Salesforce’s different user licenses give users different access to your data. (The license type determines which profiles and permission sets are available to the user.)
To view a list of the active user licenses in your Salesforce org, click Your Name | Setup | Company Profile | Company Information
Here’s the summary of Salesforce user license types:
If you want, you can wade through the full detail here.
Full access to standard CRM, custom apps, and AppExchange apps.
Custom apps only; no CRM.
Custom apps are apps developed in your organization or installed from the Force.com AppExchange. Can use core platform functionality such as accounts, contacts, reports, dashboards, documents, and custom tabs. Can NOT use forecasts and opportunities.
One custom app; no CRM.
Same rights as Salesforce Platform users, plus access to 25 custom tabs. However, users are limited to the use of one custom app (defined as up to 10 custom objects), and they are limited to read-only access for Accounts and Contacts.
Salesforce Knowledge app only.
Access to the following tabs: Articles, Article Management, Chatter, Chatter Files, Home, Profiles, Reports, custom objects, and custom tabs.
Access to Chatter for people in your company without a Salesforce license. No additional cost.
Access standard Chatter people, profiles, groups, and files. NO access to any Salesforce objects or data.
Available for Unlimited, Enterprise, and Professional Editions. You can upgrade Chatter Free licenses to Salesforce licenses, but you can NOT downgrade Salesforce licenses to Chatter Free.
Allows your customers to use Chatter groups. No additional cost.
Customers are users outside of your company’s email domain ( your email domain is the part after the @ sign: name@email_domain.com).
Access to Chatter for people in your company without a Salesforce license PLUS access to accounts & contacts. Additional cost.
Access standard Chatter people, profiles, groups, and files. PLUS
Available for Unlimited, Enterprise, and Professional (with Profiles enabled) Editions.
For each Guest User license, you can develop one public website for your organization using Force.com Sites. Websites created using Force.com Sites are hosted on saleforce.com’s servers.
Guest User licenses are included with Developer (1 website), Enterprise (25 websites), and Unlimited (25 websites) Editions
For Partner Portal users – access to Salesforce using the partner portal only.
Access to the Documents tab, My Account Profile, Leads, Custom Objects, Approvals, Accounts, Cases, and Opportunities (depending on feature license and user permissions).
Additional detail on customer portal licenses is here.
For Platform portal users – used with Force.com Sites (ie public websites hosted on saleforce.com’s servers). A type of high volume portal license.
The Authenticated Website high-volume portal user license is specifically designed for use with Force.com sites.
Overage Authenticated Website – Same as the Authenticated Website license (for Platform portal), except that users do NOT have unlimited logins.
A modest fee allows for certain number of logins per month to your portal / website. (For example $XX allows for 1000 logins per month).
Contacts enabled with unlimited logins to your Service Cloud Portal to access customer support information.
Access accounts, assets, cases, contacts, custom objects, documents, ideas, and questions, (depending on their permission settings).
Intended for organizations with many thousands to millions of portal users.
More info About High-Volume Portal Users (Service Cloud Portal Users)
Overage High Volume Customer Portal – Same as the High Volume Customer Portal license, except that users do NOT have unlimited logins.
Contacts can log into your Customer Portal to manage customer support.
Gives contacts unlimited logins to your Salesforce Customer Portal to manage customer support.
Give more access than Customer Portal Manager Standard – designed for “Enterprise Administration” users (ie can receive the “Delegated Portal User Administrator” permissions).
If you have any questions of comments, please feel free to contact us!