Search Atlas trial accounts now receive a dedicated Universal Credits allocation with clear messaging and a seamless path to upgrade. Understanding how trial credits work helps you make the most of your trial period and transition to a paid plan without interruption.
✨ What's New
Trial accounts are now fully integrated into the Universal Credits system with rules designed specifically for the trial experience. Rather than receiving the full credit allocation of the plan you signed up for, trial accounts receive a reduced allocation — 50% of what that plan normally includes. This gives you meaningful access to the platform's features while keeping the trial experience distinct from a full paid subscription. Every capped resource is guaranteed at least 1 credit, so no feature is completely locked off during your trial. Additionally, any actions that carry unlimited allocations on your chosen plan remain unlimited during the trial as well, so you never lose access to those capabilities.
🛠️ How to Use It
- Sign up for a Search Atlas trial on any available plan. Your Universal Credits allocation is automatically set to 50% of that plan's standard credits the moment your trial begins — no setup required.
- Use the platform normally. Your trial credit balance is visible in the same place as it would be on a paid plan, so you always know where you stand.
- If you exhaust your trial credits, you will see a dedicated message letting you know your trial credits are used up, along with a direct link to activate a paid plan and continue without interruption.
- Click the upgrade link in that message (or navigate to your billing settings) and activate a paid plan. Your full paid-plan credit allocation becomes available immediately on your very next action — no waiting period, no manual reset needed.
📋 What to Expect
Trial accounts receive 50% of the credit allocation associated with the plan selected at sign-up, with a minimum of 1 credit guaranteed for every resource that has a cap. Resources that are unlimited on your chosen plan stay unlimited throughout your trial. When your trial credits run out, the message you see is distinct from the limit message shown to paid subscribers — it is specific to the trial experience and includes a direct path to upgrade. Paid plan customers are completely unaffected by these changes; their credit limits, balances, and messaging remain exactly as described in the main Universal Credits article. If you upgrade while your trial credits are exhausted, your full paid-plan allocation (minus any credits already consumed during the trial) is restored the instant your upgrade is confirmed — there is no delay and nothing to manually reset.
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.