There are multiple different 'account types' on Qortal.

Account types are related to the benefit that each account provides to the network.

Founder: A Founder account is that of a user who was integral in the creation of the Qortal platform.

The main purpose of the Founder account setup is to ensure that the platform has what it needs in the beginning in a set of honest, online, and active nodes with which the platform will build a solid base. Also to serve as a group of accounts with slightly more influence to combat any 'bad actors' that attempt to level up to gain influence so that they can be less influential while the system is still in its infancy.

Eventually, as time goes on and accounts prove themselves legitimate by minting or storing data, the Founder accounts' influence on the network will diminish overall. The Founder accounts will initially start with a level of 'F' and that level will be maintained throughout their life. However, the weight of 'F' may eventually be decreased so that it is no higher than 10 (the max level of a 'normal' user). Therefore, founders are no more influential on the network than a normal user who has gone through the necessary means to prove himself to the network and provide input of what was needed to do so.

The Founder 'F' level will be maintained as a mark demonstrating to the rest of the system that this account was indeed a founder. Whether or not that 'F' has any more influence than anyone else in the system.

See the Voting System Overview page for more info.

Founders have their own 'rewards pool' that comes from each block initially. This rewards pool eventually turns into only 5%. See the Block Rewards & Distribution page for more info.

This model makes sense in the start of the system as the founders will be doing a lot of work and have already done a lot of work to get the system built and live. Therefore, a slightly larger reward for a short amount of time seems fair.

DevTeam Admin: DevTeam Admins are accounts that are given a permission to their account to take part in the 60% approval required to push auto-updates to the chain. Anyone can join the DevTeam, but this is not the same as the DevTeam Admin role. DevTeam Admins will need a 60% approval to give this permission to a DevTeam member, which is based on time and contribution, as well as the community's approval. You learn more about this process on the Voting System Overview page.

Minter: Minter status is the status provided to those who have proven themselves via 'minter delegation' to a level 5 or higher account (or founder who as mentioned above are always enabled for minting delegation) with 'accept minting delegation' enabled.

Minters are the users in Qortal who are rewarded for, and complete the process of, finding blocks on the Qortal network. As in any other blockchain, finding blocks is necessary in Qortal. However, the rewards are completely different in Qortal's system.

Minters are initially the only users that can contain a 'level' in the system. Thus, the only users that can submit votes and deviate the future of the system by way of such votes.

Later, however, when the other account types such as 'Data Node', 'Data SuperNode', and 'Liquidity Provider' are created, they too will have a level. It is possible for other accounts as well. The initial launch of Qortal, however, will only have Founder, Minter, and User account types.

User: A User on Qortal is anyone who is not assigned any other special account type. Simply put, anyone who does not want to become a minter, does not want to be a data node, doesn't want to provide liquidity, etc. (essentially 'anyone else' on the network). Anyone can use the features on the Qortal Network without being a minter (other than minting and voting).

Users have no special ability, cannot vote for changes in the system, and are not allowed to obtain rewards via the minting system.

Users CAN, however, use the trade portal, make transactions, earn QORT coin, or delegate to become a minter.

The process to become other account types aside from minter, have not fully been discussed by the current development team, and thus will not be explained in detail here yet.

Data Node: A future account type that will be discussed in detail when implemented.

Data SuperNode: Same as above.