All 15 trial-labeled records in OnlyDetect's 30 September 2026 sample had a nonzero stored price. The recorded values ranged from $5 to $50, with a median of $13. That does not mean a free trial costs $13. A price field alongside a trial label can describe regular access rather than the amount charged to start the trial.
This small audit illustrates why an offer needs several fields. A single number cannot explain eligibility, temporary access, later pricing, and whether a later charge is authorized.
What we observed
The aggregate snapshot includes 461 active, indexable, unsuppressed records validated within 180 days. Fifteen were labeled free trial. We summarized the stored price within that group, without redeeming an offer or inspecting a subscriber's account.
Scroll across the table on smaller screens.
| Trial-labeled records | Observation |
|---|---|
| Number of records | 15 |
| Records with a stored price | 15 |
| Minimum stored price | $5 |
| Median stored price | $13 |
| Maximum stored price | $50 |
These values are observations of directory fields. They are not measurements of trial charges, renewal consent, or the current availability of all 15 offers.
A clearer way to read the offer
Keep four questions separate: what access begins now, how long it lasts, what regular access costs, and what action authorizes a later purchase. If a directory shows only a trial label and a regular price, some of those answers remain missing.
The safe wording for that limited evidence is “free trial; recorded regular price,” with a prompt to check the actual offer. “Free, then automatically charged” adds a claim about billing behavior that this dataset does not establish. “Normally free” confuses temporary access with the ordinary offer state.
The free trial checklist explains what to verify before accepting a particular promotion. Use the checkout and platform account controls as the source for the terms you are actually offered.
Why we did not measure offer changes
A current snapshot cannot tell us how often a trial is introduced, expires, or changes. Even two reads a few minutes apart would not establish the offer's history without preserved matching observations and a known measurement process.
We therefore report a field-interpretation audit, not a trial-freshness rate. No claim is made that any named creator changed an offer or that any listing is presently wrong.
How this affects price comparisons
Do not average these trial fields together with ordinary paid prices and call the result a typical entry cost. First decide which quantity you want to compare: immediate charge, regular subscription price, or planned total across a period.
For the third question, the subscription calculator accepts separate first-period and later-period values. It is an arithmetic aid. It does not determine whether an offer renews or what a creator will charge.
The study's SQL and aggregate download make the small sample and its definitions available for inspection.