Best free trials you can try in 2022

Canstar has tracked down a number of companies offering free trials. There’s everything from TV, movie and music streaming services through to gaming and gyms.

Free trials can be a great way to try something without spending any money. There are plenty of companies letting you do just that and they aren’t all streaming TV and movie platforms. You’ll find gyms, audiobooks, health and fitness apps, plus more.

Keep in mind that free trials are generally only offered to new customers. If you have had an account with the provider before or have even taken advantage of a free trial in the past, chances are you won’t be eligible for a free trial.

It’s also worth noting that most free trials require your credit card details and if you don’t cancel the service before the free period ends you’ll be charged. If you want it to continue then that’s fine but you don’t want to spend money on something you don’t plan on using again. It’s a good idea to set an alert in your calendar a couple of days before the trial is due to end to remind you to cancel it.

We have tracked down a selection of free trials to check out. To get more information on the free trial offer click on the number of days next to the free trial period of each service. These were all available at the time of writing but may change.

Streaming – TV & movies

Acorn TV

Free trial period: Seven days

On Acorn TV you’ll find shows in a wide range of genres including mysteries, dramas, comedies and documentaries. There is a strong emphasis on British content but there are shows from other countries as well. Some of its popular options include classics such as Midsomer Murders, Murdoch Mysteries and Agatha Christie’s Poirot. There is also a range of original content.

Cost after the trial ends: $6.99 a month or $69 annually.

Amazon Prime Video

Free trial period: 30 days

Amazon Prime Video has a wide variety of shows and movies including a number of exclusives and originals such as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Jack Ryan and Star Trek: Picard. One of the benefits of an Amazon Prime membership is that you also get free, expedited delivery on a range of eligible items from Amazon, access to millions of free songs through Amazon Music and free access to a selection of e-books.

Cost after the trial ends: $6.99 a month.

Apple TV+

Free trial period: Seven days

Apple TV+ has a number of original TV shows including Morning Wars, Ted Lasso, Defending Jacob and The Servant. It also offers original films such as Finch and Greyhound featuring Tom Hanks and documentaries such as Bruce Springsteen’s Letters to You and Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry.

Cost after the trial ends: $7.99 a month.

BINGE

Free trial period: 14 days

BINGE is part of the Foxtel Group so you’ll find a lot of TV shows, movies and documentaries also available on Foxtel. This includes a number of award-nominated shows and mini-series such as Succession, Game of Thrones and Mare of Eastown. There are plenty of movies to choose from including the Harry Potter and Spiderman collections.

Cost after the trial ends: There are three package options to choose – $10, $14 or $18 a month.

BritBox

Free trial period: Seven days

The name is a bit of a giveaway but BritBox is the home of British TV, featuring shows direct from the BBC and ITV. You can watch every Doctor Who series, watch every season of Line of Duty and access a large range of David Attenborough documentaries.

Cost after the trial ends: $8.99 a month or $89.99 annually.

DocPlay

Free trial period: 14 days

DocPlay is for anyone who enjoys a good documentary. There are plenty to choose from and it includes both films and TV series. Some of the popular docos include JFK: Destiny Betrayed, Crimes that Made History and Belushi.

Cost after the trial ends: $7.99 a month or $79.99 annually.

Flash

Free trial period: 14 days

If you are a bit of a news junkie then Flash might be worth a try. More than 20 global & local news sources are available on the streaming service including Sky News, BBC World News, CNN, Bloomberg Television, Fox News and Al Jazeera.

Cost after the trial ends: $8 a month.

Foxtel Now

Free trial period: 10 days

Foxtel Now is essentially the streaming version of Foxtel – it doesn’t need a special box to be installed. The shows and/or movies you can access will depend on the package you choose but examples include Euphoria, And Just Like That…, Wentworth and Big Little Lies.

Cost after the trial ends: Prices start at $25 a month for the “base pack” and you can add more packs to your subscription for a fee. If you want all available packs it will cost you $104 a month.

Hayu

Free trial period: Seven days

Hayu is for anyone who enjoys a reality TV fix. There are hundreds of shows on the service including a large selection from The Real Housewives and Below Deck franchises as well as Keeping up with the Kardashians and every episode of Botched and Top Chef.

Cost after the trial ends: $6.99 a month.

iwonder

Free trial period: 14 days

You can watch a wide range of documentaries and current affairs programs on iwonder, covering a wide range of topics including crime; health and science; politics; business and tech and history. Some of its popular and award-winning titles include The Kleptocrats, Untouchable, Eating Animals and Honeyland.

Cost after the trial ends: $6.99 a month.

Kayo

Free trial period: 14 days

Kayo has been dubbed the ‘Netflix of Sports’. There’s live coverage of a huge variety of Australian and international sporting events, covering American Football, AFL, basketball, boxing & MMA, cricket, cycling, football, Formula One & motorsport, golf, rugby league, rugby union and tennis. There are also documentaries and highlight reels.

Cost after the trial ends: There’s a $25 or $35 a month plan depending on the number of screens you want to be able to use at the one time.

Paramount+

Free trial period: Seven days

On Paramount+ you’ll find shows and movies from Paramount Pictures, Showtime, CBS, MTV and Nickelodeon. You’ll also get access to content from Channel 10 and can watch every match of the A-Leagues, Socceroos and Commbank Matildas live. Some of the titles on the service include The Godfather Trilogy, Spongebob Squarepants and Dexter Revival.

Cost after the trial ends: $8.99 a month

Shudder

Free trial period: Seven days

Shudder is a streaming service dedicated to horror, suspense and the supernatural. It offers a wide variety of new and classic horror movies and TV shows such as Creepshow and Halloween.

Cost after the trial ends: $6.99 a month or $69.99 annually.

Stan

Free trial period: 30 days

On Stan, you’ll find a large range of popular shows such as Yellowstone, Billions and The Great. Stan also creates original content including Bump, The Tourist and Wolf Like Me. There are also plenty of movies to choose from.

Cost after the trial ends: There are three package options to choose from – $10, $14 or $19 a month.

YouTube Premium

Free trial period: One month

Chances are you have watched a video or two on YouTube so you know what it is. The Premium version is ad-free, lets you download videos to watch offline and you can keep videos playing in the background when using other apps or your screen is off.

Cost after the trial ends: $14.99 a month. There is also a student plan for $8.99 and a family plan which lets you add up to five family members (ages 13+) in your household for $22.99 a month.

Streaming – music

Apple Music

Free trial period: Three months

You can listen to up to 90 million songs ad-free with Apple Music and it also features tens of thousands of expert-curated playlists. Some of the plans also let you download songs to listen to when you’re offline.

Cost after the trial ends: There are a number of plans to choose from. The standard individual plan is $11.99 a month.

Spotify Premium

Free trial period: One month

There are millions of songs you can listen to on Spotify and with the Premium version there are no ads. You can also download music to listen to anywhere.

Cost after the trial ends: There are a number of plans to choose from. The standard individual plan is $11.99 a month.

Audiobooks

Audible

Free trial period: 30 days

Audible, which is owned by Amazon, lets you download and listen to audiobooks. If you subscribe you get one free credit each month to purchase an audiobook, regardless of price.  Membership also gives you access to discounted prices on audiobooks and other exclusive benefits. With the free trial, you get your first audiobook for free and you can keep it even if you cancel the service.

Cost after the trial ends: $16.45 a month.

Gaming

Nintendo Switch Online

Free trial period: Seven days

You will need a Nintendo Switch for this to be of any use to you. An online membership lets you team up or compete with friends online on certain games, gives you access to a library of more than 100 NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) & Super NES titles and lets you back up your games to the cloud.

Cost after the trial ends: $5.95 a month, $11.95 for three months or $29.95 a year.

Health & fitness

Calm

Free trial period: Seven days

Calm is a sleep, meditation and relaxation app. A subscription gives you access to all the content on the app which includes hundreds of hours of guided meditation covering anxiety, stress, sleep, and more. You also get an original ‘Daily Calm’ every day.

Cost after the trial ends: $79.99 a year.

Fitness First

Free trial period: Five days

Fitness First has more than 60 clubs across NSW, ACT,  Victoria and Queensland. There are a variety of classes to choose from and many of its clubs have 24/7 access so you can train whenever you want.

Cost after the trial ends: There are a number of membership options depending on the club you join. Prices range from $17 to $37 a week.

Goodlife Health Clubs

Free trial period: Five days

Goodlife has more than 80 clubs across Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia. There is a range of group classes to choose from and selected clubs have 24/7 access.

Cost after the trial ends: There are a number of membership options. Prices range from $17.99 to $32.99 a week.

Jetts Fitness

Free trial period: Seven days

Jetts has more than 180 gyms nationwide all with 24/7 access. There are gyms in NSW, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.

Cost after the trial ends: Prices start at $14.95 a week.

LES MILLS+

Free trial period: 30 days

LES MILLS+ gives you unlimited access to more than 1,500 workouts which you can stream from your TV, tablet, computer or phone. You can also download workouts to work out without an internet connection. You can choose the workout that suits you including strength, cardio, HIIT, martial arts, cycle, yoga and more.

Cost after the trial ends: $24.99 a month, $63 for three months or $224 annually.

Peloton app

Free trial period: Three months

You don’t need a Peloton to benefit from a membership. The app gives you access to thousands of live and on-demand classes on your phone, tablet, TV or computer. Classes include strength, yoga, cardio, and meditation which you can do with no equipment.

Cost after the trial ends: $16.99 a month.

Other

Ancestry

Free trial period: 14 days

Want to know more about where you came from? Ancestry might be able to help you find out. It claims to offer the world’s largest collection of online family history records, which you can use to put together a family tree.

Cost after the trial ends: There are three different levels of memberships to choose from depending on what records you’d like to access. The cheapest is $24.99 a month or $99.99 for six months which only lets you access key Australia and UK records. To access everything on Ancestry will cost you $49.99 a month or $199.99 for six months.

Apple News+

Free trial period: One month

An Apple News+ subscription gives you access to hundreds of magazines and leading newspapers. Some of the titles you’ll find include The Australian, Australian House & Garden, Daily Telegraph, Vogue Australia and Wheels.

Cost after the trial ends: $14.99 a month.

eBay Plus

Free trial period: 30 days

An eBay Plus membership gives you access to member-only offers and discounts, free express delivery to metro areas on eBay Plus purchases (WA, NT & TAS are excluded) and free returns on eBay Plus purchases.

Cost after the trial ends: $4.99 a month or $49 annually.

Image source: ESB Professional/Shutterstock.com