{"id":4995,"date":"2016-07-07T18:03:54","date_gmt":"2016-07-07T16:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chartmogul.com\/blog\/?p=4995"},"modified":"2023-08-10T12:11:12","modified_gmt":"2023-08-10T10:11:12","slug":"saas-free-trial-length","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chartmogul.com\/blog\/saas-free-trial-length\/","title":{"rendered":"SaaS Q&A: How long should a free trial be for SaaS products?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every free trial is designed for the same outcome: for a user to have an \u2018aha\u2019 moment, where they realize they cannot live without your product. Not every free trial will end with a conversion to paying customer, but if the user has this \u2018aha\u2019 moment \u2014 when it all clicks<\/i> \u2014 then they are still hooked and a sale could come down the line. <\/p>\n

So, the simple answer to your question is: your free trial should be as long as it takes to reach that moment. Of course it\u2019s a bit more layered than that! <\/p>\n

The free trial model<\/b>
\n<\/h1>\n

The first complexity is this idea of \u201clength.\u201d Not all free trials come in this dimension. The length \u2014 or size or volume \u2014 of your free trial depends on the type of product you provide. Ross Knap makes a great point here. His company Callpage is a call service so they provide 10 free calls. Soundcloud does it based on uploaded minutes. Some project management tools will let you run just a limited number of projects until you have to upgrade to a paid account. Of course, the 14- or 30-day span is the most common form of free trial, but just remember that the \u201cduration model\u201d is not necessarily the form it must take. Once you\u2019ve decided the form, you will have to experiment to see what length or volume allows your customers to reach their \u2018aha\u2019 moment.
\n<\/p>\n

Revising the model<\/b><\/h1>\n

Even once you find that sweet spot, you may have to adjust the size again. Product developments can dictate how you tweak your free trial. Which follows logically, since product developments tweak how your customers use your product. For example, at ChartMogul\u00a0we extended our trial period from 14 days to 30 days when we released an Import API<\/a> for our subscription analytics software. Why? Because it takes time for customers to integrate and build onto our API. Which delays their full-blown experience with and use of the product, which delays their \u2018aha\u2019 moment. <\/p>\n

So every time you release a new feature or function, consider whether your current free trial model suits and allows for a successful<\/i> customer experience of your product. And it won\u2019t always mean extend or expand the free trial, as we did at ChartMogul. The new development could mean the \u2018aha\u2019 moment comes much sooner, in which case you should shorten or limit it.<\/p>\n

Limit when you can<\/b><\/h1>\n

Once your user is convinced of the value of your product, they should feel urgency to buy it. You can help create this by designing your free trial to end or max out shortly after the \u2018aha\u2019 moment. Yes, generally, a good rule is to \u201ckeep it short.\u201d But only once you\u2019ve hit your objective. Why? Because shorter free trials help your bottom line. Close.io\u2019s blog<\/a>\u00a0breaks down the reasons.<\/p>\n