---
title: Free-trial toggle — let users choose trial vs pay now (and price them differently)
slug: free-trial-toggle-pricing
summary: Put a "skip free trial" toggle on the paywall so users pick trial or immediate purchase — Riz charges $9.99/week with a 7-day trial or $6.99/week without; Cal AI keeps one price; on transaction-abandonment offers give a deeper discount (90% vs 80%) for buying without a trial; ~10% pick no trial.
domain: mobile-apps
tags: [monetization, free-trial, paywall, pricing, experiment]
related: [removing-the-free-trial, paywall-placements-and-transaction-abandonment, multiple-paywalls-in-onboarding, weekly-vs-yearly-plans-and-trial-placement, paid-intro-offers, web-paywall-annual-default-and-trial-framing]
sources: [yt:24QMRDXck70, yt:-5zgc14t2gc]
updated: 2026-10-24
---

# Free-trial toggle pricing

## TL;DR
- Some users want to try first, others are ready to buy — a **trial toggle** serves both on one paywall.
- **Discounted no-trial price:** Riz (AI dating-reply app): default 7-day trial at **$9.99/week**; toggling "skip free trial" drops it to **$6.99/week**. The ~30% discount roughly mirrors a 30% trial-to-paid rate, so revenue per user is similar while capturing more direct purchases.
- **Same-price toggle:** Cal AI (high-intent weight loss) lets users skip the trial without a discount.
- Rule of thumb (Vahe Bagdasarian): high-intent categories (health & fitness) → no discount needed; low-intent utilities or young/low-income audiences → discount the no-trial path. Test both.
- On **transaction-abandonment** offers: e.g. **80% off with trial, 90% off without** — around **10%** choose no trial.
- People want to feel in control of how they pay.

## Details
**Riz.** A multi-step paywall: "We want you to try Riz for free" → "you'll get a reminder 2 days before your trial ends" → offer screen with a product visual and features. The trial is on by default ($9.99/week after 7 days); "skip free trial" makes it $6.99/week. Vahe's reasoning: users differ in buying power and intent, so give a cheaper path for those who won't pay $10 and nudge them to purchase immediately.[^1][^2] Joseph Choi points out the ~$3 discount (~30%) roughly equals a good trial-to-paid rate, so expected revenue is similar.[^3]

**Cal AI.** Its transaction-abandonment paywall has the same toggle but no price change; Vahe says to test both because it depends on intent and demographics — Cal AI's weight-loss users are highly motivated across all ages, Riz skews younger with less purchasing power.[^4][^5] On Cal AI's main paywall the price doesn't change either; letting people buy without a trial simply puts them in control.[^6]

**On discount offers.** For transaction-abandonment paywalls: offer a free trial but let users choose; if they buy with a trial make the discount ~80%, without a trial ~90%. In Vahe's experience ~10% choose no trial, giving you direct purchases.[^7]

**Related pattern.** BoldVoice serves skeptics who won't enter a card (even for a free trial) with a limited free day-one experience, while users convinced by onboarding start the 7-day trial — two paths without removing the trial paywall.[^8] A two-paywall onboarding (no-trial first, trial second) is another way to serve both groups ([[multiple-paywalls-in-onboarding]]).

## Disagreements / caveats
- Vahe reports no exact lift figures for the toggle; the "~30% = trial-to-paid" equivalence is back-of-envelope.
- Apple's guidelines on trial toggles have shifted over time (some toggle designs were flagged as confusing) — check current App Review rules before shipping.

## See also
- [[removing-the-free-trial]]
- [[paywall-placements-and-transaction-abandonment]]
- [[people/vahe-bagdasarian]]

[^1]: yt:24QMRDXck70 @ 21:29 — Vahe Bagdasarian
[^2]: yt:24QMRDXck70 @ 22:48 — Vahe Bagdasarian
[^3]: yt:24QMRDXck70 @ 24:23 — Joseph Choi
[^4]: yt:24QMRDXck70 @ 25:12 — Vahe Bagdasarian
[^5]: yt:24QMRDXck70 @ 26:10 — Vahe Bagdasarian
[^6]: yt:24QMRDXck70 @ 35:48 — Vahe Bagdasarian
[^7]: yt:24QMRDXck70 @ 34:15 — Vahe Bagdasarian
[^8]: yt:-5zgc14t2gc @ 27:26 — Anada Lakra