# Compare trial offers and free trial periods

Choose between per-item trial offers and subscription-wide free trial periods.

There are two ways to give customers a trial period on a subscription before paying the regular price:

- **[Trial offers](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/trials.md)**: Give an individual subscription item a free or paid introductory price. The item moves to its configured regular price when the offer ends.
- **[Free trial periods](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/trials/free-trials.md)**: Make the entire subscription free until its trial ends. Use free trialing periods by setting `trial_period_days` when creating the subscription, or `trial_end` when creating or updating it.

For new integrations, we recommend using trial offers.

## Compare trial behavior

| Behavior | Trial offer | Free trial period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Setup and reuse | Create a trial offer with a recurring trial price, a duration, and a recurring price to use post-trial. You can attach the same trial offer to items on different subscriptions. | Set `trial_period_days` when creating the subscription, or `trial_end` when creating or updating it. |
| Billing mode and compatibility | Requires subscriptions using [flexible billing mode](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/billing-mode.md). You can’t combine a trial offer with a free trial period using `trial_end` or `trial_period_days`. | Works with classic or flexible billing mode. You can’t combine a free trial period with a trial offer. |
| Scope and end dates | Each subscription item can have its own trial start and end. One item can transition to its post-trial price while another item on the same subscription remains in a trial. You can also mix trialing and non-trialing items on the same subscription. | The free period applies to all items on the subscription. |
| Price during the trial | The trial price can be free or paid and is defined by the trial `Price` object. | Recurring charges for the subscription are free during the trial. You can still invoice one-time charges or add-ons when the subscription starts. |
| Duration and changes | A relative duration defines the number of intervals to bill for based on the recurring interval for the trial `Price`. You can’t change a trial offer’s duration after creating it or schedule an extension or reduction of an active trial offer. | Set a number of days or an exact end timestamp for the free trial period. You can update `trial_end` to end a trial early or add a new trial after an earlier one ends. |
| After the trial | Each item moves to the configured post-trial price when that item’s trial ends. By default, the subscription resets the billing period to the trial end date. You can keep the existing billing cycle anchor instead—Stripe prorates the amount to align with it. | The subscription starts billing when the trial period ends, which begins a new billing period. |
| Subscription status | A subscription has `trialing` status only when all its items have zero-amount trial offers. | The subscription has `trialing` status during the free period. |
| Usage-based billing | A metered trial `Price` can bill usage at an introductory rate during an offer. | Stripe doesn’t bill usage recorded during the free trial period. |
| Trial metrics | [Billing Analytics](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/analytics.md) counts new trials and conversion separately for each item with a trial offer. | [Billing Analytics](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/analytics.md) counts new trials and conversion at the subscription level. |
| Dashboard and API setup | Use API version [2026-09-30.endive](https://docs.stripe.com/changelog.md#2026-09-30.endive) or later. You can create or update subscriptions with offers in the Dashboard or with the Subscriptions API. | You can set or update the subscription’s free trial in the Dashboard or with the Subscriptions API. |
| Checkout integrations | [Checkout Sessions](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/subscriptions.md), [pricing tables](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/checkout/pricing-table.md), [Payment Links](https://docs.stripe.com/payment-links.md), and [Elements with Checkout Sessions](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/elements.md) don’t support trial offers. | You can create subscription free trial periods with Checkout Sessions, pricing tables, Payment Links, and Elements with Checkout Sessions. See the [configure free trials](https://docs.stripe.com/payments/checkout/free-trials.md) for more information. |
| Subscription schedules | Subscription schedules are only supported with trial offers in public preview, and support is limited to the API. | You can add a free trial period to a schedule phase through the API or Dashboard. |
| Customer portal | Customers can view and cancel subscriptions with trial offers, and reactivate subscriptions scheduled to cancel. While a trial offer is active on a subscription, customers can’t update, pause, or resume the subscription in the [customer portal](https://docs.stripe.com/customer-management.md). | Customers can add a payment method during the trial period. If configured, they can resume a subscription that pauses when the trial period ends without a payment method. |

## What stays the same

- Both integrations can give customers a free period without collecting a payment method first.
  - If a customer doesn’t add a payment method during a free period, you can use `trial_settings.end_behavior.missing_payment_method` to create an invoice, cancel, or pause the subscription when the trial ends. For trial offers, this behavior applies when each trialing subscription item’s offer ends.
- Both can send a `customer.subscription.trial_will_end` event before a trial ends. Use [subscription events](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/webhooks.md) to remind customers or update access to your service.
- Revenue from subscription items during either type of trial doesn’t contribute to your monthly recurring revenue (MRR) for analytics purposes.
- Both must follow [trial and promotion compliance requirements](https://docs.stripe.com/billing/subscriptions/trials/manage-trial-compliance.md).