Starting August 1, 2026, anyone with Editor permissions on a project will need a paid seat in that project’s workspace to keep those permissions. This article walks through what’s changing and what you can do to prepare.
What's changing
Role | Before | Starting Aug 1, 2026 |
Owner | Requires Paid seat | Requires Paid seat (no change) |
Manager | Requires Paid seat | Requires Paid seat (no change) |
Editor | Free | Paid seat |
Reviewer | Free | Free (no change) |
Owners and Managers already require a paid seat today. That doesn’t change. Editors are the only role moving from free to paid. Reviewers stay free, with no limit on how many a project or workspace can have.
A paid seat allows someone to be assigned as an Editor on any project in that workspace.
Any Editors not assigned a workspace seat by August 1 will remain on their projects but assume the Reviewer role.
How we're easing the transition
New Editors get 30 days of free Editor access. Starting August 1, the first time someone is invited to a project in a workspace as an Editor, they’ll get 30 days of free Editor access.
During those 30 days, Editor access is limited to projects where they are invited as an Editor. This gives projects room to start without automatically adding a paid seat.
After 30 days:
If they’re assigned a paid seat, they keep Editor permissions
If not, they automatically switch to a Reviewer
Workspaces created before August 1 get two free seats through January 2027. Use this window to figure out which Editors should get a paid seat going forward.
We’re also removing the two-seat minimum from the Studio plan, so workspaces can choose Studio without needing to maintain two paid seats.
What to do before August 1st
Workspace owners should review who currently has Editor permissions on projects, and decide who needs a paid seat going forward:
Click your avatar (top right) → Settings
Select your workspace
Go to the Members tab and assign paid seats as needed
If you are not a workspace owner and you’re unsure how these changes affect your access, please reach out and we can help.
Editor vs. Reviewer Role
| Editor | Reviewer |
Upload rounds | ✅ | ❌ |
Create new labels | ✅ | ❌ |
Apply existing labels | ✅ | ✅ |
Comment & markup | ✅ | ✅ |
Approve assets | ✅ | ✅ |
Compare current round to previous round | ✅ | ✅ |
Compare current round to any previous round (A/B toggle or side-by-side) | ✅ | ❌ |
Invite other Editors and Reviewers to a project | ✅ | ❌ |
If someone only needs to review work, leave feedback, apply existing labels, or approve assets, they can stay a free Reviewer. No change is needed for them.
What Permissions Are Associated with Each Project Role? →
Looking ahead: Workspace-Level roles
We’re also working on a more granular way to manage workspace seats: a Manager role and an Editor role for workspace membership itself, separate from project roles.
This determines what they can do at the workspace level, on top of whatever role they hold in individual projects — useful when you're working with external vendors who should have limited visibility.
Not everyone with a paid seat can create and manage projects, manage members, manage template groups, or assign other available seats. That's what the workspace role controls:
Capability | Owner | Manager | Editor |
Create & manage projects | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
See all workspace projects | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ — only assigned projects |
Assign or manage available seats | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Update member roles (Manager ↔ Editor) | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Remove members from workspace | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Manage label / template groups | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Manage contact / collaborator groups | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Manage billing and subscription | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Update workspace settings | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Transfer or delete workspace | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Be assigned as Project Manager | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Be assigned as Project Editor | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Be assigned as Reviewer | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
To be an Editor within a project, a person will need a paid seat with either a Manager or Editor workspace role.
Questions?
Reach out to your account contact or support@verybusy.io. We’re happy to help you plan the transition.