Salesforce License Types

    Last Modified On: June 18, 2025

     

    Standard User Licenses

    Standard user licenses give internal users access to Salesforce. These include Salesforce and Platform licenses:

    • Salesforce licenses are for users who need full access to Salesforce CRM features, such as Leads, Opportunities, and Accounts, as well as access to AppExchange apps.

    • Platform licenses are for users who mainly need access to custom apps built on the Salesforce platform but don’t require full access to standard CRM features.

    • Feature licenses give a user access to an additional feature that isn’t included with his or her user license, such as Marketing or WDC. Users can be assigned any number of feature licenses.

     

    Salesforce Licenses

    License Type

     

    Description

     

    Available In

         
    Salesforce 

    Designed for users who require full access to standard CRM and AppExchange apps. Users with this user license are entitled to access any standard or custom app.

    Each license provides more storage for Enterprise, Unlimited, and Performance Edition users.

     All Editions
         
    Knowledge Only User 

    Designed for users who only need access to the Salesforce Knowledge app. This license provides access to custom objects, custom tabs, and these standard tabs.

    • Articles
    • Article Management
    • Chatter
    • Files
    • Home
    • Profile
    • Reports
    • Custom objects
    • Custom tabs

    The Knowledge Only User license includes a Knowledge Only profile that grants access to the Articles tab. To view and use the Article Management tab, a user must have the Manage Articles permission.

    To view articles, a user must have the AllowViewKnowledge permission on their profile. But this permission is off for default profiles. To give a user the AllowViewKnowledge permission on their profile, activate the permission on a cloned profile and assign the cloned profile to the user.

     EnterpriseUnlimited, and Performance Editions
         
    Identity Only 

    Provides extra licenses for employees to access only identity services, such as single sign-on (SSO). For example, some of your employees don’t need access to all the solutions included with a Salesforce license. But you want these employees to be able to sign in to a custom Your Benefits web app directly from your Salesforce org using SSO. You can purchase the Identity Only license for them. This license provides access to the same identity services that are included with your other paid licenses in the Enterprise, Unlimited, Performance, and Developer Editions.

    For more information about Salesforce identity services, see Identify Your Users and Manage Access.

     Enterprise, Unlimited, Performance and Developer Editions
         
    External Identity Access to Salesforce Customer Identity, which enables customers and partners to self-register, log in, update their profile, and securely access web and mobile apps with a single identity. Plus, you can customize Customer Identity to your specific business process and brand using the power of the Salesforce Platform. For more information, see External Identity License Details and Salesforce Identity Licenses. Enterprise, Unlimited, Performance and Developer Editions
         
    Salesforce Integration 

    Grants access to Salesforce data and features only through the API. This license is designed for system-to-system integrations. It can’t be used for human users that must access Salesforce data or features through any user interface.

    For more information, see Give Integration Users API Only Access.

     Enterprise, Unlimited, Performance and Developer Editions
         
    WDC Only User 

    Designed for users who don’t have a Salesforce license and need access to WDC.

    Chatter must be enabled for WDC features to fully function.

     ProfessionalEnterprise, Unlimited, Performance and Developer Editions

     

    Salesforce Platform Licenses

    License Type

     

    Description

     

    Available In

         
    Salesforce Platform 

    Seat-based license, designed for users who need access to custom apps but not to standard CRM functionality. Users with this user license can use custom apps developed in your organization or installed from AppExchange. Also, they can access core platform functionality such as accounts, contacts, reports, dashboards, documents, and custom tabs. These users aren’t entitled to some user permissions and standard apps, including standard tabs and objects such as forecasts, leads, campaigns, and opportunities. Users with this license can also use Connect Offline.

    Users with a Salesforce Platform user license can access all the custom apps in your organization and can access the Lightning Console app if enabled.

    Each license provides more storage for Enterprise, Unlimited, and Performance Edition users.

    To view articles, a user must have the AllowViewKnowledge permission on their profile. But this permission is off for default profiles. To give a user the AllowViewKnowledge permission on their profile, activate the permission on a cloned profile and assign the cloned profile to the user.

     EnterpriseUnlimitedPerformance, and Developer Editions
         
    Salesforce Platform Login 

    This license is available October 15, 2024.

    Login-based license, designed for users who need occasional access to custom apps but not to standard CRM functionality. The Salesforce Platform Login license has the same features and functionality as the Salesforce Platform license, but with a flexible, usage-based, pricing option instead of a fixed per user/per month cost. For more detailed information about which features and functionality are available with this license, see Features Available with the Lightning Platform Starter, Lightning Platform Plus, and Salesforce Platform Login Licenses.

    For more detailed information about how the Salesforce Platform Login license works, see Salesforce Platform Login License Details

    Use Digital Wallet to track daily unique login usage of Platform Login and Dev Credits.

    You can also monitor your login activity by checking the LoginHistory table. In Salesforce Classic, the table is in Setup | Administer | Manage Users. In Lightning Experience, Setup | Identity. Additionally, monthly account summary emails are sent to the primary billing contact and any other contact who is entitled to receive this information from your contract.

     EnterpriseUnlimitedPerformance, and Developer Editions
         
    Lightning Platform - One App 

    Designed for users who need access to one custom app but not to standard CRM functionality. Lightning Platform - One App users are entitled to most of the same rights as Salesforce Platform users, plus they have access to an unlimited number of custom tabs. But they’re limited to one custom app, which is defined as up to 10 custom objects. They’re also limited to read-only access of the Accounts and Contacts objects. Push Topic object read permission isn’t available.

    Users with this license can only view dashboards if the running user also has the same license.

    Each license provides an extra 20 MB of data storage and 100 MB of file storage, regardless of the Salesforce edition.

    To view articles, a user must have the AllowViewKnowledge permission on their profile. But this permission is off for default profiles. To give a user the AllowViewKnowledge permission on their profile, activate the permission on a cloned profile and assign the cloned profile to the user.

     Enterprise and Unlimited Editions
         
    Force.com - App Subscription 

    Grants users access to a Lightning Platform Light App or Lightning Platform Enterprise App. CRM functionality isn’t included.

    A Lightning Platform Light App has up to 10 custom objects and 10 custom tabs, has read-only access to accounts and contacts, and supports object-level and field-level security. A Lightning Platform Light App can’t use the Bulk API or Streaming API.

    A Lightning Platform Enterprise App has up to 10 custom objects and 10 custom tabs. It has the permissions of a Lightning Platform Light App, plus it supports record-level sharing, can use the Bulk API and Streaming API, and has read/write access to accounts and contacts.

    Assign users with this license with a profile or permission set that allows access only to 10 custom objects and 10 custom tabs.

    Users with this license can only view dashboards if the running user also has the same license.

    Each license provides 20-MB more data storage per user for Enterprise Edition and 120-MB more data storage per user for Unlimited and Performance Editions, as well as 2 GB of file storage regardless of the edition.

    To view articles, a user must have the AllowViewKnowledge permission on their profile. But this permission is off for default profiles. To give a user the AllowViewKnowledge permission on their profile, activate the permission on a cloned profile and assign the cloned profile to the user.

     EnterpriseUnlimited, and Performance Editions
         
    Company Community User 

    This license is an internal user license for employee communities. It’s designed for users to access custom tabs, Salesforce Files, Chatter (people, groups, feeds), and an Experience Cloud site.

    Company Community users have read-only access to Salesforce Knowledge articles. They can also:

    • Access up to 10 custom objects and 10 custom tabs
    • Use Content, Ideas, Assets, and Identity features
    • Use activities, tasks, calendar, and events
    • Have access to accounts, contacts, cases, and documents.
     EnterpriseUnlimitedPerformance, and Developer Editions
         
    Developer 

    Designed for users whose role is to build customizations or applications. This license provides access to development tools and environments. It comes with one Developer sandbox, one scratch org, and access to the Dev Hub. In the production org, this license restricts access to standard and custom objects. For example, users can’t access the Account object within the Sales app. And because of the restriction to custom objects, users can’t be assigned access to custom apps or AppExchange apps.

    The development environments provide access to Salesforce features. With a Developer sandbox, you can use all the features that exist in the production org. The org administrator can create the Developer sandbox that was provisioned with the Developer license. A scratch org, which can be configured to your specifications using a scratch org definition file, gives you access to features on a trial basis. For example, you can use a scratch org to work with Financial Services Cloud or to play with Sales Cloud Einstein features. The Developer license provides access to the Dev Hub, enabling users to create scratch orgs on a self-service basis.

     EnterpriseUnlimited, and Performance Editions
         
    Salesforce Limited Access - Free Similar to the Developer license, the Salesforce Limited Access -Free license is for users whose role is to build customizations or applications, but this free license doesn’t include access to a Developer sandbox, or scratch org. This license provides access to development tools and to the Dev Hub. In the production org, this license restricts access to standard and custom objects. For example, users can’t access the Account object within the Sales app. And because of the restriction to custom objects, users can’t be assigned access to custom apps or AppExchange apps. EnterpriseUnlimited, and Performance Editions

     

     

    Salesforce Feature Licenses

    The following Feature Licences are available in ProfessionalEnterprisePerformanceUnlimited, and Developer Editions.

    License Type

     

    Enables User To

       
    Chatter Answers User Access Chatter Answers. This feature license is automatically assigned to high-volume portal users who self-register for Chatter Answers.
       
    Flow User Run Flows.
       
    Knowledge User Access Salesforce Knowledge.
       
    Chat User Access to Chat.
       
    Marketing User Create, edit, and delete campaigns, configure advanced campaign setup, and add campaign members and update their statuses with the Data Import Wizard.
       
    Offline User Access Connect Offline.
       
    Salesforce CRM Content User Access Salesforce CRM Content.
       
    Service Cloud User Access the Salesforce Console for Service.
       
    Site.com Contributor User Edit site content on Site.com Studio.
       
    Site.com Publisher User Create and style websites, control the layout and functionality of pages and page elements, and add and edit content on Site.com Studio.
       
    WDC User Access to WDC objects and permissions.

     

     

    Salesforce License vs. Inspire Planner License

    Before exploring when an Inspire Planner license is necessary, it's crucial to differentiate between a Salesforce license and an Inspire Planner license. A Salesforce license provides access to the broader suite of Salesforce products and features. This foundational access is then fine-tuned using profiles, permission sets, role hierarchies, and other Salesforce-specific configurations. On the other hand, an Inspire Planner license specifically grants access to the unique features and functions within Inspire Planner. Importantly, a user must possess a Salesforce license before being eligible for an Inspire Planner license.

    For more information, please see Understanding the Need for an Inspire Planner License in Salesforce


    Tags

    AdministrationUser Admin & Licensing

    « Previous ArticleNext Article »