> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://cloud.laravel.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Free trial

> Start on the Starter plan with your first 30 days free and $5 in usage credits.

## Introduction

New Starter subscriptions get their **first 30 days free**: the \$5 monthly fee is waived and you receive **\$5 in usage credits**. Use them to ship your first application on Laravel Cloud—on us.

## Getting started

Sign up at [cloud.laravel.com](https://cloud.laravel.com/sign-up), select the Starter plan, and add your payment details. Your first 30 days free and \$5 in usage credits are applied automatically.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/cloud/kfodhqvWNmf24tLb/images/free-trial-credits-promo.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=kfodhqvWNmf24tLb&q=85&s=08c339dd857bd30634186a3e3981aebb" alt="Laravel Cloud promotion showing $5 in free usage credits for the Starter plan with a Get started button." width="1024" height="620" data-path="images/free-trial-credits-promo.png" />

Credits are consumed as you provision and run resources. How far they go depends on what you deploy and for how long.

<Tip>
  Because [Scale to Zero](/compute#scale-to-zero) is on by default, your compute and resources stop consuming credits while your application is idle, which makes your trial go further.
</Tip>

## How far does \$5 go?

Laravel Cloud compute and many resources can [scale to zero](/compute#scale-to-zero) when your application is idle, which means they stop consuming credits until traffic returns. For many users, that makes the \$5 go surprisingly far.

Here are a few realistic examples:

| Scenario                  | What is running                                                           | Estimated runtime |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- |
| Weekend tinkerer          | Compute + Serverless Postgres, awake about 1 hour per day                 | About 4 months    |
| Active side project       | Compute + Serverless Postgres, awake about 4 hours per day                | About 5 weeks     |
| Full-stack app with cache | Compute + Serverless Postgres + Valkey                                    | About 3 weeks     |
| Everything always on      | Compute, Serverless Postgres, Valkey, and WebSockets active and always on | About 7 days      |

These are estimates, not guarantees. Actual usage depends on the resources you provision, how long they stay active, and whether Scale to Zero is enabled.

## After your first 30 days

If your usage stays under \$5 during your first 30 days, you pay nothing. You are only charged during this period for usage above your \$5 in credits. After your first 30 days, standard Starter billing begins at \$5/mo plus any usage beyond your monthly \$5 in credits. Your app stays online; nothing turns off.

[View plans and pricing](/pricing)