Free Trial

A free trial is the most common form of introductory offerGlossaryIntroductory OfferA subscription offer — typically a free trial or discounted first period — available only to users who haven't previously subscribed to that product.: the user starts a subscriptionGlossarySubscriptionA recurring in-app purchase that charges the user on a fixed cadence (weekly, monthly, annual) until they cancel. with free access for a defined window (typically 3, 7, or 14 days), and at the end of the window the subscription automatically converts to the first paid period. Apple and Google both handle the mechanics natively through StoreKit and Google Play Billing — eligibility, automatic conversion, cancellation grace periods, and refund flows are all platform-managed.

Choosing trial length is a product decision, not a marketing one. Match the trial window to the time it takes a user to feel the value your product delivers. If "aha momentGlossaryAha MomentThe specific moment in a user's first sessions when they understand the product's core value — the strongest predictor of whether they'll come back." lands in the first sessionGlossaryApp SessionA single period of continuous user activity in an app, from open to close (or background past an inactivity timeout) — the atomic unit on which most engagement metri..., a 3-day trial maximizes economics (less revenue forgone per non-converting user). If value emerges over a week of repeated use (habit-building apps, content-library apps, AI tools that need data accumulated to be useful), a 14-day trial converts better. 7 days is the modal default and tends to balance reasonably across most product types.

Conversion math reality check: a 7-day trial ending in a $9.99 / month charge with 40% trial-to-paid conversionGlossaryTrial Conversion RateThe percentage of users who start a free trial and then continue into the first paid period — the central unit-economics metric for subscription apps. turns each trial start into $4 of first-month gross revenue ($9.99 × 0.40). The same trial at 25% conversion turns into $2.50. That difference compounds into the effective CPIGlossaryCost Per Install (CPI)The average amount an advertiser pays for a single install attributed to a campaign — total spend divided by attributed installs. ceiling for paid acquisitionGlossaryPaid UA (Paid User Acquisition)Mobile app user acquisition via paid advertising channels — Meta, TikTok, Google, AppLovin, ironSource, and other ad networks.: at 40% conversion you can pay roughly 60% more per trial-start than at 25%.

Levers that move trial-to-paid: clarity of post-trial pricing on the paywallGlossaryPaywallThe in-app screen that asks the user to subscribe or buy — the single most revenue-sensitive surface in a subscription app. (vague disclosure lifts trial starts but tanks conversion at the step), pre-trial onboardingGlossaryOnboardingThe first-time user experience that guides new installs from app launch to the "aha moment" — where they understand the product's value and become more likely to ret... quality (users who complete onboarding convert 2-3× more), timely pushGlossaryPush NotificationA message delivered to a user's device from your app's server — the single biggest re-engagement lever in mobile, when done well, and a fast path to uninstall when d... / email notifications around trial end (a "your trial ends in 24 hours" nudge typically lifts conversion 5-15%), and product engagement during the trial window (active users in the last 48 hours of trial convert 3-5× more than passive ones).