It often is very easy to limit the usefulness of a trial version without impacting the trial at all. The negligible part is the cost of the freeloaders, there

It often is very easy to limit the usefulness of a trial version without impacting the trial at all. The negligible part is the cost of the freeloaders, there can also be value in freeloaders. They help spread the word and keep up the good word and they might convert rather than going to a competitor. They also represent a good opportunity to show good will. The non-negligible part is the lost revenue from performing such shady practices as requiring a cc / phone number. If you require that for a trial I will perform extensive research of your competitors. And if desperate enough might consider you after that if nothing else was up to par. If you allow me to sign up for a trial without an email that is very positive and shows me that you respect your users. That is very appealing. And very reasonable, because the sole reason for anyone to ask for an email is so they can send spam to it afterwards. Which of course shows me that you do not respect your users.