🔄 The Post-Trial Drop: How do you handle the downgrade gracefully? ✨
Hey Product Hunt community! 👋
Quick question that's been on my mind: When your free trial ends, which companies have handled the transition gracefully?
We've all been there - trial expires, not quite ready to pay yet. Some companies make you feel punished, others make it feel natural.
Some great examples:
Notion preserving your work while limiting features
Canva letting you keep designs but limiting new creation
Clear data export options before downgrade
What makes me cringe:
Immediate feature lockouts with zero warning 😬
Guilt-trip email sequences
I'm curious:
Which companies nailed your post-trial experience?
What would make you more likely to upgrade later vs. bounce forever?
The post-trial moment is just as important as the trial itself - it's all about building long-term trust! 💝
Drop your thoughts below! 👇
Replies
NYT, @OpusClip, and @Warp all do this well (somewhat different situation than you're asking).
When I went to cancel or downgrade each — they either offered to lower my monthly subscription rate or to gave me one more month, for free.
My ISP, Sonic.net, did this not well. AT&T has finally brought 1GB fiber to my neighborhood and is offering it at like $35/mo for 5 years... crazy! So I told Sonic I was going to leave but would prefer not and could they match AT&T's rate. Instead they gave me a $20 credit for this month. I really don't want to switch but economically... how can I not?
Atlas
@chrismessinaThat AT&T deal is incredible - $35/month for five years?! 😱 I totally get the dilemma of not wanting to switch but economically... how do you say no to that?
And I think what you're describing is a bit different from what I was asking about! 🤔 You're talking about retention offers when someone's already a paying customer trying to cancel/downgrade. Super important topic for sure!
I was more curious about that specific moment when a FREE trial ends and someone hasn't converted yet - like how Notion, Canva, etc. handle that transition. It's such a delicate moment because you're asking someone to pay for the first time, not trying to keep existing revenue.
Both scenarios are crucial for SaaS growth though! The post-trial moment is about converting prospects into customers, while retention offers are about saving existing MRR. 💡
Did those retention offers from NYT, @OpusClip , and @Warp actually work on you? And have you had any particularly smooth (or cringe-worthy) post-trial experiences lately?
When our trial expired, we transitioned users into a free plan but highlighted what they’d be missing with a cheeky modal kind of like, ‘Your dashboard is safe but looks a bit lean without Pro features!’
We then followed up with a ‘you’ve achieved X in your trial’ email the next day. That combination of preserving data + celebrating value helped us boost reactivation by more than 20%. A little empathy goes a long way in keeping users hooked
@wilam__seren Great idea. Now that is a good take away for me and my team
I’ve always appreciated how Loom handles it — they give a clear heads-up before the trial ends, then keep your existing videos accessible while nudging you with small reminders about premium features you’re missing.
It feels respectful, not pushy, and actually makes me more inclined to upgrade later because they’ve kept the door open.
I think the key is showing users the value they’d gain rather than what they’re losing — almost like an invitation instead of a punishment.
At First Answer, we’ve put a lot of thought into the post-trial experience. When the trial ends, we don’t lock everything down or pressure users into upgrading. Instead, we keep their history and key insights accessible, but limit certain premium features, so they can still see value and decide at their own pace. We also keep the door open for feedback and make adjustments to smooth the transition. For us, it’s about building a long-term relationship, not just pushing for a quick sale