Use case
You want new clients to try your subscription before they commit. A free trial gives them access at no cost for a set time. A paid trial charges a smaller amount up front, so you earn from day one. When the trial ends, the regular subscription starts automatically.
Note: Trials are only available for recurring services.
Set up a trial
In the sidebar, open Services and click All services. Click Create service. To add a trial to an existing subscription, click its name instead and go to the Pricing details step.
Under Service type, select Recurring and click Next.
Enter the Service name and Description, and upload a Service image if you like. Click Next.
Under Pricing details, pick a pricing type (Standard, Time based or Credit based; trials work with all three). Enter the regular Price and choose the Recurring period, for example Monthly.
Turn on Enable trial period and fill in the two fields:
Trial amount: enter 0 for a free trial, or the amount you want to charge for a paid trial. The amount is in your portal currency.
Trial period: enter a number and pick Days, Weeks or Months. A trial can last up to 700 days.
A free 14-day trial:
A paid trial of $49 for 7 days:
Click Next, set up the Request form and click Save.
Good to know: on a new service, clicking Next on the Pricing details step already saves the service as a draft. It goes live when you click Save on the last step.
What your client sees at checkout
Free trial
The order summary shows the service as (Trial) with the trial length, for example "14 days of free trial", and a total of 0. Under Future payments the client sees the regular price and the date it starts. The button reads Start trial. The client enters a card but isn't charged until the trial ends.
Paid trial
The order summary shows the service as (Trial) with the trial amount, which the client pays now. Future payments shows the regular price from the end of the trial. The button reads Subscribe.
What gets charged when
Free trial | Paid trial | |
At checkout | Nothing. The client saves a card. | The trial amount, plus taxes. |
Setup fee | Not charged at checkout. Billed with the first regular payment. | Not charged at checkout. Billed with the first regular payment. |
Add-ons | Shown at 0 at checkout and listed under Future payments. | Not offered at checkout. |
Discount coupons | Nothing to discount during the trial. A repeating or forever coupon lowers the later payments. | Lowers the trial amount only if the coupon has Applies to paid trials turned on. |
When the trial ends | The regular price, every billing period. | The regular price, every billing period. |
To let a coupon discount paid trials, turn on Applies to paid trials when you create the coupon in Services > Discount coupons.
FAQ
Do I need Stripe for trials?
Yes, in practice. Clients start a trial by paying or saving a card, which goes through your connected Stripe account. The trial applies when the client pays by card. If the client picks your manual payment method instead, the checkout shows the full price without a trial.
Can I offer a trial on a one-off service?
No. Enable trial period only appears for recurring services.
Where can I learn more about recurring services?