Removing 'Buy Now' next to the free trial: +29.75% downloads
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsRemoving the 'Buy Now' button and leaving only the free trial download lifted free downloads by 29.75%, at 97% confidence.
Masters ITC Software ran this test on the landing page for Scanitto Pro, its Windows scanning software.
It was published as a VWO case study.
- Free trial downloads: up 29.75%, at 97% statistical confidence.
- Paid purchases: no figure was shared, so the effect on revenue is unknown.
- The team's goal was to get people to try first and buy later.
The change
The variant drops Buy Now and keeps only the free trial button.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
A landing page with two buttons side by side: a free trial download and 'Buy Now' for the paid version.
Variant
The 'Buy Now' button removed, so the free trial download was the only call to action.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- One button means one decision. Two buttons side by side make visitors weigh options first.
- Most visitors were not ready to pay yet. A free trial suited where they were.
- With no paid option on show, the trial became the obvious next step.
Caveats: The effect on paid purchases was not reported, so a rise in downloads may not mean more revenue. No sample size or duration was given, and the result is vendor-reported.
Who ran it
Masters ITC Software ran this test and published the results (VWO case study). The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
Read the original case study on Masters ITC Software →
How to run this test on your site
- Hypothesis
- If we remove the Buy Now button next to the free trial, then more visitors will start a trial because they face one clear choice.
- Primary metric
- Free trial downloads or sign-ups per visitor
- Guardrails
- Paid purchases (including later trial conversions)
- Revenue per visitor
- Trial-to-paid rate
- Who should test it
- Software with a free trial where most buyers try before they pay. Risky if a large share of your revenue comes from people who buy straight away without a trial.
Questions
Should a SaaS landing page have one CTA or two?
In this test, one CTA beat two side by side. Fewer choices made it easier to act.
Will removing the buy button hurt sales?
It might. This case study did not report paid sales, so track trial-to-paid conversion and revenue before rolling it out.
Where should the buy option go instead?
Common choices are the pricing page or inside the trial itself, where users have already seen the product.
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