Queries about new payment methods

A few months ago, Smartsheet wrote to us to inform us that the payment method had changed. Now, all internal users without a license will not be able to use Smartsheet and that we would have to pay for those licenses. Could you help us with the following questions?

Does this mean that if I want to keep the unlicensed users but who can edit them, I would have to delete them from Smartsheet and add them with their personal emails with editor profiles so that Smartsheet doesn't charge us for them?

To perform an analysis to evaluate which users are editing spreadsheets or reports that do not have licenses but we need to add them due to the new model, is there a way for me to see which spreadsheets are used the most by each user?

In the control panel, I see external users with personal emails who have shared sheets, but I search for them among both active and inactive users and they don't appear to delete them. How can I find out which sheets or reports it is shared in so I can delete it directly from them?

Thank you in advance.

I remain attentive.

Best regards

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Jason P

Hi @alexismgg.31

The email you received was to advise Smartsheet is changing to a user subscription model, more here Including other links: https://help.smartsheet.com/articles/2483339-user-subscription-vs-legacy-collaborator Current users within your domain, will be tagged "Provisional Member" , this is determined based on how they interact today on shared to sheets. Those not in your domain are 'Guests' - follow additional page links for furher info.

As for reports showing what sheets and permissions they have access to, No. would be nice. Anyone with Editor access will be a paid (legacy license holder) member under the 'USM"

I don't have control center, so not best person to comment

Hope this helps.

Naeem Ejaz

Previously: You could have unlicensed users within your domain (internal users) still edit sheets as collaborators.

Now: Any internal user (same domain) who edits or is shared to a sheet must have a paid license.

If not, they are automatically added as provisioned users (which means they start consuming a license or will be billed)

1. Switch to External Email (Personal Emails):

If the users edit Smartsheet but don’t need to be tracked as internal, using their personal emails (like Gmail, etc.) means they’re considered external collaborators, and won’t require a license.
Yes, your approach is correct: Remove them from your organization in Admin Center, and share sheets to their personal emails with Editor permission.
They will then act as free collaborators.

2. License Only Necessary Users:

Assign licenses only to those who need to create sheets, dashboards, or manage users.
Use Dynamic View or Forms to collect data from unlicensed users who don’t need edit access.

⚠️ Important Notes:

Smartsheet tracks domain-based access, so anyone with your company domain will be auto-provisioned and considered internal.
This auto-provisioning can result in unexpected licensing costs if not monitored.
You can restrict auto-provisioning under Admin Center → Plan & Billing → Auto-Provisioning Settings.

Trang Turtletraxx

@Naeem Ejaz your comment about switching to external emails. Users are only identified as external if they do not use a verified domain. What's to prevent companies from removing verified domains or creating a subdomain that is not verified so their users aren't considered internal users?

Naeem Ejaz

@Trang Turtletraxx

Nothing technically stops you from doing this — but Smartsheet strongly advises against it, and doing so may:

Break enterprise-level functionality like SSO, user provisioning, and domain control
Violate Smartsheet’s terms of service or licensing agreement
Expose your environment to security and governance risks

Internal users are defined by email domain ownership (not intent)
Provisional users (internal users with no license yet) are tracked to prevent under-licensing
Using external emails for internal users may be considered an attempt to bypass licensing restrictions

If you're considering a domain strategy change for licensing reasons, it's best to:

Talk to your Smartsheet account rep
Document your governance needs
Look into scalable license models that fit your actual usage

Trang Turtletraxx

@Naeem Ejaz we wouldn't be able to do it with our AD integration. I was just asking the general question and to point out yet another "flaw" to the USM.

alexismgg.31

Thank you very much for the clarification.

Also, could you help us see if there's a way to see which sheets are shared and used by each user in the user panel? We could delete these users to see which ones because they don't use Smartsheet as much.

And lastly, if we want to delete unlicensed internal users so we don't get charged under the new system, is it enough to just delete the user in the user panel, or do I also have to delete them from each report and sheet they're shared with? Because if I delete the user and they remain shared in the sheet or report, will they charge us?

Thank you in advance.

I'll be waiting.

Best regards.

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