Shopify’s current approach to free trials requires users to agree to a recurring charge before the trial begins. This setup doesn’t align with what most users expect from a free trial experience. Typically, users anticipate being able to install an app, try it out, and then decide whether to pay for it later.
Recently, Shopify has started emailing developers, instructing them to remove any mention of free trials from their app listings if the trial doesn’t involve a prior subscription confirmation. According to Shopify, these listings are considered “invalid” because users aren’t being asked to approve a charge upfront.
This change has led developers to update their listings, removing references to free trials altogether to comply with Shopify’s interpretation. Requiring users to confirm a payment before accessing a free trial is counterintuitive to how most app ecosystems operate. It raises questions about why this policy is being enforced and whether it reflects an understanding of how users actually expect to experience apps on the platform.
Right, the reoccurring subscription can include a trialDays parameter which grants the merchant X number of days free trial on the reoccurring payment.
I would argue it’s actually a better experience for you the developer, because if your app isn’t a daily use app, then the merchant would need to confirm the subscription after the trial ends.
This could cause disruption to the merchant’s workflows if the free trial ended and your app didn’t automatically switch to paid after it’s lapsed.
I know personally merchants that use my apps would be very upset if the app stopped working after the trial ended. It just adds more friction to the experience if you need them to accept the trial ending.
The way Shopify has laid it out, installation, free trial acceptance and subscription confirmation are all aligned in the same session. That way the merchant can simply uninstall before the trial is over if they’d like to cancel it.
Right, the reoccurring subscription can include a trialDays parameter which grants the merchant X number of days free trial on the reoccurring payment.
It is free trial yet one must accept a reoccurring charge.
I would argue it’s actually a better experience for you the developer, because if your app isn’t a daily use app, then the merchant would need to confirm the subscription after the trial ends.
Great but I’m not selling it to myself I’m selling it to mostly small to medium-sized businesses with tiny margins.
This could cause disruption to the merchant’s workflows if the free trial ended and your app didn’t automatically switch to paid after it’s lapsed.
Assuming the merchant makes it this far this is where messaging and notifications come into play.
I know personally merchants that use my apps would be very upset if the app stopped working after the trial ended. It just adds more friction to the experience if you need them to accept the trial ending.
The set of those willing to accept a charge to receive a free trial is much smaller than those who will not. I know this personally.
The point is the free trial exists and may have existed for years but unless you tie it to the subscription Shopify is making devs remove it.
No hair splitting. Shopify is making apps drop their free trials information in the app store unless the trials force users to accept a recurring charge. Not good for consumers and for sure not good for apps!