New Membership versus License Model
I've been reading the different posts about the changes associated with the membership model and its impact to "free" users. Is there a single place of information that will clarify what a "free" user can and not do in this new model? For example, would using a Workapp, with dashboards, dynamic view, and so on be available to a "free" user in my business domain? Will it be possible to require a "free" user within my organization to sign in to a form and capture them as the row creator? I quick reference for all things similar and different with this changes would be immensely helpful. Thanks, Sara
Answers
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@swfascetti Hello!
Not sure if this helps but this is the explanation I received when we were looking at how the new model would impact our use:
1. Licensing Requirements for Internal Users:
Under the new User Subscription Model, all internal users who need to create, edit, or comment within Smartsheet are required to have a paid membership. The previous distinction between "licensed users" and "unlicensed users" has been replaced with "Members." Previously licensed users and unlicensed admins and editors would all need to be designated as Members to maintain their current access levels.
2. Definition of Members, Guests, and Viewers:
- Members (Paid Users): Internal users with the ability to create, edit, comment, and view Smartsheet items.
- Guests: External users (those with email domains different from your organization's) who can be granted Editor or Commenter permissions on shared items. Guests do not incur additional costs to your organization.
- Viewers: Internal users with the ability to view Smartsheet items.
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It is not helpful that that the term "Free" users is being applied to what was previously called "collaborators" because they are (or were) entirely different things. A Free user had a basic level account to try out smartsheet to see if it is the right solution for them and it was quite limited in its capabilities. The collaborators are people who interact with the sheets that licensed users build. They have no ability to edit the structure / formulas etc of the smartsheet they are given shared access to. They can only edit data in the cells (where access is given). They can be allocated access to "Admin", "Editor can share", "Editor cannot share", "Commenter" or "Viewer". full details of who can do what in the old and new model seems to be laid out in this article:
Its possible, BUT NOT CLEAR, that those with legacy collaborator model licenses may be able to continue to operate that way for the life of their licenes, but if not then this is a huge change to all the existing (legacy) smartsheet license holders. I hear people in smartsheet talking about the new model but no-one seems to be making it clear who that model applies to. The moment the member model is applied to my business that will trigger a change of platform for me.
This is my 10th year of being a licensed (legacy) user of Smartsheet and I currently have 10 licensed users on my account. Not a huge account but I bet thousands upon thousands of other business users are similar usage to mine.
If Smartsheet intends to force "legacy collaborators" into the new member model - the hundreds of collaborators (colleagues, clients and suppliers) who check boxes, select choices from drop-downs, put in comments in comments fields, fill out forms etc on our sheets created by the licensed users will ALL now be considered as "members" and required to have a full member license.
IF that is the case then Smartsheet just completely destroyed the model and I will have no choice other than to change to a different platform because there is no way that the collaborators (or myself) are going to pay for a full license for the miniscule amount of usage they have by updating fields in sheets.
Interesting how this massive change in license policy coincides with the acquisition of Smartsheet by Blackstone and Vista Equity Partners.
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@Barry Bowles which alternatives have you looked at? Has anyone reach out to Blackstone and Vista Equity partners directly to let them know the risk of losing multiple customers loyalty, this also is a risk of Smartsheet's reputation. If you have or know someone who reached out to them, did you get a reply?
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I'm very disappointed about this pending change. I chose Smartsheet as our portfolio management software because anyone in our organization could collaborate without needing a license. If this is the future of Smartsheet, we will reconsider other options.
