Trial Length
The Trial Length report measures the median number of days it takes for trial users to convert into paying customers. Understanding your trial-to-paid timeline helps you optimize onboarding, set appropriate trial durations, and identify friction in the conversion process.
For a broader look at trial volume and conversion rates, see the Trials report.
Overview
The Trial Length report is part of the Trials tab group, alongside New Trials and Conversion Rate. It includes three main sections:
- Trial length timeline - Median days to convert over time
- Days to conversion chart - Cumulative conversion curve
- Breakdown table - Period-by-period trial metrics
Trial length timeline
The timeline chart shows the median number of days from trial start to paid start for each period.
- Y-axis - Days (starting from zero)
- X-axis - Time periods (based on interval selection)
- Current period - Shown with a dashed line, as the period is still in progress and the value may change
A decreasing trend means users are converting faster, which typically indicates improvements in onboarding or product experience. An increasing trend may suggest friction, a more complex buying process, or a shift in your customer mix.
Hovering over the chart highlights the corresponding column in the breakdown table below.
Days to conversion chart
This chart shows the cumulative percentage of trial users who have converted to paid, plotted by the number of days since they started their trial (from day 0 to day 50).
- Y-axis - Cumulative conversion percentage (0-100%)
- X-axis - Days since trial start
This visualization helps you answer questions like:
- How many users convert on day 1? - A steep early rise indicates strong immediate value
- Where does the curve flatten? - The point where the curve plateaus suggests the effective end of your conversion window
- What's an ideal trial duration? - If 90% of conversions happen within 14 days, a 30-day trial may be unnecessary
Breakdown table
The table underneath the charts tracks trial performance for each period:
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| New trials | Total number of customers who started a trial during the period. |
| Converted | Number of trial customers from this period who later became paying customers. |
| Trial length | Median number of days from trial start to paid start for converted customers. |
Clicking a number in the New trials or Converted columns reveals the detail table below.
Detail table
The detail table shows individual customer records for the selected period:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Created | Date the customer record was created |
| Customer | Customer name and email |
| Trial started | Date the trial began |
| Paid started | Date the first paid subscription began (empty if not yet converted) |
| Cancel date | Date of last cancellation (empty if still active) |
| Status | Current status: Lead, Trialing, Trial ended, Active, Cancelled, or Past due |
Click any row to view the customer's detail page.
Filters
The Trial Length report supports filters to help you compare conversion speed across segments:
- Date range - Select a custom range or preset period
- Interval - Aggregate by month, quarter, or year
- Additional filters - Region, currency, industry, company size, channel, data source, and more (see all filters)
Filters apply to both charts and the breakdown table simultaneously.
Exporting the data
Click the Export icon next to the date picker to download the data as a CSV file.
Practical tips
- Shorten trials when possible. If your days-to-conversion chart shows most conversions happen within 7 days, consider a shorter trial. Shorter trials create urgency and reduce your support burden.
- Compare across segments. Use filters to compare trial length by channel, region, or plan. If organic users convert in 5 days but paid-ad users take 20, your ad targeting or landing page messaging may need work.
- Watch for outliers. A sudden increase in median trial length could indicate a product issue, a change in customer mix, or seasonal effects.
- Pair with conversion rate. A shorter trial length is only good if the conversion rate stays healthy. Always review both metrics together.
