GitHub Marketplace free trial countdown in billing UI
Show the remaining GitHub Marketplace trial days inside the product, because GitHub gives the dates and the buyer should not have to guess when paid access starts.
Why this can grow a startup
A free trial is not just a pricing toggle. It changes what the customer needs to understand during setup and evaluation. GitHub sends the purchase webhook with `on_free_trial`, `effective_date`, and `free_trial_ends_on`, then tells publishers to show the remaining days in a banner or billing UI. That is useful because trial users are trying to answer two questions at once: can this tool do the job, and when will the account become paid. A visible countdown reduces billing surprise and gives the team a natural place to explain what happens next.
Source-backed example
GitHub's purchase-handling guide says apps should read `on_free_trial`, `effective_date`, and `free_trial_ends_on` from the Marketplace webhook and use the end date to display the remaining trial days in a banner or billing UI.
Source-reported evidence
Source: GitHub Docs: Handling new purchases and free trials
GitHub Marketplace free trials have a fixed 14 day length and expose `free_trial_ends_on` in the purchase webhook.
Attributed to the cited source; GrowthDex has not independently verified it. Use this as context, not as a forecast, benchmark, or recommended target.
Evidence scope: claims and metrics are attributed to the linked source; GrowthDex has not independently replicated the reported result. Check the original context and validate fit before applying it. Read the evidence methodology.
When to use it
Use this when Marketplaces, Onboarding, Retention is relevant to trial conversion, billing clarity, developer tools and you can run a bounded test with a free budget.
When not to use it
Do not use it as a substitute for customer evidence, a clear owner, or a measurable stop condition. Local platform rules and market behavior still need checking.
How to do it
- Choose one target segment and define the exact next action this tactic should prompt.
- Adapt the tactic to Marketplaces and Onboarding, using evidence from GitHub Docs: Handling new purchases and free trials as context—not as a promised result.
- Record a baseline for: Share of target users completing the product's first-value action. Set a guardrail that would make you pause the test.
- Run a narrow pilot and choose a test window that fits the normal decision or use cycle; do not scale before you have observed the full cycle.
- Compare the signal with its baseline. Scale only if the intended action improves without crossing the guardrail; otherwise revise one variable or stop and record what you learned.
Compare a stack for your situation
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