Do Read Only Users Need a Paid Airtable License?

You are using a workspace on a paid plan. Inside that workspace, you have one or more bases with important data.

Now you want to share this data with additional users. These users only need to view or consult information.

They will not create records. They will not edit or delete anything.

Do read only users need a paid Airtable license?

How Airtable licensing works

Airtable charges for editors, not viewers.

Anyone who can edit records, create records, or modify structure requires a paid seat under your workspace plan.

But users who only have read only access are different. Read only users do not require a paid license.

You can invite users to view bases without editing permissions and they will not count toward your paid seats.

You can also have an unlimited number of read only users. There is no cap or extra cost.

What read only users can do

Read only users can view tables and records. They can filter views and sort data for themselves.

They cannot edit data. They cannot create new records or change field settings.

This makes read only access ideal for stakeholders, managers, or auditors who only need visibility into the data.