Netlify password protection alternative
Protect a Netlify site, or share one file with named people.
A Netlify password is one shared secret for a whole project. For one report or prototype, publish the file to Display and invite each reader by email.
The demo shows an agent publishing a doc to display.dev – from a chat or a terminal – then a teammate opening its URL, selecting Edit, changing a number on the page and saving v2, a colleague commenting on v2, the agent publishing v3 at the same URL and resolving the comment, and the doc being shared with someone outside the company.
Cursor, Codex, Claude Code – any agent that writes a file. Switch agents anytime – your URLs, versions and comments stay put.
Used by top teams at
How do I password-protect a Netlify site, and what are the alternatives?
On Netlify's credit-based plans, a shared password is available on Pro and not on Free or Personal. Set it under Project configuration, General, Visitor access, Project visibility. Every visitor enters the same password. For access by person, make the project private and invite people, who then sign in with a Netlify account. If the site is one report or prototype, Display (display.dev), the docs workspace for agents and people, is shorter. Publish the file as private and invite people by email. Each person opens it with a one-time password (OTP) sent to that address, or with company sign-in on Pro.
Netlify's three access layers
- Site protection
- Project visibility or Password Protection decides whether a request can load the site. This page is about this layer.
- App login
- Netlify Identity signs in the users of your app. It does not lock the site.
- Team SSO
- SAML single sign-on controls who can open the Netlify dashboard. It does not decide who can load your site.
Set a password on a credit-based Pro plan
Set a password on Enterprise, Open Source and legacy plans
Private projects and team login
- Private project
- Private visibility uses Netlify team login. On Free and Personal, only the Team Owner can view a private project. On Pro, you can invite unlimited team members, and Netlify says that you can invite people by email.
- Team login protection
- This option is part of the Password Protection settings on Enterprise, Open Source and legacy plans. Visitors sign in with their Netlify credentials. Netlify lists unlimited Reviewers for this mode. Git Contributors cannot sign in. On Enterprise, you can add SAML SSO to this protection.
- Seats
- Netlify's knowledge base says that an Enterprise team-login perimeter admits only Netlify team members. Each employee who passes it needs a paid Netlify seat.
What a shared password does not give you
- Every visitor must enter the same password, and this includes your own team members.
- You cannot remove one person. You change the password and send the new one to everyone else.
- You get no record of who opened the site.
- A forwarded link and password work for any person who receives them.
Options compared
| Option | Plan needed | Price | Access for each person | Outside readers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netlify password | Credit-based Pro, Enterprise, Open Source or legacy | Pro is $20 a month with unlimited members | No. One shared password | Anyone with the password |
| Netlify private project or team login | Private: every credit-based plan. Team login: Enterprise, Open Source or legacy | Free $0 and Personal $9: owner only. Pro $20: unlimited team members | Yes, with a Netlify sign-in | Invited people and Reviewers with a Netlify sign-in |
| Vercel Password Protection | Pro or Enterprise | $20 a month for each protected project on Pro. Included on Enterprise | No. One shared password | Anyone with the password |
| Cloudflare Access | A Cloudflare Zero Trust plan, including a free plan | See Cloudflare's pricing page | Yes, by identity provider or a one-time PIN sent by email | Approved email addresses |
| Display (display.dev) | Any plan for invited readers. Pro for Google and Microsoft sign-in | Free €0 (3 company or private artifacts). Solo €15. Pro €49 a month. No fee for viewers | Yes | Invited people enter an OTP |
Share one file with named people on Display
Stay on Netlify if
- You deploy an application with builds, functions or forms.
- A shared password is enough, you are on Pro, and a few people need access for a short time.
- Everyone who needs access is already on your Netlify team. Private project visibility is the simplest answer.
- You need Netlify Identity for the users of your own app.
Use Display if
- You share a report, plan, prototype or Markdown file, not a site.
- Your whole company reads the page. Tell the agent: "Publish report.html to Display for my company."
- An Owner must control outside sharing for the whole organization. Pro includes this control.
- You must give access to one person who is not on your Netlify team, and remove it later.
- You want the same URL to show the new version after each update.
- You want unlimited viewers for one flat price.
Display limits: it has no password mode and no expiring links, and it publishes one file for each artifact. People outside your organization can view a private artifact, but guest comments are not available yet. Custom domains and SAML are on Enterprise, by contract. Self-serve SAML is planned.
Common questions.
Does Netlify password protection work on the free plan?
No. Netlify says that password protection is not available on credit-based Free and Personal plans. On those plans you can make a project private, and only the Team Owner can view it.
Which Netlify plan includes password protection?
Netlify says that basic password protection is available on all Pro plans. Enterprise, Open Source and legacy plans keep the Password Protection settings, which include team login protection.
Does a Netlify password protect deploy previews?
Yes. You can protect production and previews. You can also choose Previews only on credit-based plans, or Non-production deploys only on the older settings, to keep production open. Test both in a private window.
Can I let a client open a Netlify site without giving them a team seat?
With a shared password, yes. With a private project or team login, each person signs in with a Netlify account. Netlify lists unlimited Reviewers for team login. For a named client without a Netlify account, use access for each person on another tool, such as Cloudflare Access or Display.
How do I remove one reviewer from a password-protected Netlify site?
You cannot remove one person from a shared password. You change the password for the project and send the new one to everyone else.
Can I put Cloudflare Access in front of a Netlify site?
Yes, if the site's hostname runs through your Cloudflare account and you create an Access application for it. Test the netlify.app address too. It stays open on its own domain unless you also protect it.
Does Display have a one-time password option?
Yes. Invite a reader by email, and the reader enters an OTP that Display sends to that address. It is available on every plan. Google and Microsoft sign-in for your company is on Pro.
Can I try Display without an account?
Yes. You can publish a file without an account and get a public preview for 30 days and a claim URL. The preview is public. Claim it and make it private to limit access. See Publish without an account.
Publish your first artifact in 15 seconds.
Free tier. No credit card. One-time password auth on free, Google + Microsoft SSO on Pro (€49/month flat).