# Start a free trial

> Try the Pro or Business plan free for 14 days, once per account and with no payment method, and learn what happens when the trial ends.

Source: https://www.coritan.com/docs/billing/free-trial/

In the dashboard:

- /dashboard/billing/plan: https://www.coritan.com/dashboard/billing/plan

A free trial gives your account the Pro or Business plan for 14 days. It needs no payment method and raises no invoice. Each account can have one trial, of one plan, ever. You start it on the **Plan** tab of **Plan and billing**, from the dialog that opens when you reach a plan limit, or through the API ([With the API](#with-the-api)).

## Before you begin

- Account plans are open on your account ([Plans open in stages](/docs/billing/account-plans/#plans-open-in-stages)).
- The account is on the Free plan and has never had a trial. The **Plan** tab offers **Start a free trial…** only then.

## Start the trial

1. In the [dashboard](https://www.coritan.com/dashboard/billing/plan), select **Plan and billing**, then the **Plan** tab.
2. On the **Your plan** card, select **Start a free trial…**.
3. In the **Start a free trial** dialog, choose **Pro** or **Business**. Each choice lists the first of the plan's limits ([What each plan includes](/docs/billing/account-plans/#what-each-plan-includes)).
4. Complete the verification check, if the dialog shows one.
5. Select the button at the bottom of the dialog, such as `Start Business trial`.

## Result

The dashboard says `Your Business trial runs until October 10, 2026.` The **Your plan** card shows the plan with a **Free trial** badge and the date the trial ends, such as `Your free trial ends on Oct 10, 2026. The account then moves back to the Free plan unless you choose a plan.` Under **Plans**, the plan you are trying has the **On trial** badge.

The account has the plan's limits at once. Coritan also moves your [included services](/docs/billing/included-services/) up to the plan's size.

## When the trial ends

Coritan emails you 4 days before the trial ends, 1 day before, and when it has ended.

To keep a paid plan, order it before the trial ends: select the button under the plan on the **Plan** tab, such as `Choose Business…` ([Order Pro or Business](/docs/billing/change-account-plan/#order-pro-or-business)). The trial ends when the paid plan starts, whichever plan you order.

If you do nothing, the account returns to the Free plan when the trial ends. Coritan deletes nothing: what is above the Free plan's limits keeps working, and you cannot add more of it ([Moving to a smaller plan](/docs/billing/account-plans/#moving-to-a-smaller-plan)).

To end the trial early, select **End trial…** on the **Your plan** card, then **End trial** in the **End your free trial** dialog. **Move to Free…** under Free in **Plans** opens the same dialog.

> [!WARNING]
> A trial you end early cannot be restarted. Each account has one trial, ever.

## Troubleshooting

In the dashboard, the dialog shows the reason under **Could not start your trial**. Over the API, it is the answer's `detail`, with the status in the first column.

| Status | `detail` | Cause |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `403` | `{"code": "plans_not_open", ...}` | Account plans are not open on your account yet. |
| `403` | `{"error": "turnstile_failed", ...}` | The verification check is on, and `turnstile_token` is missing or did not pass. The dashboard shows `The verification check did not pass. Complete it and try again.` |
| `409` | `This account has already had its free trial.` | The account had a trial before, whatever became of it. |
| `409` | `This account already has the Pro plan.` | The account has a paid plan. A trial is for an account on Free. |
| `422` | `A free trial is for the Pro or Business plan.` | `plan` is not `plan-pro` or `plan-business`. |
| `429` | `{"error": "rate_limited", "action": "account_plan.trial", ...}` | You tried to start a trial 5 times in an hour. Each request for Pro or Business counts, also one whose verification check failed. The limit is separate from the one on free orders, so trying uses none of those. Wait the number of seconds in `retry_after_seconds` (3600), then try again. The dashboard shows `Too many requests for this action. Please wait and try again.` |

`Complete the verification check to continue.`
: You selected the button before the check finished. Complete the check, then select the button again.

## Related

- [How account plans work](/docs/billing/account-plans/)
- [The Free plan](/docs/billing/free-plan/)
- [Choose or change your account plan](/docs/billing/change-account-plan/)
- [Set up the services your plan includes](/docs/billing/included-services/)

## With the API

You need an access token for the account ([Access and refresh tokens](/docs/api/authentication/#access-and-refresh-tokens)). While the verification check is on, the request needs a `turnstile_token`, which only the check on a web page produces ([The verification check](/docs/api/authentication/#the-verification-check)).

1. Check that the account can start its trial:

   ```bash
   curl https://api.coritan.com/api/v1/account/plan \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer $CORITAN_TOKEN"
   ```

   The answer has `"trial": {"available": true, ...}` when it can.

2. Start the trial with [`POST /account/plan/trial`](/docs/api/reference/client/account-plan/#op-post-api-v1-account-plan-trial). `plan` is `plan-pro` or `plan-business`:

   ```bash
   curl -X POST https://api.coritan.com/api/v1/account/plan/trial \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer $CORITAN_TOKEN" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"plan": "plan-business", "turnstile_token": "the-widget-answer"}'
   ```

The answer is `201`, with your plan as `GET /account/plan` returns it:

```json
{
  "plan": {
    "key": "plan-business",
    "name": "Business",
    "source": "trial",
    "status": "trialing",
    "renews_at": null,
    "ends_at": "2026-10-10T09:30:00+00:00",
    "trial_ends_at": "2026-10-10T09:30:00+00:00",
    "service_id": null,
    "billing_cycle": null
  },
  "trial": {"available": false, "plan": "plan-business", "ends_at": "2026-10-10T09:30:00+00:00", "status": "active"},
  "message": "Your Business trial runs until October 10, 2026."
}
```

To end the trial early, send [`POST /account/plan/cancel`](/docs/api/reference/client/account-plan/#op-post-api-v1-account-plan-cancel). The answer's `status` is `trial_ended`.

## API

- `POST /api/v1/account/plan/trial`: Start your account's one free trial of Pro or Business (https://www.coritan.com/docs/api/reference/client/account-plan/#op-post-api-v1-account-plan-trial)