I've been asking potential customers this very question, and the overwhelming response has been: AFTER. No surprise, I guess. I'm much more likely to signup for

I've been asking potential customers this very question, and the overwhelming response has been: AFTER. No surprise, I guess. I'm much more likely to signup for a trial if I don't need to pull out the card. Earn my trust, give me an app that is good enough to convert, and Let me decide. My apps don't require a card to signup. I'm now working to improve conversion in the funnel and I want to start with the widest funnel possible. As for multiple trials? I use email as a unique identifier. It isn't 100%, but I haven't seen any abuse (including the gmail address+whatever@gmail.com tweak). Not sure I would do anything about it if I did. My customers tend to be busy managers who don't have time to game the system. They'll just expense it anyway.