Should I…? – Decision
Should I offer a free trial or a money-back guarantee?
Verified · editorial policy
Verdict
Depends
VerdictDepends – free trial for B2C self-serve; specific money-back guarantee for B2B and high-ticket.
Decision key facts
TL;DR
- Question
- Should I offer a free trial or a money-back guarantee?
- Verdict
- Depends – Depends – free trial for B2C self-serve; specific money-back guarantee for B2B and high-ticket.
- Category
- pricing
- Last verified
- May 22, 2026
Direct answer
Direct answer
As of , the answer is: Use a free trial for self-serve B2C SaaS priced under $50 per month. Use a specific money-back guarantee ('refund if X measurable outcome hasn't happened by Y date') for B2B SaaS, high-ticket offers, and anything over $100 per month. Generic 'satisfaction guaranteed' lifts conversion barely 5%; a specific outcome-tied guarantee lifts conversion 20 to 40%.
Why
- Free trials collect credit cards. Free trials without credit cards collect tourists, not customers. The CC-required trial converts roughly 3-5x better.
- A specific guarantee ('refund if your first paying customer doesn't materialise in 60 days') outperforms a long guarantee window every time. Specificity beats duration.
- Refund rate within the guarantee window of 2-8% is healthy. Below 2% suggests the guarantee isn't visible enough; above 10% suggests your offer is over-promising.
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