decided to leave this product after 4 months Cons Difficult to navigate, poorly designed. This software should be intended to publish board level agenda's with attachments and libraries. There should never be a descriptor as a "workbook" at a board level. This appears to be designed by programmers. I have recommended BoardPaq to several organizations for the past decade. Not one past referral is satisfied with this product. Review Source R Reviewer Admin Assistant Used the software for: 3-5 years ### "Great product" July 9, 2025 4.0 The transition to this new platform was amazing! I love how you can access it anywhere! No apps required. Pros I heard of Board Effect from a director on another board that had recommended this platform. The like how easy it is to upload documents. Cons The least thing I have encountered was that an Excel document did not open properly in board packets. I would have to save each tab as a PDF... Not fun Review Source R Reviewer Director Used the software for: Less than 1 year ### "Pros and cons of a board portal " July 15, 2025 4.0 Pretty okay with the Portal but do think it can be improved by making it more user friendly for non savvy technology personnel. Pros One can have access off-line thus enables you to do certain work anywhere Having easy mobile access where ever you are. Great for traveling I like that it opened like a book so I just keep scrolling down to the next page or agenda item. The built in calendar is very useful for me. Can also see a full directory of other member whic sure helps with collaboration. Cons Have difficulties knowing if my message was sent. Not very user friendly (having difficulties using the pen and the hi-lighter. Have difficulty using the pen and hi-lighter section at time and can’t get them off. Not too sure if my emails are sent. Review Source R Reviewer Executive Assistant Used the software for: 1-3 years ### "The small things makes a difference. " July 10, 2025 4.0 Being able to stay organized and on top of things. Being able to build your meeting book once and share it with all participants when done. Being able to notify users when documents are uploaded. Pros Convenience of all meeting documents in one place and notifying all members at once. Staying on top of which meetings coming up soon. The attendance sheet is very helpful. I have not learned or used the minute taking option but love that it is available. Cons Not so easy to find things by the category listed. Provide more drop downs to find what exactly youre lokking for. Also setting a reminder for upcoming meeting such as an email. Review Source