Starting Your Free Trial

Ready to try Balance Premium for free? This guide walks you through starting your 30-day trial - no credit card required!

Before You Begin

What you’ll need:

• Email address
• Internet connection
• 5 minutes

What you DON’T need:

• Credit card
• Payment information
• Phone number

Starting Your Trial

Step 1: Create Your Account

1. Go to app.balancebudget.app
2. Click “Sign Up”
3. Enter:
   • Your name
   • Email address
   • Password (8+ characters)
4. Click “Create Account”

Step 2: Verify Your Email

1. Check your email inbox
2. Look for email from Balance
3. Copy the verification code
4. Enter code in Balance
5. Click “Verify”

Step 3: Start Free Trial

After email verification, you’ll see the trial page (shown in screenshot above).

Details shown:

• 30-day free trial
• No credit card needed
• Switches to free after 30 days
• Premium plans start at $4.99/month

Step 4: Select Plan (if prompted)

If you see a plan selection drawer (shown in screenshot above), choose between:

• Yearly Plan - $4.99/month (billed $59.99 yearly) - Two months free
• Monthly Plan - $5.99/month (billed monthly)

Tap “Subscribe” to start your trial.

That’s it! Your trial begins immediately.

What Happens Next

Immediate Access

You now have:

• 30 days of Premium
• All features unlocked
• Ability to connect up to 10 bank accounts
• Automatic transaction syncing

Onboarding Process

Balance guides you through setup:

Step 1: Add Income Categories

• Set up your income sources
• Enter monthly amounts

Step 2: Add Expense Categories

• Create budget categories
• Set budget amounts

Step 3: Connect Bank Accounts

• Link checking, savings, credit cards
• Transactions begin syncing

Step 4: Categorize Transactions

• Assign categories to imported transactions
• Start tracking spending

Takes about 10-15 minutes total.

Trial Timeline

Day 1: Today

What happens:

• Trial starts immediately
• $0.00 due
• Full Premium access
• Connect accounts and begin budgeting

What to do:

• Complete onboarding
• Connect bank accounts
• Create categories
• Start categorizing transactions

Days 2-22: Use Daily

What happens:

• Transactions sync automatically
• Budget updates in real-time
• Full app access

What to do:

• Check app daily (2-3 minutes)
• Categorize new transactions
• Monitor budget progress
• Coordinate with partner

Day 23: Reminder

What happens:

• Email reminder sent
• “7 days left in trial”
• In-app notification

What to do:

• Evaluate if Balance is valuable
• Decide if you’ll subscribe
• Or plan to use free plan

Day 30: Trial Ends

What happens:

• Trial expires automatically
• Switch to free plan
• Bank accounts disconnect
• Data remains safe

What to do:

• Subscribe to Premium (if desired)
• Or continue with free plan
• No action required for free plan

Trial Best Practices

Week 1: Full Setup

Complete setup:

• All bank accounts connected
• All categories created
• Partner added (if applicable)
• Past month categorized

Why: Can’t evaluate without full setup.

Week 2-3: Daily Use

Use consistently:

• Check daily
• Categorize immediately
• Monitor progress
• Discuss with partner weekly

Why: Need actual usage data to evaluate.

Week 4: Evaluation

Assess value:

• Did auto-sync save time?
• Improved budget adherence?
• Better money communication?
• Worth the cost?

Why: Make informed decision.

Mobile vs Web Trial

Web Browser

Starting trial on web:

1. Visit app.balancebudget.app
2. Sign up
3. Start trial
4. Use immediately in browser

Pros:

• Larger screen
• Easier setup
• No app install needed

Mobile App

Starting trial on mobile:

1. Download Balance app (iOS or Android)
2. Open app
3. Sign up
4. Start trial

Pros:

• On-the-go access
• Push notifications
• Always with you

Both sync! Start on one, use on both.

Troubleshooting

“I can’t start the trial”

Check:

• Email verified?
• Internet connected?
• Using supported browser?
• Try different browser

“It’s asking for payment”

For Premium trial: Should NOT ask for payment
If it does: Contact support - this is an error

“Trial started but can’t connect banks”

This is normal:

• Trial gives you ability to connect
• Actual bank connection is next step
• Go to Accounts tab
• Tap “Connect Now”

“I accidentally closed the setup”

No problem:

• Log back in
• Onboarding continues where you left off
• Or skip and set up manually

Next Steps

Trial started! Now:

1. Quick Start Guide - Complete setup in 10 minutes
2. Connecting Banks - Link your accounts
3. Creating Your Budget - Set up categories
4. Trial to Paid Conversion - What happens after trial

Questions? Contact our support team - we’re here to help!