---
title: "Getting started"
url: "https://trialvalid.com/docs/getting-started.md"
canonical_url: "https://trialvalid.com/docs/getting-started"
last_updated: "2026-10-22"
type: "reference"
summary: "What you need to run card-backed trials with TrialValid, the steps a seller follows, and what the platform handles for you."
related: ["https://trialvalid.com/docs/trial-lifecycle.md", "https://trialvalid.com/docs/plans-and-mrr.md", "https://trialvalid.com/docs/errors.md"]
---

# Getting started

> **For AI agents:** the complete index of TrialValid pages is [llms.txt](https://trialvalid.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md.

What you need to run card-backed trials with TrialValid, the steps a seller follows, and what the platform handles for you.

## What you need

- A Stripe account. You connect it with Stripe Connect OAuth, and the connection can be revoked at any time.
- A Stripe price for the plan you sell, which gives the trial page its price.
- Optional: a Slack incoming-webhook URL for alerts, and a domain for hosted pages.

## How to start

Email hello@trialvalid.com and we set up your account. Starter begins with a 14-day trial for $1; Growth, Scale, Pro, Max and Enterprise begin with an onboarding call.

## The steps

1. Connect your Stripe account. TrialValid reads your active subscriptions to work out your plan.
2. Create a trial page: pick the price and a trial length from 1 to 90 days, and write a variant.
3. Publish the page. A buyer sees it, reads the authorization text and enters a card in Stripe Elements.
4. TrialValid holds the plan price, starts the trial subscription and schedules the capture and the reminder.
5. Shortly before the trial ends, the hold is captured. The first invoice is paid by the credit, so the buyer is charged once.

## What the platform handles

| Part | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| Hold, subscription, capture, refund and credit logic | Runs each trial from sign-up to the single charge, with retries and idempotent Stripe writes |
| Stripe Connect OAuth and webhook verification | Connects your account and checks every Stripe event before it runs |
| Trial pages, variants, attribution, Slack alerts, descriptors, trial records | Sells the trial, tracks where signups come from and tells you when something needs attention |
| HTTP API and OpenAPI document | Manages pages, variants, trials, domains and alerts from your own tools |
| Plans | Chooses your plan from the MRR of your connected account |

## Related

- [Trial lifecycle](https://trialvalid.com/docs/trial-lifecycle.md)
- [Plans and MRR](https://trialvalid.com/docs/plans-and-mrr.md)
- [Errors](https://trialvalid.com/docs/errors.md)