TL;DR
Enterprise plan users can create custom roles with granular permissions to control team access beyond the default Admin and Member roles for new users. Existing legacy Extern users can still remain on the team and be converted to Member, but you can no longer invite new Extern users. Custom roles are fully editable and can be assigned to users as needed. Takes about 5 minutes to create and assign your first custom role.
Who Should Read This
Enterprise plan admins – Learn how to set up custom roles and assign permissions for your team
Operations managers – Control access to billing, integrations, and sensitive campaign data
Agencies with complex team structures – Create roles for specific workflows like campaign reviewers, report viewers, or integration managers
If you're on Email Pro or Multichannel Expert, you can use the default Admin and Member roles for new users. Existing Extern users may still appear on your team as a legacy role, and you can convert them to Member if needed. See Manage agency roles and permissions for details.
Why This Matters
Default roles cover most team structures, but large teams or agencies often need more control. A campaign reviewer shouldn't have billing access. An integration specialist doesn't need to edit campaigns. A junior rep should see leads but not delete them.
Custom roles let you match permissions to actual job responsibilities. This reduces security risks, prevents accidental data changes, and ensures team members see only what they need to do their work.
Without custom roles, you're forced to give users either full Admin access or limited Member access. With custom roles, you define exactly what someone can view, create, edit, or delete across every section of lemlist.
Key Concept: Default vs. Custom Roles
Every lemlist account includes three default roles:
Admin: Full access to all features, including billing, Plans & Billing, integrations, and campaign management. Admins can invite users, assign roles, and configure account settings.
Member: Access to campaigns, leads, tasks, and reports. Cannot access billing, Plans & Billing, or most integrations. Members can create and launch campaigns but can't manage team settings.
Extern: A legacy restricted role for external collaborators. Existing Extern users can stay on your team and can be converted to Member, but you can no longer invite new users as Extern.
Extern is a legacy role. You may still see it for existing users and in the default roles list, but it is no longer available as an invitation path for new users.
Default roles cannot be renamed, edited, or deleted.
Enterprise custom roles:
On the Enterprise plan, you can create custom roles with any combination of permissions. Name them whatever you want (Campaign Reviewer, Integration Manager, Junior SDR). Assign specific permissions for campaigns, leads, integrations, billing, and more. You can create unlimited custom roles and assign them to as many users as needed.
Custom roles are fully editable. Change permissions anytime, rename the role, or delete it. If you delete a custom role, users assigned to it automatically revert to the default Member role.
How to Create a Custom Role
Click your profile image in the bottom left corner, then select Plans & billing from the menu
On the Billing page, click Manage roles
In the Manage roles panel, review the Default roles section. These roles are system-defined and cannot be edited. Existing teams may still see Extern here as a legacy role.
Under Custom roles, click + New role
Choose the role you want to configure, then click Edit permission
Set the permissions you want to grant, then click Save. Toggles are grouped by feature area like Campaigns, Settings, Plans & billing, Enrichment, and more.
The role is now available to assign to users.
How to Assign a Role to a User
Go to Plans & billing
Find the user in the team member list
Click the role dropdown next to their name, then select the role you want to assign. The change applies immediately.
The user's access updates the next time they log in or refresh their session.
If you have existing legacy Extern users on your team, you can still change their role to Member from this same dropdown.
Inviting New Users
Go to Plans & billing
Click Invite user
Enter the email address
Choose the available user type for the invitation
New users can no longer be invited as Extern. If you need someone on the team, invite them as a regular user and adjust their role afterward if needed.
Important: The Extern invitation flow has been removed to simplify team management and improve platform stability. Existing Extern users are not removed automatically.
How You'll Know It Worked
✓ The new role appears in the role list under Manage roles
✓ You can select the role when assigning it to a user
✓ The user's access matches the permissions you defined
✓ The role shows next to the user's name in the team member list in Plans & billing
✓ Existing Extern users can be switched to Member from the role dropdown
Troubleshooting
Issue: I don't see the Manage roles option.
Root cause: Custom roles are only available on the Enterprise plan.
Fix: Upgrade to Enterprise or use the default Admin and Member roles for new users. Existing Extern users can still remain on the team as a legacy role.
Issue: I can't invite a user as Extern.
Root cause: The Extern invitation flow has been removed.
Fix: Invite the user as a regular user instead. If you already have legacy Extern users on the team, you can convert them to Member from the role dropdown in Plans & billing.
Issue: I deleted a custom role and now users can't access anything.
Root cause: When you delete a custom role, users assigned to it revert to the default Member role.
Fix: Reassign the affected users to a different role with the correct permissions. Go to Plans & billing, find the users, and change their roles.
Issue: A user can't see campaigns even though they have View Campaigns permission.
Root cause: The user may need to log out and log back in for role changes to apply.
Fix: Have the user log out, clear their browser cache, and log back in. If the issue persists, verify that the role includes the required campaign permissions under Manage roles.
Issue: I downgraded from Enterprise and all custom roles disappeared.
Root cause: Custom roles are an Enterprise-only feature. When you downgrade, all custom roles revert to the default Member role.
Fix: This is expected behavior. To restore custom roles, upgrade back to Enterprise. Until then, reassign users to Admin or Member as needed. Existing Extern users may still remain visible as a legacy role.