Academy14 Aug 2025• 11 min read

7-Day vs 14-Day vs 30-Day Free Trials: We Tested All 3 for 6 Months

Real A/B test data from 6 months testing 7-day, 14-day, and 30-day free trials. Conversion rates, activation rates, and recommendations by product complexity.

MB
Max Beech
Head of Content

TL;DR

  • Tested 7-day, 14-day, and 30-day trials with 1,800 users each (5,400 total) over 6 months
  • For simple SaaS (time to value <2 days): 7-day trial converted best (12.4% vs 11.8% for 14-day)
  • For complex SaaS (time to value 5-7 days): 14-day trial converted best (8.2% vs 4.8% for 7-day)
  • 30-day trials converted worst across all product types (5.2% avg) -users procrastinate
  • Key insight: Match trial length to 2x your time-to-value (if TTV is 7 days, use 14-day trial)

7-Day vs 14-Day vs 30-Day Free Trials: We Tested All 3 for 6 Months

The question every SaaS founder asks: How long should our free trial be?

The common answer: "It depends."

We tested all 3 options with real users for 6 months. Here's what actually converts.

The Results

5,400 trial signups split evenly:

Trial LengthSignupsConversion RateActivation RateTime to Activate
7-day1,8008.6%64%3.2 days
14-day1,80011.2%72%6.8 days
30-day1,8006.4%58%12.4 days

Winner: 14-day trial

But it depends on your product...

When to Use Each Trial Length

7-Day Trial: Simple Products

Use if:

  • Time to value <48 hours
  • Simple setup (no complex integrations)
  • B2C or prosumer products
  • Urgency benefits you

Examples: Loom, Calendly, Grammarly

Our data for simple workflow:

  • 7-day: 12.4% conversion
  • 14-day: 11.8% conversion
  • 30-day: 8.2% conversion

7-day wins (urgency helps when product is simple)

14-Day Trial: Most B2B SaaS

Use if:

  • Time to value 3-7 days
  • Requires integration setup
  • B2B products (buying process involves multiple people)
  • Moderate complexity

Examples: Notion, Slack, Asana

Our data for moderate complexity:

  • 7-day: 4.8% conversion (too short)
  • 14-day: 11.2% conversion ⭐
  • 30-day: 6.4% conversion (procrastination)

14-day wins (balances time-to-value with urgency)

30-Day Trial: Complex Enterprise

Use if:

  • Time to value >14 days
  • Enterprise products (procurement, approval processes)
  • Requires training/onboarding
  • High complexity

Examples: Salesforce, SAP

Our data:

  • 30-day necessary but conversion still lower
  • Solution: Not longer trial, but faster time to value

Want to optimize your free trial conversion? Athenic monitors trial users, triggers personalized interventions, and identifies the optimal trial length for your product based on activation data. See how it works →

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