Free trials were a growth strategy when services were chasing subscriber numbers. Now that most major platforms have matured, free trials are seen as a cost — too many people sign up, binge content, and cancel before paying. Netflix removed its free trial in 2020, Disney+ never offered one in the UK, and others have followed. The trend is towards offering cheaper ad-supported tiers instead of free trials.

Most services that still offer free trials require a credit or debit card upfront. This is because they rely on people forgetting to cancel before the trial ends. Services that do not require a card are noted in our list. If a card is required, set a calendar reminder a day before the trial ends to avoid being charged.

Officially, no — most services limit free trials to one per person. In practice, some services track by email address only, meaning a new email may work. Others track by payment method or device ID. We do not recommend trying to exploit free trials, as services may ban accounts that abuse their trial policies.

If a service no longer offers a free trial, consider: subscribing for just one month to evaluate it, checking if they offer a cheaper ad-supported tier, looking for promotional deals (Black Friday, student discounts), or asking an existing subscriber to share their screen for a quick demo. Many services also offer money-back guarantees within the first 7-30 days.