Zoho Connect Internal and External Users / Members / Guests

Zoho Connect Internal and External Users / Members / Guests

Hey Zohoholics!

I'm going to apologize in advance for asking a question that seems to have ben asked before.....but the whole thing is still very confusing (and maybe a bit concerning).

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Zoho and really would like to use Zoho Connect for my external mastermind group and course participants.

I have been playing around with Zoho Connect for some time to try to see if it's really the right tool for me and keep gettin stuck with the pricing and member scenarios. 

So this is my understanding and confusion...

I have Zoho One, and am able to create an internal and external network.

The internal network allows me to create "EXTERNAL USERS" (not sure how many though).

The external network allows me to create "EXTERNAL MEMBERS"  or "EXTERNAL GUESTS"

It's my understanding that External  Members have MORE functionality than External Guests.....  presumably because they are actually creating Zoho Accounts.

So here is my confusion.... I want to invite GUESTS because I don't want them to create zoho accounts and I really don't mind the more limited functionality....but it appears in order to add these guests with limited functionality....we have to pay $100/month in addition to the Zoho One subscription, which is over DOUBLE the cost of the ENTIRE Zoho One platform.

So here are my questions....

Is it true that users (called guests) still have less functionality?

Is it true that the ability to add GUESTS to external networks is not included in Zoho One (when I try to add a guest it says I'm on the FREE plan)

Is there any plan in between ZERO guests and 100 guests?

INSIGHT FROM THE CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE:

I am going to say this only because I know Zoho likes to compete and know what others are doing out there...which is fantastic.  But another massively popular option for unlimited-member communities out there is selling for $23/month and $97/m for the added ability to design and deliver courses inside the network. I won't say which one here out of respect for zoho. I've just never seen Zoho so far out of the competitive price range on any product they have ever created.

I hope I'm not stepping out of line by saying that, but in another post I was reading, someone said it was welcome because Zoho doesn't mind referencing other products.

So I'm confused.  I love Zoho and will continue to be a big supporter as long as it's feasible.  I just feel I must be missing something.  Going from "included with zoho one" to add $100/m for external guests seems like a pretty steep climb...so do I have something wrong here, or am I missing something?

Of course, I don't mind paying for add-ons but when an add-on is over DOUBLE the price of the ENTIRE Zoho One platform, it can seem to many of us like a "bait and switch".  That kind of jump is not what I'd expect from Zoho given their mission and dedication to affordability.  And again, if I have this wrong, I really do apologize. I've been wrong before!  I'm trying not to jump to conclusions!

I have been using Zoho for about five years, and have been using just a few apps to their potential..... I have been hesitant to go "all in" with the whole ecosystem because I'm beginning to see potential red flags that what started as a super-affordable platform for my business may become very expensive once I start digging into it more and see that adding functions are going to increase my costs by 100%

I've always seen Zoho One as being a very cool "beta" because when I first committed to it years ago (I actually have two Zoho One accounts), most of the apps outside of CRM were very buggy and not really ready for "prime time".   I always thought the pricing was the "reward' for hanging in there.  But as some of the apps are getting more mature, I fear Zoho One members will slowly get priced out....as would be the case with a $100/month community app.  

If this same scenario plays out with 2-3 apps, then Zoho One ceases to be Zoho One in the eyes of customers like me.

Again, I love the vision of Zoho....and I hope this is not seen as a disrespectful post, but one of confusion and maybe, depending on the answer....one of concern.  

Have a great day, and thank you!

      • Recent Topics

      • Work Type - Limitation

        Hello, I'm setting up work types and have noticed, a limitation on the parts area to 10 lines. Can this be increased to 20 or greater? In addition to this, when I attempt to add the work type to a work order, the correct labour hours doesn't flow through.

      • Module Customisation - Lookup function not available

        Good evening, Within my business, I can have multiple customers, who have multiple mobile assets. When I set these assets up, I enter information such as vehicle registration, Vehicle identification number (VIN), Unit number, YOM, in addition to others.

      • Emails sent through Bigin are not posting in IMAP Sent folder

        I have set up my email to work from within Bigin using IMAP.  I am using IMAP so I can sync my email across multiple devices - phone / laptop / desktop / iPad / etc.  I want all my emails to populate my email client (outlook & iphone email) whether or

      • Turning the page for Zoho SalesIQ: 2025 to 2026

        As we wrap up 2025, we would like to take a moment to reflect on what we set out to achieve this year, what we’ve delivered, and where we’re headed next. What we focused on in 2025 This year was all about strengthening the core of engagement and AI, making

      • Stage-probability mapping feature in custom module

        Hi, I'm building a custom module for manage projects. I would like to implement the stage-probability feature that Potentials has. Is this possible?

      • Temporary Outage in Zoho Cliq Affecting US Users – July 23, 2025

        We experienced a service disruption in Zoho Cliq that impacted core functionality for users in the US region. The issue occurred between Jul 23, 2025, 06:54:00 PM IST and 07:13:13 PM IST, lasting approximately 19 minutes. To restore service stability,

      • Why Sharing Rules do Not support relative date comparison???

        I am creating a Sharing Rule and simply want to share where "Last Day of Coverage" (Date field) is Greater than TODAY (Starting Tomorrow). However, sharing rules don't have the option to compare a date field to a relative date (like today), only to Static

      • Zoho Cliq not working on airplanes

        Hi, My team and I have been having this constant issue of cliq not working when connected to an airplane's wifi. Is there a reason for this? We have tried on different Airlines and it doesn't work on any of them. We need assistance here since we are constantly

      • Problem with Workdrive folders

        I'm having a problem a problem accessing files in a Zoho work drive folder when using the Zoho writer app. The problem folder appears grayed out in the Zoho work drive window in both the online and writer application. However I can open the folder in

      • Send Supervisor Rule Emails Within Ticket Context in Zoho Desk

        Dear Zoho Desk Team, I hope this message finds you well. Currently, emails sent via Supervisor Rules in Zoho Desk are sent outside of the ticket context. As a result, if a client replies to such emails, their response creates a new ticket instead of appending

      • Multi-currency and Products

        One of the main reasons I have gone down the Zoho route is because I need multi-currency support.  However, I find that products can only be priced in the home currency, We sell to the US and UK.  However, we maintain different price lists for each. 

      • Create an Eye-Catching Announcement Widget for Your Help Center

        Hello Everyone! In this week’s edition, let’s explore how to keep your customers updated with exciting news in the Help Center. See how ZylkerMobile wowed their customers by bringing updates right to their portal. ZylkerMobile, the renowned brand for

      • Send Whatsapp with API including custom placeholders

        Is is possible to initiate a session on whatsapp IM channel with a template that includes params (placeholders) that are passed on the API call? This is very usefull to send a Utility message for a transactional notification including an order number

      • Customer Management: #6 Common Mistakes in Customer Handling

        Managing customers doesn't usually fall apart overnight. More often, slight gaps in the process slowly become bigger problems. Incidents like missed follow-ups, billing confusion, and unhappy customers will lead to revenue loss. Many businesses don't

      • Zoho Desk iOS app update: UI enhancement of picklist and multi picklist fields

        Hello everyone! We have enhanced the UI of the picklist and multiselect picklist fields on the Zoho Desk iOS app to provide a more refined, efficient, and user-friendly experience. We have now supported an option to Search within the picklist and multiselect

      • Zoho Desk iOS app update: Revamped scribbles with Apple pencil kit

        Hello everyone! We’re excited to introduce a revamped Scribble experience, rebuilt from the ground up using Apple PencilKit for smooth strokes, proper scaling, and seamless image uploads. Please update the app to the latest version directly from the App

      • Zoho Desk Android app update: Norwegian language support

        Hello everyone! In the most recent Android version of the Zoho Desk app update, we have brought in support to access the app in Norwegian language. We have introduced the Norwegian language on the IM module of the Zoho Desk app as well. Please update

      • Is it possible to roll up all Contact emails to the Account view?

        Is there a way to track all emails associated with an Account in one single view? Currently, email history is visible when opening an individual Contact record. However, since multiple Contacts are often associated with a single Account, it would be beneficial

      • Function #53: Transaction Level Profitability for Invoices

        Hello everyone, and welcome back to our series! We have previously provided custom functions for calculating the profitability of a quote and a sales order. There may be instances where the invoice may differ from its corresponding quote or sales order.

      • Payment Vouchers

        Is there any Payment Vouchers in Zoho? How can we create payment for non-trade vendors, i.e. professional fees, rent, and payment to commissioner income tax?

      • API in E-Invoice/GST portal

        Hi, Do I have to change the api in gst/e-invoice portal as I use zoho e books for my e-invoicing. If yes, please confirm the process.

      • When I click on PDF/PRINT it makes the invoice half size

        When I click PDF / Print for my invoice in Zoho Books, the generated PDF appears at half size — everything is scaled down, including the logo, text, and layout. The content does not fill the page as it should. Could someone advise what causes Zoho Books

      • Search by contain letter in a column

        Hello, everyone I need a filter function that searches by letter in a cell, and it should be a macro. To clarify further, if I have a column with several names and I chose a search cell and what I want is search by a single letter, for example, "a" then

      • Archiving Contacts

        How do I archive a list of contacts, or individual contacts?

      • Enrich your contact and company details automatically using the Data Enrichment topping

        Greetings, I hope you're all doing well. We're happy to announce the latest topping we've added to Bigin: The Data Enrichment topping, powered by WebAmigo. This topping helps you automatically enhance your contact and company records in Bigin. By leveraging

      • Easier onboarding for new users with stage descriptions

        Greetings, I hope all of you are doing well. We're happy to announce a recent enhancement we've made to Bigin. You can now add descriptions to the stages in your pipeline. Previously, when creating a pipeline, you could only add stages. With this update,

      • Zoho Books Invoices Templates

        It would be really helpful to have more advanced features to customise the invoice templates in Zoho Books. Especially I´m thinking of the spacing of the different parts of the invoice (Address line etc.). If you have a sender and receiver address in

      • Can add a colum to the left of the item in Zoho Books?

        I would need to add a column to the left of the item column in Books. When i create custom fields, i can only display them to the right of the item.

      • Verifying Zoho Mail Functionality After Switching DNS from Cloudflare to Hosting Provider

        I initially configured my domain's (https://roblaxmod.com/) email with Zoho Mail while using Cloudflare to manage my DNS records (MX, SPF, etc.). All services were working correctly. Recently, I have removed my site from Cloudflare and switched my domain's

      • AI Bot and Advanced Automation for WhatsApp

        Most small businesses "live" on WhatsApp, and while Bigin’s current integration is helpful, users need more automation to keep up with volume. We are requesting features based on our customer Feedbacks AI Bot: For auto-replying to FAQs. Keyword Triggers:

      • Improved Contact Sync flow in Google Integration with Zoho CRM

        Hello Everyone, Your contact sync in Google integration just got revamped! We have redesigned the sync process to give users more control over what data flows into Google and ensure that this data flows effortlessly between Zoho CRM and Google. With this

      • 2025 Ask the Experts sessions wrap-up : Key highlights from the experts

        Here is a rewind journey of our Ask the Experts (ATE) Sessions, where we brought you expert insights and practical best practices together in one place. This recap highlights the key takeaways, learnings, and best practices from all these sessions so

      • New Enhancements to Zoho CRM and Zoho Creator Integration

        Hello Everyone, We’ve rolled out enhancements to the Zoho Creator and Zoho CRM integration to align with recent updates made to the Zoho Creator platform. With enhancements to both the UI and functionality, This update also tightens access control by

      • How to disable the edit option in subform

        How to disable the edit option in subform

      • Power up your Kiosk Studio with Real-Time Data Capture, Client Scripts & More!

        Hello Everyone, We’re thrilled to announce a powerful set of enhancements to Kiosk Studio in Zoho CRM. These new updates give you more flexibility, faster record handling, and real-time data capture, making your Kiosk flows smarter and more efficient

      • Adding non-Indian billing address for my Zoho subscription

        Hey Need help with adding a non-Indian billing address for my Zoho subscription, trying to edit the address to my Singapore registered company. Won't let me change the country. Would appreciate the help. Regards, Rishabh

      • Is it possible to enforce a single default task for all users in a Zoho Projects ?

        In Zoho Projects, the Tasks module provides multiple views, including List, Gantt, and Kanban. Additionally, users can create and switch to their own custom views. During project review meetings, this flexibility creates confusion because different users

      • Move record from one custom module to another custom module

        Is it possible to create a button or custom field that will transfer a record from one custom module to another? I already have the 'Leads' module used for the Sr. Sales department, once the deal is closed they convert it to the 'Accounts' module. I would like to create a 'Convert' button for a custom module ('Locations') for the department that finds locations for each account. Once the location is secured, I want to move the record to another custom module called 'Secured Locations'. It's basically

      • Convert Lead Automation Trigger

        Currently, there is only a convert lead action available in workflow rules and blueprints. Also, there is a Convert Lead button available but it doesn't trigger any automations. Once the lead is converted to a Contact/Account the dataset that can be fetched

      • Notes Not Saving

        Hello,  My notes are continuously not saving.  I make sure to save them, I know the process to save them.  It is not operator error.  I go back into a Leads profile a while later and do not see the previous notes that I have made.  I then have to go back and do unnecessary research that would have been in the notes in the first place.  Not a good experience and it is frustrating.  Slows me down and makes me do unnecessary work.  Please resolve.   As a quick heads up, deleting cookies is not a fix

      • Next Page