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Interfaces, Forms, Buttons, Scripting extension - Can read only users manage data for free ?

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  • OPall
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Good morning everyone,

In my company, I manage the content of all our Airtable bases. We’re on the Team plan, and the 10+ other members have Read-Only access.

  • Interfaces : We provide multiple Read-Only interfaces to make the data easier to view.

  • Scripting Extensions : We use scripting extensions that can manipulate table data (for example, to get the published versions history from one of our tools).

  • Forms : I plan to add forms so team members can interact with some of our base content (for example, to submit development tickets).

My questions :

  1. Interfaces : If I add an editable field in 1 of my interface to make the large text areas easier to manage, will Read-Only users be able to edit content ? If they do, will these actions incur charges ? Is the logic applicable if i make the entire interface editable ?

  2. Scripting extensions : Similarly, if a Read-Only member launches a script that appends changes to a table, will we incur extra charges ?

  3. Forms : If a member submits a form that adds content to a table, will that be billed ?
  4. Not mentionned above, but it could be a global mention : If a Read Only performs actions with : a button field that performs an automation or any other "Content edition feature", will we get charged for it ?


I have been testing forms and extensions but haven’t received any warning messages like:
"Since you’re about to edit the content of Table X as a Read-Only user, you will become an editor and your company will incur charges."

I’m concerned there might be a hidden dark pattern that allows “free” editable content which could later result in charges.

Thanks for your help and have a nice day !

Best answer by ScottWorld

@OPall 

Ignore the inaccurate answer from @peter247 above.

To answer your question, you are never charged for read-only users, because they are never allowed to perform any actions that can edit any of the existing data in the base.

They are never allowed to run any automations that edit data in the base, and they are never allowed to run any scripts that edit data, and they are never allowed to click on a button that would edit data or run an automation.

They can always submit a a form because submitting a form simply adds new records to the base.

However, if you want your read-only users to update data in your system without getting charged for it, read-only users are allowed to click on buttons that open external URLs. So you can always allow them to update existing records by using Fillout’s advanced forms for Airtable or Make’s custom webhooks.

Hope this helps! If you’d like to hire an expert Airtable consultant to help you with anything Airtable-related, please feel free to contact me through my website: Airtable consultant — ScottWorld 

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  • peter247
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  • February 8, 2025

Hello,

Editable Fields in Read-Only Interfaces:

Generally, no. If you add an editable field to a Read-Only interface, it's highly unlikely that Read-Only users will be able to edit the underlying table data directly through that interface.
Exceptions: There might be very specific edge cases or interface configurations where this could happen. However, it's not the standard behavior.
Charges: Even if a Read-Only user could somehow edit data through an interface, it wouldn't necessarily incur extra charges on the Team plan. The Team plan allows for a certain number of edits.
Entirely Editable Interfaces:

Yes, this would likely allow editing. If you make the entire interface editable, Read-Only users would likely be able to modify data.
Charges: This would likely consume edits from your Team plan's allowance.
Scripting Extensions:

Read-Only User-Triggered Scripts:
Potential for Charges: If a Read-Only user triggers a script that modifies table data, it could consume edits from your Team plan's allowance.
Important Note: The specific behavior depends heavily on how the script is designed and configured.
Forms:

Form Submissions:
Yes, these consume edits. When a user submits a form that adds data to a table, it uses up an edit from your Team plan.
Buttons, Automations, and Other Content Edition Features:

Read-Only User Interactions:
Potential for Charges: If a Read-Only user interacts with features like buttons that trigger automations or other actions that modify data, it can consume edits.
"Hidden Dark Pattern" Concerns:

Airtable's Billing Transparency: Airtable generally strives to be transparent about its billing. While unexpected charges are possible in complex scenarios, they are usually not intentional.
Monitoring Usage: You can monitor your Airtable usage closely to track the number of edits used and identify any unexpected increases.
Contacting Airtable Support: If you encounter any unusual billing behavior, it's always best to contact Airtable Support directly for clarification.

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ScottWorld
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  • ScottWorld
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  • February 8, 2025

@OPall 

Ignore the inaccurate answer from @peter247 above.

To answer your question, you are never charged for read-only users, because they are never allowed to perform any actions that can edit any of the existing data in the base.

They are never allowed to run any automations that edit data in the base, and they are never allowed to run any scripts that edit data, and they are never allowed to click on a button that would edit data or run an automation.

They can always submit a a form because submitting a form simply adds new records to the base.

However, if you want your read-only users to update data in your system without getting charged for it, read-only users are allowed to click on buttons that open external URLs. So you can always allow them to update existing records by using Fillout’s advanced forms for Airtable or Make’s custom webhooks.

Hope this helps! If you’d like to hire an expert Airtable consultant to help you with anything Airtable-related, please feel free to contact me through my website: Airtable consultant — ScottWorld 

Scott Rose, Expert Airtable Consultant at ScottWorld.com
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    OPall
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  • OPall
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  • February 8, 2025
ScottWorld wrote:

@OPall 

Ignore the inaccurate answer from @peter247 above.

To answer your question, you are never charged for read-only users, because they are never allowed to perform any actions that can edit any of the existing data in the base.

They are never allowed to run any automations that edit data in the base, and they are never allowed to run any scripts that edit data, and they are never allowed to click on a button that would edit data or run an automation.

They can always submit a a form because submitting a form simply adds new records to the base.

However, if you want your read-only users to update data in your system without getting charged for it, read-only users are allowed to click on buttons that open external URLs. So you can always allow them to update existing records by using Fillout’s advanced forms for Airtable or Make’s custom webhooks.

Hope this helps! If you’d like to hire an expert Airtable consultant to help you with anything Airtable-related, please feel free to contact me through my website: Airtable consultant — ScottWorld 


Hi @ScottWorld ,

Thank you for your reply.

I did not even take @peter247 answer into consideration since it's nothing more but an LLM generated content.
I'm confused to see that people keep copy pasting content like this without even using a single neuron...

Your answer seems clear enough. I did not do 100% of the tests yet. I have a secondary read-only account that helps me checking which are the limits of this "read only" role.

I understand from your message that there won't be any auto-upgrade user permission if I end up allowing 1 editable field in a interface. The people without the right permission level won't be allowed to edit it until they're upgraded at least to "Editor" role.

Have a nice day,

ScottWorld
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  • ScottWorld
    ScottWorld
ScottWorld
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  • ScottWorld
  • Brainy
  • 8711 replies
  • February 9, 2025

That is correct. Even if you have one editable field in your interface, your read-only users will not be able to edit that field, and they will have no ability to automatically upgrade themselves to become an editor.

- ScottWorld, Expert Airtable Consultant

Scott Rose, Expert Airtable Consultant at ScottWorld.com

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