Add external users for free with Google Cloud Identity
Tier: Free, Professional, Enterprise
Want to give Passwd access to someone who doesn't have an account in your Google Workspace — a contractor, a partner, or an external collaborator? With Google Cloud Identity, you can add them to your Google Workspace directory without creating them an email inbox or paying Google for a full Workspace license.
How is it helpful?
Passwd only works with users who are part of your Google Workspace directory — a personal Gmail account isn't part of any organization, so Passwd can't see it. Normally, adding someone to your Workspace means giving them a full paid license with Gmail, Drive, Docs, and so on. A Cloud Identity user is added to that same directory, but without an email inbox or the app suite — and Cloud Identity Free costs nothing on Google's side.
Cloud Identity Premium is also supported if you need its extra device and security management features, but Free is enough for basic Passwd access.
Note that "free" here refers only to Google's Cloud Identity license. Once you grant a Cloud Identity user access in Passwd, they count as a normal Passwd user under your existing pricing model, the same as anyone else in your directory — see Our pricing model explained.
Why can't I just use their existing Gmail account?
As explained in How to have Passwd installed to your Google Workspace, Passwd only works with users inside your Google Workspace — a personal Gmail account has no administrator and isn't part of any organization, so Passwd can't recognize it. Adding the person as a Cloud Identity user brings them into your Workspace directory instead, without needing to give them a company email address or pay for a full license.
How to set it up
Cloud Identity users are added from the same Google Admin console you use to manage your Workspace users — just assign them a Cloud Identity Free (or Premium) license instead of a Workspace license. See Google's Cloud Identity documentation for setup steps. Once added, they appear in your organization's directory and can be added to Passwd like any other user.