Freemium and Trial Controls

Freemium gives a visitor a choice between a free plan and a paid plan when joining. Trial controls let you decide which courses or pages a trial member can use before becoming a paying member.

As of September 2026, Skool's help material confirms freemium plans, with a Standard free plan sitting next to your paid options. The in-group upgrade button and the trial locks were shown in July 2026 and work the same way today. Verify the current screens, billing copy, and availability before building a launch around them.

How it works

• A visitor can choose an available free or paid plan during signup.
• A free member can see an upgrade action when your group offers a paid option.
• You can decide whether trial members may open a course.
• You can also lock a specific page or module inside a course.
• A locked item can invite the member to end the trial and pay using the card already on file.
• Trial members can message admins, but not other members.

Moving a paid member to free

Skool's help article explains two paths. In a freemium group, the member switches to the Standard free plan on the plans page themselves. In a subscription or tiers group, you remove the member and then re-invite them by email from your Churned members list; their points, levels, course progress, and contributions pick up where they left off.

Best practice

1. Let the free or trial experience prove the community's value.
2. Lock only material that creates a clear and fair reason to upgrade.
3. Test the full journey on desktop and mobile.
4. Confirm the price, charge timing, confirmation copy, refund terms, and access change yourself.
5. Measure early paid retention alongside trial-to-paid conversion.

Pitfalls

• A trial that reveals nothing useful can weaken trust.
• A one-click charge needs clear, current billing language.
• Language availability and trial duration can change, so do not rely on an old screen.
• Skool has not published a universal conversion result for these controls.