Free trials
Let a customer use a plan free for a set number of days before billing starts.
A free trial lets a customer start using a plan before they pay. You set the trial length on the plan's price. When the subscription is created, it begins in the trialing state, and it starts billing when the trial ends.
How a trial works
A price can carry a number of trial days. Create a subscription on that price and:
- The subscription starts in the trialing state. No invoice goes out.
- The trial runs for the number of days you set.
- When the trial ends, the subscription moves to active and the first paid period begins. This conversion happens automatically.
The customer is not charged during the trial. The first charge lands when the trial ends and billing begins.
Worked example
Your Pro plan has a 14-day trial. A customer subscribes on June 1.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| June 1 | Subscription created, state is trialing. No charge. |
| June 15 | Trial ends. State moves to active. First invoice for the paid period. |
Cancelling during a trial
A trialing subscription can be cancelled like any other. Cancel it before the trial ends and no charge is ever made, because billing had not started. This is the ordinary cancellation flow, covered on the cancelling page.
Edge cases
- No trial days means no trial. A price with zero trial days starts billing immediately, in the active state.
- The trial length lives on the price. Different prices for the same product can offer different trial lengths.
- Calendar billing shapes the first paid period, not the trial. If your organization bills everyone on a fixed day of the month, the trial still runs its full length; the alignment happens to the first paid period when the trial ends. The billing timing chapter covers this.