We live in a subscription economy filled with digital services to meet nearly every need. Fortunately, many services offer free trials so you can test-drive their offerings before you commit. Whether you’re looking for high-quality entertainment, easy access to food and fitness, or a way to level up your skills, here is a selection of services to try before you buy.
Entertainment
There are plenty of options for entertainment in the subscription-based services game, and most of them offer at least a short free trial period.
TV, MOVIES, AND MORE
Hulu: Typically offers a 30-day free trial for new subscribers.
Amazon Prime Video: offers a 30-day free trial, and you can often get a free trial of ad-free music streaming through Amazon.
Apple TV+, Paramount+, Fubo, and Philo often offer a 7-day free trial. Apple usually offers 3 months free when you buy an Apple device.
MUSIC
Spotify: Get your first month of Premium free. Or, get 3 months of Spotify Premium free when you sign up with PayPal.
Apple Music: Get your first 3 months free when you buy an Apple device.
Amazon Music: New subscribers get 3 months free.
YouTube Music: YouTube Music often offers a free 30-day trial.
Pandora Premium: Unlike the free Pandora plan, the premium plan comes with ad-free personalized music, the ability to search and play what you want, and unlimited skips. There are often offers for 60 or 90 days free.
SiriusXM: You can often get 3 months free when you opt for their Platinum plan.
BOOKS
Audible: Offers a 30-day free trial, where you can get credits to purchase audiobooks to keep, even if you cancel.
Everand: This service from the makers of Scribd (now called Everand) offers a 30-day free trial, which includes a limited number of “unlocks”, allowing you access to select audiobooks and eBooks.
All You Can Books: Offers a free 30-day trial that provides unlimited downloads of their library of audiobooks and eBooks.
Kindle Unlimited: For 30 days, you can get access to an extensive catalog of eBooks and audiobooks.
Health & Wellness
Whether you’re interested in getting fit or finding your zen, there’s a free trial out there for you. Try any of these and let the glow-up begin.
Daily Burn: Looking for streaming fitness programs? Daily Burn offers a free, risk-free trial.
Everyfit: Free for 30 days, use features like workout builder and meal plans, and access on-demand videos and habit tracking.
ClassPass: For 30 days, get 28 credits to visit a selection of ClassPass’ partner studios & gyms, one time each.
Headspace: Try this mindfulness app for 14 days for free. Through the app, you will learn meditation, self-awareness, and relaxation techniques.
Calm: For 7 days at no charge, get access to Calm Premium, where you can learn to meditate, listen to sleep stories, and follow breathing exercises.
Food & Dining
Save some dough on coffee, groceries, and meal delivery with these services.
Panera Bread’s Unlimited Sip Club: New subscribers get their first two months free. Enjoy unlimited iced coffee, hot coffee, and hot tea, along with unlimited refills, when dining in the cafe.
DashPass: Join this delivery membership and get your first 30 days free.
Fresh Direct: If you live in a Fresh Direct delivery area, you can get unlimited free grocery deliveries for 60 days with their trial.
Instacart: At the time of this writing, Instacart offers new subscribers two weeks of zero delivery fees. You can even order items from warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club without having a club membership.
Professional & Creative Services
Try these platforms to take your professional game to the next level.
Adobe Creative Cloud Pro: Creative Cloud Pro includes over 20 creative apps for photography, video, design, web, UX, and social media. The package includes programs like Photoshop, Acrobat DC, and Premiere Pro. Try it out free for 7 days.
Canva Pro: Try the premium version of this design platform free for 30 days. Pro includes more powerful design tools and AI features.
Microsoft Office 365: Choose from Business Basic, Business Standard, Business Premium, or Microsoft 365 Apps for business to try out free for 30 days. Features include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, and more. Check out the free 30-day trial.
Mailchimp: Design and send emails in large or small batches with Mailchimp’s 14-day free trial.
PicMonkey: The 7-day free trial gives you ad-free access to Shutterstock’s photo-editing and design tool.
Prezi: Make eye-catching, dynamic presentations with this 14-day free trial.
Coursera: The professional development platform partners with top universities and companies to provide online learning and specialized training opportunities. After creating an account, you can find the course that interests you and try it for free for 7 days.
LinkedIn Learning: The popular professional networking site offers an entire month’s worth of free access to thousands of online courses. LinkedIn also often offers free trials to its other Premium features.
Pro Tips
Tip 1: The catch with free trials is that most require a credit card, and they will automatically turn into a paid subscription once the trial period is up. To stay organized and avoid accidental charges, set calendar reminders to help you track the free trials that you want to cancel.
Tip 2: Some credit card accounts and other membership-based services occasionally offer a temporary free subscription to one or more streaming services. For example, with select Chase World or World Elite Mastercards, you can get three free months of DoorDash DashPass, which gets you $0 delivery fees on restaurant orders over $12 and on grocery and liquor store orders over $25.
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