What are the top board management software platforms for 2025?

TL;DR

The leading board software in 2025 emphasizes security, usability, and reporting clarity.

Key trends include AI-powered reporting, stronger compliance features, and tools for hybrid meetings.

Evaluation criteria should focus on scalability, security certifications, and user adoption.

Board Intelligence offers standout platforms, including its secure board por and AI-driven board reporting software.

What are the emerging trends in board technology?

In 2025, boards expect more than digital paper storage and simple collaboration tools. Directors want software that helps them make faster, sharper decisions while meeting rising compliance demands.

We’re seeing AI and machine learning increasingly being used to generate executive summaries, flag governance risks, and surface insights directors might otherwise miss. At the same time, blockchain prototypes promise tamper-proof audit trails, while cloud-first and mobile-friendly designs are making it easier for directors to collaborate securely anytime, anywhere.

Some providers are even experimenting with AI “observers” in meetings, offering directors real-time prompts and scenario analysis to sharpen decision-making. Others are using AI to give them a reality check on their decisions.

Cybersecurity remains top of mind, with multi-factor authentication, biometric login, and certified hosting now baseline expectations.

Hybrid meetings are also here to stay. Platforms that integrate video conferencing with secure document access and real-time collaboration give boards flexibility without sacrificing security.

At Board Intelligence, this evolution is already in motion. Features like real-time readability analysis, AI-powered executive summaries, and structured collaboration prompts are examples of how our platform doesn’t just manage board materials but actively improves the quality of boardroom thinking.

What are the evaluation criteria for modern board portals?

Board portals are becoming more commonplace in business. Our recent analysis suggests that 52% of boards now use a secure board portal to distribute their board materials, compared with just 40% in 2020. Based on submissions to our board reporting self-assessment tool, this shows a clear shift away from legacy tools.

Choosing the right platform means focusing on measurable value, not just features. Key evaluation criteria include:

• Security and resiliency standards: ISO-certified hosting, biometric login, and audit trails.
• Ease of use: Intuitive navigation that requires minimal training for directors.
• Scalability: Support for multiple committees, subsidiaries, and high-volume reporting.
• Collaboration: Secure annotations, video conferencing, note sharing, and decision logs.
• Reporting quality: Tools that improve board packs and align content with oversight needs.
• Hybrid readiness: Smooth integration of virtual meetings with board materials.
• Stakeholder management tool: To check and evidence whether you meet your obligations under Section 172 of the UK Corporate Governance Code.
• Agenda planner: To organize your year ahead and measure where you spend your time.
• Briefing tool: Automating the process of getting papers back from your report authors and enabling them to hit the mark.
• Robust search: To quickly look through all of your past board materials.
• Offline access: So board members can prepare for meetings even when on the move.
• Full 24/7 support: from trained in-house staff and robust business continuity and disaster recovery plans, including an uptime guarantee

Want to learn more about board management software? Read our ‘What is a board portal?’ primer and our guide to board portals for more information.

What are the best board management platforms for 2025?

The strongest platforms this year are those that balance security, usability, and reporting effectiveness. Where most portals focus on administration, Board Intelligence is leaning into the next wave: software that makes boards more effective, not just more efficient.

Board Intelligence

Board Intelligence leads with two solutions designed to meet modern governance challenges:

Board Intelligence board portal

The Board Intelligence Portal provides a secure, centralized platform for board materials. Hosted in ISO 27001–certified data centers, it includes biometric login and Cyber Essentials Plus certification. Role-based permissions and audit trails deliver compliance-grade control, while directors benefit from a simple, intuitive interface.

The portal streamlines workflows for governance teams. Smart agenda planning, drag-and-drop collation, and republishing late papers save significant preparation time. Directors gain offline access, split-screen view for hybrid meetings, and e-signatures for quick approvals.

What sets Board Intelligence apart is the ability to generate AI-driven insights via the revolutionary Insight Driver. The tool recaps each paper and surfaces its key points and asks, so you always know where to focus your attention first.

Our director-friendly KPI Dashboard provides a visual summary of your organization's performance and outlook. It pulls together a range of carefully selected metrics to give directors an “at-a-glance” view of the organization's health.

With features that prompt reflection, provide real-time feedback, and facilitate structured discussions, our board portal offers a proven enterprise solution for boards that demand both compliance and usability.

Lucia: AI-powered reporting

Lucia addresses one of the biggest pain points of 2025: information overload. This AI-powered reporting tool guides authors to write shorter, clearer, and decision-focused papers. It acts as a real-time editor, helping teams cut jargon, highlight insights, and maintain consistency across all reports.

For directors, this means board packs that are easier to read and more aligned with their oversight responsibilities. Combined with the portal, Lucia provides boards with secure infrastructure and high-quality reporting, setting a new standard for board effectiveness in 2025.

Other leading board portals

Here’s a quick roundup of the top board management software platforms and how they stack up against Board Intelligence’s solutions.

Diligent

Users appreciate Diligent’s polished interface and strong security features, making it a reliable tool for secure access and document sharing among board members. That said, newer adopters often encounter frustration: document conversion isn’t always crisp, and administrators lack flexibility for organizing historic records. These limitations subtly slow governance workflows.

In contrast, Board Intelligence prioritizes intuitive document handling, offering streamlined organization and smoother navigation that empower boards to act swiftly and confidently.

OnBoard

OnBoard is often praised for being user-friendly and efficient, especially in managing meeting packets and agendas. Still, real-world feedback reveals concerns like inconsistent Zoom integration, limited voting tools, and occasional syncing glitches that disrupt meeting flow. These can cause frustration for less tech-savvy directors.

Board Intelligence addresses this by delivering seamless integrations, robust support for collaborative workflows, and reliable offline access, ensuring that every part of the board experience remains consistent and friction-free.

Azeus Convene

Azeus Convene earns praise for its clean interface and ease of use. Some users report platform hiccups, such as connectivity disruptions, performance lags, and incomplete integration of advanced AI features. These issues can crop up at critical moments, distracting rather than empowering directors.

In comparison, Board Intelligence places transparency and performance at the core: its secure portal is backed by dependable infrastructure and real-time responsiveness, so nothing interferes with high-stakes board conversations.

BoardEffect

BoardEffect has made a name for itself in nonprofits and mission-driven organizations, delivering ease of use and structured governance tools. Its deep focus on specific verticals means that boards with broader, cross-sector needs may find its features less adaptable.

Board Intelligence, however, blends municipal-level flexibility with enterprise-grade tools. The portal is designed to evolve with both nonprofit and corporate governance structures, all while keeping ease of use front and center.