Key Findings at a Glance
The Headline Finding
"Start Free Trial" and "Get Started" account for 57.3% of all CTAs combined. But they serve fundamentally different business models — and understanding which to use depends on your product's free-access strategy.
1. CTA Distribution Across 110 Products
2. The "Free" Factor
69.1% of all CTAs contain the word "Free" — either as "Free Trial", "Get Started Free", "Try for Free", or "Sign Up Free". This is the single strongest signal in the data.
Critical Finding
Products whose CTAs include "Free" have a 68% freemium/free-trial adoption rate. Products whose CTAs don't mention "Free" (like "Request Demo" or "Contact Sales") have a 0% freemium rate. The word "Free" in your CTA isn't just copy — it signals your entire go-to-market model.
3. CTA × Business Model Analysis
Each CTA group correlates with a distinct business model pattern:
| CTA Group | Count | Freemium % | Free Trial % | Typical Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Get Started | 31 | 90% | 52% | Product-led, freemium-first |
| Sign Up Free | 8 | 100% | 38% | Pure freemium, self-serve |
| Start Free Trial | 32 | 25% | 100% | Trial-gated, time-limited |
| Try for Free | 9 | 44% | 100% | Hybrid free access |
| Request Demo | 17 | 0% | 82% | Sales-led, enterprise |
| Contact Sales | 1 | 0% | 100% | Enterprise-only |
Key Insight
"Get Started" is the freemium CTA. 90% of products using "Get Started" offer a free plan. It signals "you can use this right now, no credit card." Conversely, "Start Free Trial" is the trial CTA — 100% offer a time-limited trial. These aren't interchangeable — they communicate fundamentally different value propositions.
4. Leading Verb Analysis
The first word of your CTA matters. Here's how the 110 products split:
"Start" and "Get" account for 66.3% of all leading verbs. Both are action-oriented and low-friction. "Request" (12.7%) signals a higher-friction path that requires sales involvement.
5. Category-Specific CTA Patterns
"Get Started" dominates in:
Project Management (6 products), Product Analytics (2), Developer Tools (2), Customer Data Platforms (2). These are product-led categories where self-serve signup is expected.
"Request Demo" dominates in:
Marketing Automation (Act-On, Marketo), Enterprise Security (BetterCloud, CrowdStrike), Billing/Revenue (Chargebee, Zuora). These are high-ACV categories where enterprise sales cycles are standard.
Category Rule
If your category has > 50% freemium adoption, use "Get Started" or "Sign Up Free." If your category is sales-led (marketing automation, enterprise security), "Request Demo" is appropriate. Check the pricing report for per-category freemium benchmarks.
6. Correlation: Pricing Tiers × "Free" in CTA
| Tiers | Products | CTA Contains "Free" | Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 tier | 12 | 8% | Contact Sales / Get Quote — no free path |
| 2 tiers | 9 | 56% | Mixed — some free trial, some sales-led |
| 3 tiers | 41 | 71% | Strong free path — trial or freemium |
| 4 tiers | 44 | 82% | Free tier + paid tiers — "Get Started" dominant |
| 5+ tiers | 4 | 50% | Complex products — mixed approaches |
Products with 4 tiers are most likely to include "Free" in their CTA (82%). This aligns with the Free/Starter/Pro/Enterprise structure where the CTA leads users to the free tier.
7 Actionable Recommendations
1. If You Have a Free Plan → Use "Get Started"
90% of freemium products use "Get Started." It implies immediate access with zero commitment. Don't say "Start Free Trial" if there's no trial expiry.
2. If You Have a Time-Limited Trial → Use "Start Free Trial"
100% of products using this CTA offer a trial. It sets the right expectation — free now, but with a deadline. This creates urgency.
3. Always Include "Free" in Your CTA
69.1% of successful SaaS products do it. The word "Free" reduces perceived risk and increases click-through. If you offer any free access, say so in the button.
4. Lead with "Start" or "Get"
These two verbs cover 66.3% of the market. Both are active, direct, and low-friction. Avoid passive verbs like "Learn" or "Explore" — zero products in our dataset use them as primary CTAs.
5. "Request Demo" Is for Enterprise Only
0% freemium rate for this CTA group. Use it only if your ACV is $10K+ and you have a sales team. For SMB SaaS, it creates unnecessary friction.
6. Match CTA to Tier Count
If you have 4 tiers, 82% chance your CTA should contain "Free." If you have 1 tier (contact sales only), don't pretend you have a self-serve path.
7. Test "Start Free Trial" vs "Get Started" First
These are the top 2 CTAs (57.3% combined). If you're running your first CTA experiment, start here — the gap between them likely represents your biggest conversion opportunity.
Get the next experiment results first
Live CTA A/B tests across 20 SaaS companies — shipping Q2 2026.