"Free" vs. $0

Spotify tested the age-old question of how to convey free.

1 min read

The short answer

Spotify put the word free against $0 on the same plan cards. This post sets the test up as a puzzle and leaves the outcome in the DoWhatWorks dashboard rather than publishing it.

Subscription brands often offer new customers a free-trial period. They hope you love the service and continue as a paying customer.

Getting customers to pull out their wallet and signup with payment info is tricky.

We see brands test questions like:

  • How long should the free trial last?
  • Do you display duration of a free trial?
  • What Call-To-Action language to use in a free trial?
  • Whether and where to display price?
  • Where to place the Call-To-Action button?
  • When to start collecting user information?
  • What to include with the free trial?

We've also seen companies test which version of "free" gets more people to signup: $0 or free

The Experiment

Spotify ran two variants on plan card pages.

Variant A: Use the word "free" for each trial period.

Spotify plan card labelled Variant A, with a 3 months free badge above the Individual plan at $9.99 a month after the offer period

Variant B: Substitute $0 for the word "free."

Spotify plan card labelled Variant B, with a 3 months for $0 badge above the same Individual plan at $9.99 a month after the offer period

Who do you think won?

DoWhatWorks customers: Click here to see the outcome in your dashboard.

Not a customer? Get a sneak peek at this test here. We can walk you through tons more from your competitors and companies you admire too. Request early access.

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