Trial Conversion Rate Calculator
Every trial costs money, converted or not.
Trial conversion rate
24%
$99.17 per paid subscriber
Every trial costs money whether it converts or not, so the effective acquisition cost is the total trial cost divided by conversions — $99.17 here against $23.80 per trial. Raising conversion reduces it far faster than reducing trial cost does.
How the Trial Conversion Rate Calculator works
The effective cost of a paid subscriber is the total cost of all trials divided by the ones that converted. Raising conversion reduces it far faster than reducing the cost of servicing each trial does.
Not financial advice. Marketplace fees change, and they vary by country, plan and seller status. Every rate here is an editable default, not a quoted price — check the platform's current fee schedule before you price a product against it. This is not tax or business advice.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good trial conversion rate?
Free trials without a card commonly convert 15% to 25%; trials requiring a card convert far higher but attract fewer starts. Neither is better in the abstract — compare the cost per paid subscriber.
Should I require a card up front?
It raises conversion of trials and lowers the number of trials. Which produces more paid subscribers per pound of acquisition spend is an empirical question worth testing rather than assuming.
How long should a trial be?
Long enough to reach the moment the product becomes useful, and no longer. Extending a trial past that point mostly delays the decision and increases the cost of servicing it.
Why does trial cost matter?
Because you pay to acquire every trial and to service every trial, whether or not it converts. A 20% conversion rate means five times the trial cost sits behind each paid subscriber.