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How long should a SaaS free trial be?

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TL;DR
Question
How long should a SaaS free trial be?
Direct answer
7 days for narrow single-purpose tools, 14 days for general-purpose indie SaaS, 30 days only for enterprise products with multi-stakeholder evaluation. Longer trials lower urgency: a user who hasn't activated in 14 days rarely activates in 30. The trial length should match how long it actually takes to reach first value, plus a small buffer.
Category
pricing
Last verified
May 22, 2026

Direct answer

Direct answer

As of , the answer is: 7 days for narrow single-purpose tools, 14 days for general-purpose indie SaaS, 30 days only for enterprise products with multi-stakeholder evaluation. Longer trials lower urgency: a user who hasn't activated in 14 days rarely activates in 30. The trial length should match how long it actually takes to reach first value, plus a small buffer.

People also ask

How long should a SaaS free trial be?

7 days for narrow single-purpose tools, 14 days for general-purpose indie SaaS, 30 days only for enterprise products with multi-stakeholder evaluation. Longer trials lower urgency: a user who hasn't activated in 14 days rarely activates in 30. The trial length should match how long it actually takes to reach first value, plus a small buffer.

What's the nuance?

Most indie SaaS users decide to buy or churn within the first 72 hours of trial start, regardless of trial length.

What else should I know?

Trial extension on request often outperforms a longer default. Extending one trial signals you value the evaluator; defaulting to 30 days signals you doubt activation.

What's the common mistake here?

Credit-card-required trials convert 2 to 4x higher than no-card trials but cut top-of-funnel signups by 40 to 70%. Choose based on whether you need volume or quality.

Supporting points

  • Most indie SaaS users decide to buy or churn within the first 72 hours of trial start, regardless of trial length.
  • Trial extension on request often outperforms a longer default. Extending one trial signals you value the evaluator; defaulting to 30 days signals you doubt activation.
  • Credit-card-required trials convert 2 to 4x higher than no-card trials but cut top-of-funnel signups by 40 to 70%. Choose based on whether you need volume or quality.

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