A Salesforce Platform license gives a user your custom apps plus core objects such as accounts, contacts, reports and dashboards, but not standard CRM objects such as leads, opportunities, campaigns and forecasts. A full Salesforce license opens every standard and custom app. Platform Starter lists at $25 and Platform Plus at $100 per user per month, billed annually.
This post was first published in December 2020 as "What is the difference between salesforce and salesforce platform license". It has been rewritten for November 2026 with the current license names, the official definitions from Salesforce Help and the list prices Salesforce publishes today. Prices below were checked on Salesforce's own pricing pages on 11 November 2026.
What is the difference between a Salesforce license and a Salesforce Platform license?
The difference is which apps and standard objects the user can open. Salesforce Help defines the two this way:
- Salesforce license: designed for users who need full access to standard CRM and AppExchange apps. These users can access any standard or custom app.
- Salesforce Platform license: a seat-based license for users who need custom apps but not standard CRM functionality. They get core platform functionality such as accounts, contacts, reports, dashboards, documents and custom tabs, but are not entitled to standard tabs and objects such as forecasts, leads, campaigns and opportunities.
| Salesforce (full CRM) license | Salesforce Platform license | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Sellers, service agents, marketers, managers | Users of custom apps: operations, HR, finance, field and back-office teams |
| Custom apps | Yes | Yes, within the custom object limit of the Platform tier |
| Accounts, contacts, reports, dashboards | Yes | Yes |
| Leads, opportunities, campaigns, forecasts | Yes, by edition | No |
| List price (per user per month) | Sales Cloud: $25 (Starter Suite) to $550 (Max) | $25 (Platform Starter) or $100 (Platform Plus) |
The license name has changed over the years. What the 2020 version of this post called the Force.com license became the Lightning Platform license and is now sold as the Salesforce Platform, in Platform Starter and Platform Plus tiers. Salesforce Help still uses the name "Salesforce Platform" for the seat-based user license.
What does a Salesforce Platform license include?
A Platform license covers custom apps built on Salesforce and the core objects those apps usually need. The plan cards on Salesforce's Platform pricing page list:
- Platform Starter: 10 custom objects, process automation and AppExchange apps.
- Platform Plus: 110 custom objects, the Lightning Console and AppExchange apps.
The same page's feature table lists Flow automation, approval processes, Lightning App Builder, Experience Builder, web services API, platform events, the Salesforce mobile app, Chatter and files, custom profiles, roles, record types, and customer-facing objects such as accounts and contacts, cases, assets and read-only Knowledge. The table does not say which tier includes each item, so confirm the exact entitlements on your order form before you design an app around them.
Typical Platform apps include asset and equipment tracking, employee onboarding, vendor and contract registers, inspections, approvals and internal request queues: work that runs on your Salesforce data but never touches the sales pipeline.
Which Salesforce Platform license types are there?
Salesforce sells and documents several Platform-family licenses. Most orgs today use the first three.
| License | How it is billed | What the user gets | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Starter | $25 per user per month, billed annually | Custom apps, up to 10 custom objects, process automation | Platform pricing page |
| Platform Plus | $100 per user per month, billed annually | Custom apps, up to 110 custom objects, Lightning Console | Platform pricing page |
| Salesforce Platform Login (Platform Login & Dev Credits) | $1,000 per 10,000 credits (200 logins); 50 credits per login | Same features as Platform Starter, for occasional users | Platform pricing page; Salesforce Help |
| Lightning Platform One App | Contract | One custom app of up to 10 custom objects; read-only accounts and contacts | Salesforce Help |
| Force.com App Subscription | Contract | A Lightning Platform Light App or Enterprise App; no CRM functionality | Salesforce Help |
One App and App Subscription licenses mostly appear in older contracts. If you see them in Setup, check your contract before renewing: the current Platform tiers may fit better.
How much does a Salesforce Platform license cost compared with a full license?
At list price, a Platform Starter seat costs the same as a Sales Cloud Starter Suite seat and far less than the enterprise CRM tiers most mid-size and large companies run. Sales Cloud list prices on Salesforce's Sales Cloud pricing page on 11 November 2026:
| License | List price per user per month | Billing |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Starter | $25 | Annual |
| Platform Plus | $100 | Annual |
| Sales Cloud Starter Suite | $25 | Monthly or annual |
| Sales Cloud Pro Suite | $100 | Annual |
| Sales Cloud Core | $195 | Annual |
| Sales Cloud Advanced | $395 | Annual |
| Sales Cloud Max | $550 | Annual |
A list-price illustration: an org on Core that moves 40 users who never work leads or opportunities from a Core seat ($195) to Platform Starter ($25) lowers list spend by $170 per user per month, or $81,600 a year. Your real figure depends on your contract and discounts. Salesforce also notes that its pricing pages are for information only and subject to change. See our Salesforce pricing guides for what implementation and support cost on top of licenses.
One caveat: Salesforce's Platform page says Premier Success is included with Core, Advanced and Max licenses, while Standard Success is included in all licenses. Price support as well as seats when you compare.
Who should get a Platform license and who needs a full license?
Decide by the records a person works, not by job title. Use this check for each group of users:
- List the objects they touch. If any of their daily work is on leads, opportunities, campaigns, forecasts or quotes, they need a full Salesforce license.
- Check reports and dashboards. A manager who only views a dashboard built on opportunities still needs access to opportunity data, so a Platform license will not work for that dashboard.
- Count the custom objects in their app. Up to 10 fits Platform Starter; more than 10 points to Platform Plus.
- Measure how often they log in. Users who log in a few times a month may cost less on Platform Login credits than on a monthly seat.
- Check add-ons. Some features are sold as permission set licenses on top of a user license. Confirm each add-on supports the Platform license before you buy.
Each user has exactly one user license, but can hold several permission set licenses, as Trailhead's licensing module explains. To move an existing user to a Platform license, Salesforce Help says to set up a profile for the new license type first, then change the license by editing the user's profile. Changing a user's license also removes the permission sets and permission set licenses assigned to that user, so plan to reassign them. Our guide to Salesforce profiles covers how that works.
How can you lower Salesforce license costs?
The most reliable savings come from matching each user to the cheapest license that still covers their work.
- Audit before renewal. Salesforce Help notes that the Company Information page in Setup shows the licenses you have purchased. Compare that with who actually logs in and which objects they open.
- Move custom-app-only users to Platform. Back-office teams on full CRM seats are the usual quick win.
- Use Platform Login for occasional users. Approvers, auditors and seasonal staff often log in too rarely to justify a seat.
- Build custom objects, not workarounds on standard ones. An app built on opportunities forces every user onto a full license. Model internal processes as custom objects where it makes sense.
- Do not buy the top edition for a few power users. The edition applies to the whole org. Our Salesforce editions comparison shows the current Core, Advanced and Max tiers.
- Get the license mix into the contract. Agree on Platform counts at renewal, not mid-term, when you have the most room to negotiate.
What mistakes do companies make with Platform licenses?
Most problems appear after go-live, when a Platform user hits a record or feature the license does not cover.
- Designing the app on standard CRM objects. A request process built on cases or opportunities may need full licenses for every requester. Check each object against the license before you build.
- Lookups and reports into sales data. A custom app that relates to opportunities or shows pipeline reports will not work fully for Platform users.
- Assuming every add-on works on Platform. Confirm each product and permission set license is supported on the license you plan to use.
- Outgrowing Platform Starter. Ten custom objects fill quickly. Plan the data model so you know whether Platform Plus is needed from the start.
- Relying on old price lists. Figures from older blogs, including the 2020 version of this post, no longer apply. Use Salesforce's current pricing pages and your order form.
How can Techila help with Salesforce licensing?
Techila is a Salesforce Summit Partner, headquartered in Frisco, Texas, with 350+ Salesforce professionals and 700+ projects delivered. Our architect-led Salesforce consulting team reviews license use before renewals and designs custom apps that run on Platform licenses where they fit. Our development team builds those apps. Talk to us about the right license mix for your org.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Salesforce Platform license?
Salesforce Help describes it as a seat-based license for users who need custom apps but not standard CRM functionality. Platform users get core features such as accounts, contacts, reports, dashboards, documents and custom tabs, but not standard objects such as leads, opportunities, campaigns and forecasts.
How much does a Salesforce Platform license cost?
On Salesforce's Platform pricing page, checked in November 2026, Platform Starter lists at $25 and Platform Plus at $100 per user per month, both billed annually. Platform Login & Dev Credits cost $1,000 per 10,000 credits, with 50 credits used per login. Final prices depend on your contract.
What is the difference between Platform Starter and Platform Plus?
Platform Starter allows 10 custom objects and lists process automation and AppExchange apps. Platform Plus allows 110 custom objects and adds the Lightning Console, for users who work across larger custom apps. Both exclude the standard sales objects that need a full CRM license.
Can a Salesforce Platform user see opportunities or leads?
No. Salesforce Help says Platform license users are not entitled to standard tabs and objects such as forecasts, leads, campaigns and opportunities. If a user needs to view or work those records, give that user a full Salesforce license, such as a Sales Cloud seat.
Can one Salesforce org mix Platform and full Salesforce licenses?
Yes. Each user has exactly one user license, so an org can give sellers full Salesforce licenses and give operations, HR or field teams Platform licenses on the same data. Permission set licenses can then add specific features to individual users without changing their user license.