Credit card-required free trial: Outseta's A/B test

The bottom line

Outseta moved from freemium to a 7-day free trial that requires a credit card, and conversion rose from 7.25% to 35%. The change draws in more committed users, creates urgency and eases the load on customer support.

Key takeaways

• Requiring a credit card for a 7-day trial converted far better than freemium. Conversion rose about 4 to 5 times.
  • Freemium converted at 7.25%.
  • The card-required trial converted at 35%.
• The card requirement filters out less serious sign-ups. Users who enter a card are more committed.
  • Fewer low-intent sign-ups also reduce the burden on customer support.
• A short trial pushes users to explore the platform quickly. The 7-day limit creates a sense of urgency.

The test

Outseta replaced its freemium model with a 7-day free trial that required a credit card.

• The goal was to attract more committed users.
  • Less serious sign-ups would be filtered out.
  • The support burden would shrink.
• The trial was designed to create urgency.
  • A limited window encourages users to explore the platform quickly.

The result

The card-required trial converted 4 to 5 times better than freemium.

• Conversion rose from 7.25% to 35%.
  • The 7.25% figure is the freemium baseline.
  • The 35% figure is the card-required trial.