Individual Packages: How the Seat-Based Model Works – Rayyan Help Center

Who this is for: Solo researchers, small teams, subscription owners and anyone managing access to Individual plans in Rayyan.
Time to complete: 3–5 minutes

What this article will help you do

Understand what a seat represents in an Individual subscription
Learn how seat‑based access works inside Rayyan
Identify what paid features apply to which users
Understand the difference between paid and free roles
Know when an Individual plan is appropriate vs when Institutional access is needed

What a Seat Represents

A seat grants one named user access to the paid features included in an Individual subscription.

Key rules:

One seat is assigned to one user at a time
The subscription owner always occupies one seat
Seats control who can use paid features under the subscription

A seat does not create shared ownership and does not extend paid access beyond the subscription owner’s reviews.

How the Seat-Based Model Works

Under an Individual subscription:

Reviews are created and owned by the subscription owner
Paid features apply only within reviews owned by the subscription owner
Collaborators can access paid features only if they are assigned a seat
Seat-based access is limited to the specific reviews the collaborator is invited to

Paid feature access is review-scoped and does not follow the user outside the owner’s reviews.

Scope of Access Under Individual Subscriptions

Under Individual subscriptions:

Paid features apply only to reviews owned by the subscription holder
Seats do not grant paid access to:
- Reviews owned by other users
- Reviews created outside the subscription owner’s account
Seat-based access cannot be extended across multiple owners

Roles Available

Rayyan includes three roles in Individual plans:

Collaborator (Paid Role)

Requires a paid seat
Grants access to paid features included in the plan
Intended for users who need full collaboration capabilities
A collaborator

Note: The review owner controls the review itself — including ownership, settings, and permissions — while collaborators participate only within the scope allowed by their assigned role and seat status. Collaborators do not share ownership and do not carry paid access into reviews owned by other users.

Reviewer (Free Role)

Does not require a seat
Has limited access
Uses one free role allocation

Viewer (Free Role)

Does not require a seat
Has read-only access
Uses one free role allocation

Role type determines whether paid features are available.

Who Individual Subscriptions Are For

Individual subscriptions are intended for:

Solo researchers
Small teams working under a single review owner
Self-managed subscriptions without centralized administration

If paid access must apply across multiple review creators, an Institutional subscription is required.

Seat Management (Conceptual)

Seats are:

Purchased under an Individual subscription
Assigned to named users
Reassignable as team membership changes

Next

How to Assign Seats (Individual Packages)

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Understanding Rayyan’s New Subscription Packages