How your free trial works: Blinkist's A/B test

The bottom line

Blinkist's step-by-step breakdown of its 7-day free trial, with a Day 5 reminder and a Day 7 charge notice, raised trial signups by 23%. Clear trial terms build user confidence and cut complaints.

Key takeaways

Notification opt-ins jumped from 6% to 74%

Old paywall6%

New paywall74%

Once users knew a reminder was coming, turning on notifications became something that helped them.

Showing the trial as a clear timeline increased signups. Users start a trial more readily when they know what happens and when.
- Trial signups rose 23%.
Transparency about the charge reduced customer complaints. Users were less likely to be surprised by billing.
- Customer complaints fell 55%.
The design made notifications more acceptable to users. The Day 5 reminder gave users a clear reason to opt in.
- Push notification opt-ins rose from 6% to 74%.

The test: How your free trial works

Users see exactly what happens on each trial day

Blinkist's paywall showed this breakdown before signup, so no step came as a surprise.

Blinkist redesigned its paywall to lay out the 7-day trial as a step-by-step breakdown.

The new design spells out what happens during the trial.
- It includes a reminder on Day 5.
- It gives details of the charge on Day 7.
The changes are likely meant to build trust and make starting easier.
- The aims are more transparency and less friction in canceling the trial.
- They also aim to raise user confidence by stressing ease and clarity.

Version A and version B as Blinkist tested them. Screens from abtest.design.

Result

One paywall redesign improved all three key metrics

Metric	Old paywall	New paywall
Trial signups	baseline	+23%
Customer complaints	baseline	−55%
Push opt-ins	6%	74%

Being open about the charge raised signups and cut complaints, so clearer terms helped on both counts.

The redesign improved signups, complaints and notification opt-ins.

Three metrics improved.
- Trial signups were up 23%.
- Customer complaints were down 55%.
- Push notification opt-ins went from 6% to 74%.

In the growth library

Blinkist, Paywall & free trial test. Blinkist rebuilt its free trial screen to show a clear step-by-step timeline of the 7-day trial, with a Day 5 reminder and a Day 7 charge notice. The change led to 23% more trial signups and 55% fewer customer complaints.

Lessons that draw on this: