How are customer portal licences charged in Zoho Creator?

Zoho Creator counts portal users separately from internal users. Each external person who logs in to your Creator customer portal needs a portal user seat, sold in packs or tiers as an add-on depending on your plan. Internal users who build or use apps are licensed separately. Check Zoho's current Creator pricing page, as portal tiers and included numbers change.

Creator plans include a number of internal users and allow portals as part of the platform. External users, such as customers, vendors or partners who sign in to the portal, are counted as portal users. You buy capacity for the number of portal users you expect, usually in steps, rather than a full internal licence per person.

Plan the count carefully. A portal user is normally anyone with active login access, not only those who log in often. Remove access for inactive customers to free seats. If many customers only need to submit a form, a public form without login may be enough and does not use portal seats.

Compare the total cost with alternatives. If the portal mainly shows CRM records, the CRM portal may be cheaper. If it mainly handles support tickets, the Desk help centre may fit. For complex workflows and custom screens, Creator is often the right choice despite the extra seats.

Written by Flowpeak, a Zoho implementation partner. Zoho pricing and features change, so confirm current details on the official Zoho site. Free checklists | Ask us a question