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Substack free trial (2026): how the 7-day trial works, when you are charged, how to cancel, and how writers set one up

Last verified 20 Oct 2026 against official pricing pages · published 30 Oct 2026

Prices change often. Each price was checked on the platform's official pricing page on the date shown; plans, promos and taxes vary. Confirm on the official site before you buy. Not financial advice.

Short answer: Substack has no site-wide free trial, but each writer can offer one for their own newsletter: a 7-day trial at the paywall or a trial link. You need to enter a card, you can read the paid posts during the trial, and you are charged automatically when it ends unless you cancel in your Substack settings. Cancelling a trial costs nothing.

Rules from Substack's help center (articles listed under Sources, checked 2026-10-30). Fee example from Substack: How much does Substack cost? (checked 2026-10-27) and Stripe pricing. Substack publishes no trial conversion rate, so this page has none. Substack doesn't pay us for this page.

For readers: how a Substack trial works

Where you find one: a "7-day free trial" offer when you reach the paywall of a paid post (if the writer switched it on), or a trial link the writer shares or emails. The link shows the trial length and the publication's plans (trial links).
Card required: to start, you choose a plan (monthly, yearly or founding) and enter card details (redeeming a trial).
What you get: the paid posts and archive of that one publication, on the web and in the app. Trials don't unlock paid posts on other Substacks.
How many: as many trials to different publications as you like at once, but only one trial per publication on the same account.
When the trial ends: you're charged for the plan you chose and the subscription renews like any paid one. To avoid that, cancel before the billing date.

How to cancel a Substack free trial

Go to substack.com/settings and, under Subscriptions, pick the publication.
On Manage subscription, scroll to Account actions and click the link next to "To cancel your paid subscription, click here".
Click Cancel subscription, choose a reason and confirm. Some writers show a free-month offer here; click Continue to cancel to finish.

Your situation	What happens when you cancel
Trial ends within 10 days	Access ends right away ("Your subscriber benefits will end immediately"); no charge
More than 10 days left	You keep access until the trial's end date, then it doesn't convert; no charge
Already charged (trial converted)	Paid access continues to the end of the billing period; cancelling doesn't refund the charge
Subscribed in the iOS app	Cancel in the Apple App Store instead

From Substack: How do I cancel my paid subscription?. Changing plans during a trial ends the trial and charges the full new price.

Charged after a trial? Refunds

Refunds are at the writer's discretion, so ask the writer first. Substack's own policy: it refunds a request sent to Substack support within 7 days of the payment, unless you claimed a subscriber perk or the writer marked the subscription non-refundable (more than 3 refund requests from one subscriber may be left to the writer). It also refunds if the publication went dormant: no posts for at least 1 month after payment on monthly plans or 6 months on yearly. iOS in-app purchases are refunded by Apple. Refunds can take up to 10 business days to show on your statement.

For writers: setting up a free trial

Option	What readers get	Where
Trial at the paywall	A 7-day trial offer after the free preview of every paid post; the paywall message can't be customised	Settings → Payments → "Offer 7-day free trials in paywall"
Trial link	A trial with the name and terms you set, via a unique link you copy or send as a post	Settings → Payments → Special offers → New special offer → Terms: Free trial
Discount link	A price cut (amount and duration you set) on monthly and annual plans; can end on a date, be limited to school email addresses, or apply to all new subscribers	Same Special offers page
Comp	Free paid access you grant to one reader, no card needed	Subscribers dashboard

Counting: trial readers show in your Subscribers dashboard under Paid subscribers as a "Free trials" group. They count as paying subscribers there, but not in gross annualized revenue until they start paying, and not toward a Bestseller badge.
Fees: Substack's 10% and Stripe's fees are taken from payments, and a trial has no payment until it converts. A reader who converts to the $5/month minimum leaves you $4.02 a month; at $8/month, $6.61 (US card, after 10% + 2.9% + $0.30 + 0.7% Stripe Billing).
Refunding someone who forgot to cancel: do it from the Subscribers dashboard (three dots → Cancel subscription, prorated or full). If you refund in Stripe directly, Substack's 10% is not returned to you.
Comments: on paywalled posts only paid subscribers can comment, and that includes readers on a trial.

Substack doesn't publish how many trials convert, so we don't estimate it. For the other free-to-paid tools (metered paywall, gift and subscriber referrals, founding plan) and what 10 to 1,000 paying readers earn, see Substack paid subscribers.

Sources

Substack help (checked 2026-10-30): Offer a free trial, Free trial at the paywall, Redeem a free trial, Cancel a paid subscription, Change your plan, Refund policy, Offer a discount, Cancel and refund a subscriber, Comped subscriptions, Bestseller badge
Substack help: How much does Substack cost? (checked 2026-10-27)
Stripe pricing and Stripe Billing pricing (checked 2026-10-20)

See Substack plans

FAQ

Does Substack have a free trial?

Not for Substack as a whole: there is no trial that unlocks every paid newsletter. Each writer can offer a free trial to their own publication, either as a 7-day trial shown at the paywall of a paid post or as a special-offer trial link. You can run trials for several publications at the same time, but only one trial per publication on the same Substack account.

How does the Substack free trial work?

You pick one of the publication's plans and enter your card details. During the trial you can read the paid posts and archive on the web and in the app, like a paying subscriber. When the trial ends you are charged automatically for the plan you picked unless you cancel before the billing date.

Can you cancel a Substack free trial?

Yes. Go to substack.com/settings, choose the publication under Subscriptions, open Manage subscription and use the cancel link. If the trial ends within 10 days, access ends as soon as you cancel. If more than 10 days are left, it runs to its end date and then doesn't turn into a paid subscription. Either way you aren't charged.

I forgot to cancel my Substack trial. Can I get a refund?

Refunds are up to the writer, so ask them first. Substack itself will refund a request sent to Substack support within 7 days of the payment, unless you claimed a subscriber perk or the writer marked the subscription non-refundable. Subscriptions bought in the Substack iOS app are refunded by Apple, not Substack. Cancelling on its own doesn't refund a charge that already happened.

Is there a Substack free trial code?

Substack's help center describes trials as a link the writer creates (Settings → Payments → Special offers), not a code you type. Writers sometimes see the trial as a coupon in the "New Paid Subscription" email. If a newsletter offers a trial, the link or the paywall button applies it for you.

How do I offer a free trial on my Substack?

Two ways, both under Settings → Payments: switch on "Offer 7-day free trials in paywall", or open Special offers → New special offer, choose "Free trial" under Terms and share the link it creates. Trial readers count as paying subscribers in your dashboard (in a "Free trials" group) but not in gross annualized revenue until they pay, and not toward a Bestseller badge.

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