Webflow Client Seats Explained: What Changed and Why It Matters

Update: February 2026 - Client seats are now officially available for free on all Workspace plans for freelancers and agencies. The legacy Editor will no longer be available starting August 4, 2026.

If you've been using Webflow for a while, you might've noticed something changed with how clients access and edit their websites.

The old "Editor" is being phased out, and Webflow introduced something called Client Seats. And yeah, it's caused some confusion.

Let me break down what's actually different, what this means for you, and why Webflow made the change.

What Was the Old Editor?

The Editor was Webflow's way of letting clients make content changes without touching the design or breaking anything.

It was basically a simplified interface where clients could:

• Edit text and images on static pages
• Add or update CMS items (like blog posts)
• Change basic content without needing Designer access

It worked fine for simple edits, but it had limitations. Clients couldn't do much beyond text and image swaps, and the interface felt dated compared to the rest of Webflow.

What Are Client Seats?

Client Seats are Webflow's new approach to giving clients editing access.

Instead of a separate "Editor" interface, clients now get limited access to the actual Webflow Designer. But here's the key: they can only edit content, not design.

Think of it like this: you're giving someone the keys to update the words and pictures, but they can't rearrange the furniture or repaint the walls.

Client seats offer a secure way for clients to access their site when it's hosted in a freelancer or agency's Workspace, and it's fully compatible with add-on features like Analyze, Optimize, Localization, and real-time collaboration.

The Three Client Seat Roles

Previously, client access was a one-size-fits-all experience through the legacy Editor. With client seats, you can now assign clients one of three distinct roles, giving you flexibility to set the appropriate access level for each client:

Note: If you had legacy Editor users, they'll automatically be assigned the Content Editor role by default during migration. You can update their role to Marketer or Reviewer at any time.

What's Different?

Here's what actually changed:

The Interface

Old Editor: Separate, simplified interface that felt disconnected from the Designer.

Client Seats: Clients work directly in the Designer, but with locked-down permissions. They see the same interface you do, just with way fewer options.

What Clients Can Edit

Old Editor:

• Text and images on static pages
• CMS content
• That's about it

Client Seats:

• Text and images on static pages
• CMS content
• Page building (if assigned Marketer role)
• Comments and feedback (if assigned Reviewer role)
• More control over what they can and can't touch (you set the permissions)
• Better for managing multiple team members with different access levels

How It's Managed

Old Editor: You just sent someone an Editor link and they could log in. Simple, but not great for managing teams.

Client Seats: You invite people to specific sites (not entire workspaces) and assign them roles. It's more structured, site-specific, and better for larger teams.

What Stayed the Same?

Despite the changes, the core idea is identical:

• Clients still can't mess with your design (unless you give them Marketer access)
• They still can't break layouts or styling
• Content Editors are still limited to content changes only
• You're still in control of what they can access

The goal hasn't changed. It's just a different way of achieving it.

Why Did Webflow Make This Change?

Honestly? The old Editor was clunky and outdated.

Client Seats bring a few improvements:

• Better permissions management - you can control exactly what clients can edit with three distinct roles
• More scalable - easier to manage teams with multiple people at different permission levels
• Unified experience - clients work in the same interface as designers (just with restrictions)
• Site-specific access - assign clients to specific sites, not your entire workspace
• Future-proofing - sets Webflow up to add more collaboration features down the line

That said, for solo freelancers or small agencies, it can feel like a more complicated solution to a problem that didn't really exist.

How Many Client Seats Do You Get?

Client seats are available for free on Freelancer and Agency Workspace plans only:

• Freelancer Plan: 1 free client seat per site
• Agency Plan: 3 free client seats per site

This means if you're on a Freelancer plan and have 5 client sites, you get 5 client seats total (1 per site). On an Agency plan with 10 sites, you'd get 30 client seats (3 per site).

Additionally, any legacy Editor users that haven't already been assigned to client seats will be given access to a free client seat as part of the automatic migration taking place between now and August 2026.

Client Seats vs Limited Seats: What's the Difference?

In terms of functionality, both empower collaborators to contribute without full design access. However, they differ in a few key ways:

1. Client seats are site-specific, while limited seats apply to the entire Workspace
2. Client seats are exclusive to Workspace plans for freelancers and agencies (Freelancer, Agency)
3. Additional client seats cannot be purchased for now since they're already included for free per site
4. Clients can be assigned three roles (Marketer, Content Editor, or Reviewer), while limited seats can only be assigned Marketer or Content Editor

Do You Need Client Seats?

It depends on your situation.

You probably need Client Seats if:

• Your clients need to regularly update content themselves
• You're managing a team with different permission levels
• You want clients to add blog posts, update products, or manage CMS content
• You need stakeholders to review and comment on work in progress

You might not need them if:

• You handle all content updates yourself
• Your client's site is mostly static and rarely changes
• You prefer to keep full control and just invoice for updates

How Do You Set Up Client Seats?

It's pretty straightforward:

1. Go to your Site settings (not Workspace settings)
2. Click on "Client seats" or "People"
3. Invite the person you want to give access to
4. Assign them a role: Marketer, Content Editor, or Reviewer
5. Set their permissions for what they can edit

They'll get an invite, create a Webflow account (if they don't have one), and then they can log in and make edits within the boundaries you've set.

What About Existing Editor Access?

If you or your clients are still using the old Editor, it'll keep working until August 4, 2026.

After that date, the legacy Editor will no longer be available. Webflow is automatically migrating legacy Editor users to client seats, assigning them the Content Editor role by default.

The good news? The transition is smooth. Your clients won't lose access to anything they could edit before.

Migration Resources

Webflow has built extensive resources to help with the transition:

• Legacy Editor Migration Hub - centralised resources
• Step-by-step client transition checklist
• Role-based quick guides for Content Editor, Marketer, and Reviewer roles

Bottom Line

Client Seats are just Webflow's new way of giving clients editing access.

Yes, it's a bit more involved than the old Editor link. But it gives you better control with three distinct roles, works better for teams, keeps everything in one interface, and is site-specific rather than workspace-wide.

If you're confused, you're not alone. But once you set it up once or twice, it makes sense.

And with the legacy Editor being deprecated in August 2026, now's the time to get familiar with client seats.

Still Have Questions About Webflow?

We answer common Webflow questions on our FAQs page, or you can reach out directly if you need help with your site or migrating your clients to the new client seats system.