At Coda, we like to keep things simple. So we only have three types of members within our workspaces:
Doc Maker
Doc Maker (Admin)
Editor
You can think of Doc Makers as exactly what their name says - someone who makes a new doc. Admins keep your docs and workspace organized. Editors are the members of your cross-functional team who interact with and access data within a doc.
A workspace can have an unlimited number of members in any role but both Doc Maker (Admin) and Doc Maker are paid licenses, while editors are free in Coda. Below you will find a detailed breakdown of what each type of member is able to do.
Within this article you’ll find...
What Doc Makers can do
In addition to being able to use all the amazing features in a Coda doc, Doc Makers can also create and delete docs, manage doc settings, and create and manage folders. For the full list of actions available for Doc Makers (and if you are more of a visual learner) - check out this table.
You'll choose this role for team members who are creating new docs to streamline workflows, set up processes, and build tools for the team.
Pricing for a workspace is based on the number of Doc Makers. There is no limit to how many Doc Makers you can have in your workspace.
What Doc Maker (Admin)s can do
For the full list of actions available for Doc Maker (Admin)s (and if you are more of a visual learner) - check out this table.
Doc Maker (Admin)s are a type of Doc Maker who, in addition to Doc Maker abilities, have access to workspace settings. You will also see them referred to as “workspace admins”.
💡All workspace admins are Doc Makers, but not all Doc Makers are workspace admins.
Doc Maker (Admin) have control of settings and permissions related to the workspace, including the ability to add members, remove members and update member roles. If you’re an admin wanting to learn more about managing Doc Makers, check out this article.
If you create a workspace, by default you gain the role of Doc Maker (Admin). You can (and should!) have more than one admin for a workspace so that you can share the responsibilities and take over admin controls if another administrator is unavailable or needs to leave the workspace.
A note for our Enterprise customers: Enterprise workspaces have both workspace admins and Org admins - two distinct roles.
To learn about org admins abilities, check out this article.
What editors can do
As an editor in Coda, you can collaborate in docs and collaboration is not limited so you can do things like edit pages, add rows to tables, construct buttons, and interact with all that a Doc Maker has created. For the full list of actions available for editors (and if you are more of a visual learner) - check out this table.
Editors are free in Coda and you are able to have an unlimited number of editors in your workspace and docs.
There is no separate role for viewers, and no need for one since editors are free! (you can give view only permission to docs, learn more here)
We recommend the editor role for teammates who interact with and contribute to docs that have already been created. Common examples of this:
Adding the weekly team meeting notes
Giving feedback on a recent product proposal
Updating the team’s project management tracker
Abilities
Ability | Doc Maker (Admin) | Doc Maker | Editor |
Add or delete new tables | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Add or delete formulas | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Add or delete pages and subpages in an existing doc | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Hide / unhide pages and subpages | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Add, edit and delete packs | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Contribute and make changes to a doc | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Contribute and make changes to tables | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Add, edit and delete automations | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Update doc sharing (if access to do so is enabled) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Configure doc settings (like header, subpage, alignment, font/font size) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Access doc version history | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Copy pages from one doc to another | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Act as doc admins in doc settings and configure locking | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Change the name and icon of an existing doc | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Configure advanced sharing settings (like making a doc copyable, allowing Viewers to request edit access, or configuring Editors’ control over sharing & access to the doc) | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Configure timezone and calendar week preferences | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Create new docs | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Delete an existing doc | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Create folders to organize docs | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Move docs between workspaces | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Publish a doc | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Add and remove members from a workspace | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Adjust member roles (ie editor → Doc Maker) | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
FAQs
Do all members cost the same?
Coda uses a unique "maker billing" model. Often there’ll be one person who creates a doc, others who edit, and some who simply observe from afar, yet most pricing models charge for all those different types of users equally.
At Coda, we only charge for each Doc Maker in a workspace, editors and viewers in docs are free. For more information, see our pricing FAQs.
How can I see my role or someone else in my workspace’s role?
You can see all workspace members’ roles by going to your workspace page, click Members in the left navigation, which will open the page with everyone’s roles listed.
How can I see the non-workspace members that have access to docs in my workspace?
Check out the sharing dialog of the doc itself (open by clicking Share in top right of a doc). Although you will not see exactly who is a guest, it does have the complete list of people who the doc has been shared with, which if permitted, can include people outside of your workspace and if they have the ability to edit, view, or comment.
Can I give edit or view access to people outside my workspace?
Yes! Whenever you share a doc for editing with someone outside of your workspace, they will be added to the doc but not to your workspace. These external users can edit or view individual docs shared with them, but cannot browse the doc's workspace or folder so you can control what they see.
Is there a limit to how many editors I can have in my workspace?
No there is not! You can have as many editors as you would like in your workspace.
Is there a limit for how many Doc Maker (Admin)s I can have?
There is no limit! Every Coda workspace automatically has at least one Doc Maker (Admin) - also known as workspace admin - and we recommend a minimum of two workspace admins in your workspace at all times to ensure that things will continue without a hitch should one of the admins leave the workspace.
I'm on a free workspace and I see a lot of Doc Maker (Admin)s. How is that happening?
There is a special rule for free workspaces that automatically makes users Admins when they create a doc. This enables anyone that is a Doc Maker (Admin) in the workspace to upgrade when the team is ready for the next level.