If your hero text still pushes a “14-day free trial”, odds are you’re burning paid traffic. A fresh ProductLed study of 600+ SaaS teams shows a 12 % visitor-to-signup rate for freemium, roughly 2.4× higher than the average trial page (≈5 %).

The hidden leak is after signup

Across the same data set, only 9 % of free accounts turn into revenue.

Scoring fixes that leak

Teams that tag Product-Qualified Leads hit 25 % free-to-paid conversion – nearly triple the baseline.

Why freemium pulls in more visitors

Friction pointTrialFreemiumCredit-card wallOftenNeverTime bomb14–30 daysNoneShare-abilityLowHigh (users invite teammates)

The net: lower ask, faster aha, built-in virality.

How to keep freemium from bleeding cash

1. Track value moments. Log when a user hits key features or usage thresholds.

2. Set your PQL rule. Example: “3 teammates added and 5 projects created in 7 days.”

3. Push PQLs straight to sales or a nurture flow. Speed matters; intent decays in hours.

4. Tighten the upsell path. Upgrade button in-product, price page one click away.

5. Rinse and tweak. Review the rule each month as behaviour shifts.

Quick experiments to run this quarter

• Swap the offer copy: “Start for free – keep the core features forever.” Measure visitor-to-signup.

• Shorten your trial, but only after you have freemium running. Some teams find 7 days forces faster decisions.

• Add a usage-based banner that shows “You’re using 80 % of your free limits” the moment a user nudges the cap.

• Fire a sales email within 15 minutes of a PQL trigger. Personal beats automated blasts.

Takeaway

Better offers and sharper scoring move numbers quicker than another headline test. Spend the next sprint on those two levers and watch both ends of the funnel lift.