Article · 12 min read

Top 10 Metrics to Measure Freemium and Free Trial Performance

Carmen DeCouto · Amplitude Free Intermediate

A short, specific list of what to instrument on a self-serve funnel, including time to activation and time to convert, which are the two most people forget to track at all.

  • Average day-seven activation is 6.8 percent, 5.1 percent in retail and 10 percent in manufacturing.
  • Amplitude's own freemium users tend to reach higher lifetime value than those who start paid.
  • For B2B products a weekly metrics check is a good starting cadence.
  • Track in-product calls to action to talk to sales as the bridge from PLG to sales.
Open on amplitude.com ↗

It answers 9 questions

  1. We are about to launch. Should we go with freemium or a free trial?
  2. Our activation rate is 18 percent. Is that terrible, or is that just what it is?
  3. Our self-serve funnel converts at about 2 percent from signup to paid. Where do I even start looking?
  4. Sales wants to call every signup. How do I decide which ones deserve a human?
  5. How do I run a pricing or packaging experiment on a live self-serve funnel without blowing up revenue?
  6. How do I convert more trials without turning the product into a nagging upgrade prompt?
  7. What should I actually report to the board for a PLG business, given pipeline coverage means nothing here?
  8. How do I build the data plumbing so activation signals reach sales while they still matter?
  9. What separates a top-quartile self-serve funnel from an average one, stage by stage?

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