Whether you’re working with independent contractors, agencies, third party collaborators or any type of temporary team member, sometimes you need to bring guests into your Twist team. Here’s how guests work in Twist:
What are Guests?
Guests only have access to the channels you choose for them. They can have conversations with the team members in those channels and continue their work there.
Single-channel guests only have access to one channel:
- Single-channel guests are free.
- They have full access to the one channel they're added to, just like a team member.
- They can’t see any other channels.
- They can only see team members that are in that channel.
- They can only send direct messages to members in the channel.
- Single-channel guests are useful for working with people on one specific project.
Multi-channel guests have access to multiple channels:
- Multi-channel guests are billed as regular members of your team.
- They have full access to the multiple channels they are added to, just like a team member.
- They can’t see anything outside of the channels.
- They can only see team members in the channels you’ve added them to.
- They can only send direct messages to team members in the channels you’ve added them to.
- Multi-channel guests are useful for working with longtime collaborators on many projects.
How to invite guests to Twist
Read about how to invite a guest to your Twist and check out some tips for using Twist with clients, guests and contractors.
How to manage guest permissions and access
At some point you may want to change a guest into a team member, or vice versa. Read our support article about how to change a member’s role between guest, team member or admin.
If you want to change a guest from multi-channel to single-channel or single-channel to multi-channel, you do this by simply adding or removing them from channels.
- If they are only in one channel, they will be a single-channel guest.
- If they are in multiple channels, they will be a multi-channel guest.
Single-channel and multi-channel guests have different access and permissions in Twist.
Here’s a full list of what they can and can’t do:
Action | Multi-channel guest | Single-channel guest |
---|---|---|
Create public channels |
❌ |
❌ |
Create private channels |
❌ |
❌ |
Join public channels they have been invited to |
✅ |
✅ |
Join private channels they have been invited to |
✅ |
✅ |
Initiate a direct message with other users in the same channel |
✅ |
✅ |
Initiate a direct message with other users who are not in the same channel |
❌ |
❌ |
Receive a message from any team member in the entire Twist team |
✅ |
✅ |
Participate in conversations in multiple channels |
✅ |
❌ |
Edit, archive or delete channels |
❌ |
❌ |
Be added to a group |
✅ |
✅ |
Create new groups |
❌ |
❌ |
Add new team members to your Twist team |
❌ |
❌ |
Invite other users to a channel |
❌ |
❌ |
Remove other users from a channel |
❌ |
❌ |
Billing
Guest billing is simple to understand:
- Single-channel guests are free.
- Multi-channel guests are billed as regular team members.
You will only be billed for multi-channel guests if you are on the Twist Unlimited plan. If you have a multi-channel guest on the Twist Free plan, they will be free (and will only able to see one month of thread and message history like all free members).
- A guest is evaluated as single-channel or multi-channel based on how many active channels they’re in. Archived or deleted channels do not count towards the status of multi-channel guest.
- When a channel is archived, any multi-channel guests in that channel will have their status re-evaluated: if they are now only in one channel, they will automatically be converted to a single-channel guest. The billing change is automatically handled by Twist.
- When a multi-channel guest becomes a single-channel guest, we will prorate your team’s credit based on how long the guest was multi-channel. Ada Bot will also send a notification to your team admins.
- When a single-channel guest becomes a multi-channel guest, Twist will automatically register this and charge you a prorated amount at your next billing cycle. Ada will also send a notification to your team admins.
FAQ
How much does a guest cost?
Single-channel guests are free, and multi-channel guests are billed as regular users.
What happens when a single-channel guest is added to an additional channel?
That guest is automatically upgraded to a multi-channel guest, and Ada will send a direct message to the admins of the account, letting them know of this change.
The multi-channel guest will then be billed as a regular user at a prorated rate for the month in which they were added. The admin may reverse this change by removing the multi-channel guest from the additional channel and reverting to a single-channel guest.
Who can add guests and upgrade Single-channel guests to Multi-channel guests?
Members and admins can invite both types of guests; however only admins can change a guest’s role after they have been added.
Members and admins can both add existing guests to additional channels, which may elevate a single-channel guest to a multi-channel guest, which will also be billed accordingly.
Can multi-channel guests add themselves to additional channels?
No. They cannot add themselves to additional channels. All guests, including Multi-channel guests, can only participate in channels they’re assigned to by an admin or member of the team.
Can guests send direct messages to members of my Twist or access the team directory?
Guests can only view and send direct messages to members of the channels in which they are included.
Can guests create groups?
No.
Can guests add new team members to my Twist?
No.
How do I adjust a guest’s permissions and access?
See above section under Managing guest permissions and access.
What if a guest is a member of a channel that is archived?
Guests are only considered multi-channel guests if they’re included in more than one active channel (i.e., not archived or deleted).
If a multi-channel guest is in two channels, and one is then archived, that guest is automatically downgraded to a free single-channel guest. If the channel is then unarchived again, the reverse occurs and that single-channel guest is upgraded to a multi-channel guest and billed appropriately.
Can regular users contact guests?
Any member (non-guest) of the team will have access to the entire team directory, including all guests. Full members can reach out to any guest using direct messages. However, to notify a guest in a comment or thread, the full member must be a member of the same channel as the guest.
Can guests send direct messages to full members of my team?
A guest can not initiate a direct message conversation with a member outside of their channel. However, once a team member has sent a direct message to a guest, the guest can reply and continue the conversation with the team member for as long as they would like to.
How many guests can I have on my account?
There's no limit on how many guests you can invite, whether you're on a free or Unlimited plan. However, see above to understand how single-channel and multi-channel guests are billed.
If we upgrade to Twist Unlimited, will our guests have access to unlimited file storage and be able to see threads and messages for longer than a month?
Yes, if your team upgrades to Twist Unlimited, your guest team members will have access to unlimited file storage. They'll also be able to see their full comment and message history and will not be limited by the one month restriction.