- Netflix is reportedly experimenting with free trial periods again
- The 'try before you buy' offer hasn't been available since 2020
- Two of its biggest markets have been overlooked for the promotional tests
Netflix free trials are making a comeback — sort of. More than six years after time was called on its beloved 30-day free trial offer, users could soon be able to try out the world's best streaming service free of charge once more.
According to What's on Netflix, the streaming juggernaut is not only exploring whether to reintroduce its 'try before you buy' offer, but also actively testing its return in some world regions. When asked for comment, a spokesperson simply told the aforementioned website: "We regularly test promotions to help prospective members experience the value of Netflix."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are caveats. For starters, the US and UK aren't among the nations in which this experiment is being conducted. Considering that these countries are two of Netflix's biggest markets, I'm surprised that those in charge aren't trying to entice prospective new users by testing its free trial period on both sides of the Atlantic.
Speaking of new users, Netflix is only said to be offering a free trial to those who haven't previously signed up to the platform. Furthermore, What's on Netflix understands that these free trial periods vary in length depending on where you live.
Opinion: Netflix needs a subscriber boost — and free trials are the one and only solution
Let me clarify the above sub-header before we move on: Netflix isn't short of subscribers. As of January 2026, the entertainment giant's worldwide userbase stood at a staggering 325 million (per Yahoo Finance). That's almost 130 million more active subscribers than the 195.7 million combined total of Disney's two streamers in Disney+ and Hulu, and over 100 million more than Prime Video's estimated install base.
Nonetheless, Netflix has hit something of a road block in the battle to attract new users and keep them hooked on its offerings.
Per a recent Bloomberg report, the amount of time that Netflix fans spent watching its vast suite of content grew by less than 2%. The same article also indicates that Netflix has only had two major TV hits on its hands this year — those being His & Hers and Bridgerton season 4. The streamer has since chalked up another TV Original win in the form of I Will Find You, but the aforementioned Bloomberg piece was published prior to I Will Find You's viewership data becoming publicly available.
Bloomberg's report doesn't dig into the movie side of things, but Netflix has also similarly struggled to deliver unmissable original films. Indeed, barring sci-fi action movie War Machine, family-friendly animated flick Swapped, crime drama The RIP, and survival thriller Apex, Netflix can't point to its movie division as proof that it's still firing on all cylinders.
With returning shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Beef, One Piece, and The Night Agent, as well as new movies including Enola Holmes 3, failing to do big numbers, Netflix's 2026 lineup clearly hasn't done enough (thus far, anyway) to entertain the masses. Throw in sliding share prices after Netflix lost out to Paramount Skydance in the fight to try and buy Warner Bros, and it's little surprise to learn that fearful Netflix investors are putting the pressure on executives to arrest this downturn in fortunes.
What better way is there, then, then by luring in potential new users by giving them a chance to try Netflix for free, especially in countries where user retention might not be as high as it is elsewhere?
Well, Netflix could actually do the unthinkable, and reduce the cost of a monthly membership rather than jacking up the price every year — but Hell is likely to freeze over before that happens. So, revisiting its free trial offer, and re-rolling it out in certain territories might be the one and only option available to the streaming titan if it wants to maintain its position as top dog.
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