Free checklist · print or save as PDF
Free trial abuse checklist for SaaS
Twenty checks that stop people from farming your free trial without turning real customers away. Tick what you already have; your progress stays in this browser.
0 of 20 in place. Ticks stay in this browser only.
On the signup form
In the trial itself
Detection and review
How you respond
Where to start
If you only have an afternoon, do the first four items. Most trial abuse on a small SaaS is not clever: it is the same person signing up again with a temporary inbox, a Gmail alias or a made-up domain. Checking the email domain and enforcing one trial per inbox removes that whole class of repeat signups without adding a single extra step for honest customers.
The second section changes what a trial is worth to a farmer. A trial that hands out unlimited API calls or AI credits is worth automating; one that is capped at what a real evaluation needs is not. The last two sections keep your rules honest: log why each signup was blocked, look at the log every week, and make sure a slow check never stops a real customer from getting in.
For the reasoning behind each item, the ways people abuse trials and how the main tools compare, read the free trial abuse playbook. To see what your own form would let through today, paste a few recent signups into the email list audit.
How Vetto covers the first section
Vetto handles disposable and dead domains, typo rescue, Gmail alias detection, privacy-relay allowlisting and per-network rate signals with one script tag, plus a server-side check for frameworks such as Supabase and Next.js. It fails open when a lookup is slow and logs a reason for every decision, which covers several items in the last two sections as well.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need all twenty items?
No. Start with the first section: blocking disposable and dead domains, fixing typos and enforcing one trial per inbox stop most casual abuse on a small SaaS. Add the trial and review items when you see farms getting through.
Will blocking disposable emails hurt real signups?
Rarely, as long as you allow privacy relays such as Apple Hide My Email and Firefox Relay and show a clear message. People who use a throwaway inbox for a product they want to keep will switch to a real address when asked.
Is my progress saved?
Your ticks are saved in this browser only, with local storage. Nothing is sent to Vetto. Use "Print or save as PDF" to keep a copy or share it with your team.
Should I require a credit card for the trial?
A card stops most abuse but also cuts honest signups sharply, especially for indie and developer tools. Many teams keep a card-free trial, cap its usage and block disposable and repeat inboxes instead.
Give your signup form sharp eyes.
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