The MOAT Self-Score · A Wes Bush Framework
Free trial, or freemium? Find your fit in 60 seconds.
Four questions decide whether your SaaS should run a free trial, freemium, or a reverse trial.
Drag each dot to where your product sits on the continuum. The verdict updates live.
⤡ Drag a dot — or click anywhere on a track
← Free Trial
Reverse Trial
Freemium →
Differentiated
M
Market Strategy
Dominant
Blue Ocean
O
Ocean Conditions
Red Ocean
Top-down
A
Audience & Adoption
Bottom-up
More savvy
T
Tech-Savvy ICP
Less savvy
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What each model wins on.
Three strategies, three different jobs. The verdict tells you which one fits — these tell you why.
Free Trial
Urgency & quick cash.
The deadline is the closer.
Best for complex products and high-stakes decisions where the buyer needs a finite window to commit. Front-load the value, time-box it, book revenue faster than any other model.
15–25%
Typical conversion rate
3–5×
Lift when the trial requires a credit card
Wins on
Compresses the sales cycle
Books cash faster, earlier
Highest signup-to-paid rate of any model
Reverse Trial · Recommended for most
Urgency & sustained motivation.
The trial that doesn't have to end.
Every signup feels the premium plan from day one. When the window closes, users aren't comparing free vs. paid — they're choosing whether to keep features they've already built workflows around. Loss aversion does the closing work pricing pages can't.
~15%
Conversion (matches free trial)
~25%
Sustained engagement (matches freemium)
+20%
Activation lift at Airtable
Wins on
Highlights top-tier features by default
Loss aversion at downgrade
Lifts ARPU, not just conversion
Freemium
Slow burn, long loyalty.
Habit formation is the moat.
Users who graduate from a free tier are habit-converted, not urgency-converted. They form workflow dependencies, stick longer, and pay more for the upgrade when they finally choose it.
5×
Higher willingness to pay vs. trial users
+15%
Higher Net Revenue Retention
~2×
Higher NPS
Wins on
Compounding distribution
Lowest churn of any model
Long-tail expansion revenue
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Shown on the Reverse Trial card