Does Netflix do a free trial?

Here are all the up-to-date details on whether Netflix does free trials and your alternative options.

Netflix has hiked prices, introduced new plans, and cracked down on password-sharing recently. With that, and the price of just about everything else going up, we’re eager to take advantage of deals or discounts.

With stacked competition from other platforms and slowing growth, an introductory offer for new sign-ups sounds like a great idea. But is there a way to access new movies and TV shows streaming this month without paying upfront?

Here’s how the Netflix free trial policy has changed, and what you’ll need instead.

Does Netflix do a free trial?

Netflix does not offer free trials of any kind.

Netflix used to offer trials to prospective customers in its early days but no longer does. If you want to watch the best Netflix movies, you’ll have to buy a subscription.

There are tiered subscription levels on Netflix, so there’s a choice of which price point suits you best. The basic plan is $11.99 in the US, and the premium plan which offers benefits like 4K streaming is $22.99.

Why doesn’t Netflix do a free trial?

Netflix stopped doing free trials in the US in October 2020 to pursue “different marketing promotions” instead.

The 30-day trial was likely scrapped for more reasons than that, however. Most people know what Netflix is and what the service offers, which reduces the effectiveness of free trials; their purpose is to bring in new paying customers by showing them what they can get with a subscription. If prospective users already know the Netflix experience and haven’t yet subscribed, a 30-day trial probably won’t convert those leads.

The general philosophy is that if you’re not already a Netflix subscriber by this point, you’ll never be. Without confidence that trials will make Netflix more money due to people staying subscribed after it runs out, it has little use for the company.

Companies cannot grow forever, so there’s thinking that Netflix has reached as large of a base as it currently can. The focus then becomes retaining customers and raising prices to increase profit instead of putting all its energy into enticing new subscribers.

If you end up subscribing anyway, there’s plenty to get through on the service; that includes Wednesday season 2, the best horror movies on Netflix, and new Netflix documentaries.