What Is Trialware?

Date First Published: 9th September 2023

Topic: Computer Systems

Subtopic: Computer Software

Article Type: Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty: Medium

Difficulty Level: 5/10

CONTENTS

How Does Trialware Work?

Learn about what trialware is in this article.

Trialware, also known as demoware, is a type of proprietary software that allows the user to use it free of charge for a limited period of time. After the trial period ends, it expires and has much more limited functionality or stops working. In order to keep the software running after the trial period ends, users need to enter their licence key. Most trialware can be directly installed from the developer's website.

Trialware is a useful method for developers to allow users to evaluate software so that they can decide whether they like it before they buy the full version. This allows them to make an informed buying decision and is much more effective at generating sales than software that does not allow users to see and experience the full product before buying.

The trial period is usually 14 to 30 days after the software has been installed. Sometimes, the trial period may only count down if it has been used and run at least once on that day to avoid a wasted trial.

How Does Trialware Work?

There are three common methods that are used by trialware to know when the trial period has ended. Trialware can be as simple as checking the system date. However, some types of trialware use more advanced methods to detect when the trial period has ended.

Advanced forms of trialware may create a hidden entry in the Windows registry to identify the trial period, when the trialware was installed, and the time of the installation. When launched, the software compares the registry file with the system date and time. Since developers know that it is easy to scan the registry for entries related to trialware and remove them, the registry entries are not usually created under obvious names that are related to the software.

Some types of trialware may create a hidden system file related to the trial version of the software. It could be a file with a .sys or .ini file extension. Sometimes, they may be placed in the System32 folder or into the folder containing drivers to make them less obvious. Based on the data of those files, the program can detect whether the trial period is still remaining or if it has expired.

Some trialware may only allow users to use the trialware if they log into their account, which can track the trial period and prevent multiple accounts from being created by tracking the user's IP address.