# Account An Account is the primary organizational unit in BetterMenu. Every user receives an account upon sign-up, available in three types — Personal, Organization, and Enterprise — each with role-based permissions that control what actions can be performed within the platform. User and Accounts BetterMenu account types differ in scope and collaboration features: * **Personal Account**: A personal account is an account that represents a single user. This is the *default* account type that a user gets when they sign up. A user may have multiple personal accounts. However, it is best to have a single personal account so that all the data is in one place. * **Organization Account**: An organization account is an account that represents a group of users. Users can create an organization account and invite other users to join the organization account. Users can be part of multiple organizations. * **Enterprise Account**: An enterprise account is an account that represents a company or an enterprise. An enterprise account is a special type of organization account that has additional features and capabilities. Any activity performed in BetterMenu is associated with an account. This includes creating recipes, dishes, collections, sharing, and more. Each account has a role associated with it. The role defines what actions an account can perform, and roles are associated with a set of permissions that determine which operations are allowed. What roles are available in BetterMenu? [#what-roles-are-available-in-bettermenu] Roles are high-level rules that define what actions a user can perform inside a BetterMenu account. A role is assigned at the time of account creation or when a user joins an organization. The two primary roles in BetterMenu are Owner and Member. Each role maps to a distinct set of permissions that govern access to data, collaboration features, and administrative controls within the account. | Role | Description | | ------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Owner | The owner is the primary account holder. The owner has full control over the account and can perform any action. | | Member | A member is a user who is part of an organization account. A member has limited control over the account and can perform only certain actions. | Key points about roles: * When a user signs up on BetterMenu, they get a **Personal Account** with the role of **Owner**. This role allows them to perform any action in the account. * When a user creates an **Organization Account**, they become the **Owner** of the organization account. They can then invite other users to join the organization account. The invited users become **Members** of the organization account. What permissions control account actions in BetterMenu? [#what-permissions-control-account-actions-in-bettermenu] Permissions are fine-grained rules that define exactly which operations an account can perform inside BetterMenu. While roles provide a broad access level, permissions govern individual capabilities such as creating, editing, deleting, or sharing specific content types. An account's effective permissions are determined by its role: Owners typically hold all permissions, while Members hold a subset appropriate to collaborative work. The table below lists a representative — but not exhaustive — set of permissions available in the platform. | Permission | Description | | ------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------- | | Create Recipe | Allows the account to create a new recipe. | | Edit Recipe | Allows the account to edit an existing recipe. | | Delete Recipe | Allows the account to delete a recipe. | | Share Recipe | Allows the account to share a recipe. | | Create Dish | Allows the account to create a new dish. | | Update Brand Preferences | Allows the account to update the brand preferences. | | Create Custom Ingredient | Allows the account to create a custom ingredient. | Please note that this is a subset of the permissions that an account can have and not a comprehensive list. How does account type affect API access and entitlements? [#how-does-account-type-affect-api-access-and-entitlements] Every BetterMenu account type carries its own set of API entitlements that determine which endpoints are accessible and at what request volume. A Personal Account provides API access scoped to the resources owned by that individual user — recipes, dishes, and custom ingredients created under that account. An Organization Account extends API access to shared resources across all members of the organization, enabling team-based workflows where multiple users can read, create, and modify shared content through the API. An Enterprise Account unlocks additional entitlements beyond those available to standard organization accounts, which may include higher rate limits, access to advanced data export endpoints, or priority support for integration workflows. API keys are always issued at the account level, meaning the key inherits the permissions and entitlements of the account it belongs to. Developers should select the account type that matches the collaboration and data-access requirements of their integration. How does organization membership work in BetterMenu? [#how-does-organization-membership-work-in-bettermenu] Organization membership in BetterMenu is the mechanism by which multiple users collaborate under a shared account. An organization is created by a single user who automatically becomes its Owner. The Owner can invite other BetterMenu users by email, and upon accepting the invitation those users become Members of the organization. A user can belong to multiple organizations simultaneously, allowing the same individual to collaborate across several team accounts without needing separate login credentials. Each membership is independent — a user may hold the Owner role in one organization and the Member role in another. Data created within an organization account is associated with the organization, not the individual user, which means it remains accessible to all current members even if the original creator leaves. Organization Owners retain the ability to manage membership, adjust roles, and remove members as team composition changes over time. How do multiple accounts and account switching work? [#how-do-multiple-accounts-and-account-switching-work] BetterMenu supports multi-account access, allowing a single user to be associated with more than one account at the same time. A user may hold a Personal Account alongside memberships in one or more Organization or Enterprise accounts. Switching between accounts changes the active context for all platform operations — the recipes, dishes, ingredients, and settings visible in the interface belong to the currently active account. API keys are also account-scoped, so developers working with multiple accounts must use the appropriate key for each integration context. When building integrations or automation workflows that span multiple accounts, it is important to manage keys carefully to avoid unintended cross-account data access. The separation of data by account ensures that content created in one account is not visible or accessible to users of another account unless it has been explicitly shared.