Free Trial Abuse Prevention Checklist

Track and implement different strategies to prevent free trial abuse in your SaaS or AI product.

Your implementation progress

Track which prevention strategies you've implemented

0% implemented0/16 strategies

Add CAPTCHA verification to your signup form to prevent automated signups.

Easy to implement
Medium effectiveness
Low Impact on UX

Send a verification link to confirm email addresses before activating accounts.

Easy to implement
Medium effectiveness
Low Impact on UX

Use a disposable email domain list or API to block temporary email addresses.

Medium to implement
High effectiveness
Medium Impact on UX

Enforce password complexity requirements to prevent simple bot-created accounts.

Easy to implement
Low effectiveness
Low Impact on UX

Require users to verify their phone number via SMS or call.

Hard to implement
High effectiveness
High Impact on UX

Track unique device characteristics to identify repeat signups.

Hard to implement
High effectiveness
Medium Impact on UX

Track and limit multiple signups from the same IP address.

Medium to implement
Medium effectiveness
Medium Impact on UX

Allow or require users to sign up using established social media accounts.

Medium to implement
Medium effectiveness
Medium Impact on UX

Track and analyze abnormal usage patterns indicative of trial abuse.

Medium to implement
High effectiveness
Low Impact on UX

Set up alerts for unusual spikes in signup rates.

Easy to implement
Medium effectiveness
Low Impact on UX

Identify users who consistently reach free plan limits and create new accounts.

Medium to implement
High effectiveness
Low Impact on UX

Identify when the same user appears to be using multiple accounts.

Hard to implement
High effectiveness
Medium Impact on UX

Ask for credit card details upfront, even for free trials.

Easy to implement
High effectiveness
High Impact on UX

Review and approve new accounts before activation.

Hard to implement
Very High effectiveness
High Impact on UX

Remove free trials entirely and offer demos or short paid trials instead.

Easy to implement
Very High effectiveness
Very High Impact on UX

Communicate openly about the impact of trial abuse on your business.

Easy to implement
Low effectiveness
Low Impact on UX

Consider implementing a mix of strategies across different categories for the most effective protection. Start with the basics that have low user experience impact before moving to more advanced measures.

Companies using disposable email blocking

Industry examples of businesses protecting their services from abuse

Many leading platforms have implemented measures to block temporary email services. Here are some notable examples:

Gaming & Software

  • Steam: Blocks disposable emails with the message:"It appears you've entered a disposable email address, or are using an email provider that cannot be used on Steam."

Communities & Forums

  • StackOverflow: Blocks throwaway emails to ensure users have long-term commitments.
  • Discourse: Offers plugins for community administrators to block temporary emails.

SaaS & Productivity

  • Canny: Clearly states:"Canny does not accept disposable email addresses. Please use another email address."
  • Telemetry: Silently blocks signups from disposable emails.
  • FastCron: Implemented blocking to protect their free tier from abuse.

Infrastructure & Hosting

  • InfinityFree: Blocks disposable emails, which is essential for a free hosting provider.
  • IsTempMail: As a service that helps detect disposable emails, they also implement blocking on their own signup forms.

Industry Trend: The prevalence of disposable email blocking across diverse sectors demonstrates its effectiveness as a free trial abuse prevention strategy. More businesses are adopting this approach as temporary email services proliferate.

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