What is a free trial?
The Alibaba Cloud free trial lets new users—both individuals and enterprises—explore cloud services hands-on at no cost. Try a product or solution before you commit, so you can validate fit and lower the barrier to adoption.
Free trials come in two types:
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Product trial: Covers multiple products across compute, storage, networking, databases, and AI.
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Solution trial: Bundles technical solutions with trial benefits so you can run a Proof of Concept (POC) and inform business decisions.
Rules for each type:
Product trial
Visit the Free Trial page for trial rules, duration, available products, and resource specifications. Check each product card for the latest details.
Solution trial
Solution trial benefits are provided as trial points. These points are used to cover the cost of trial resources that you create to learn about and test a solution.
Solution trials and product trials are separate benefits. Participating in a solution trial does not affect your eligibility for a product trial.
1. Eligibility
You must meet all of the following conditions:
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You are a registered Alibaba Cloud member.
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Your user information is complete, including a security phone number and a payment method.
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Your account has no overdue payments.
2. Participation rules
Application and incentive rules
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Solution trial benefits are issued as trial points. Trial points cover the cost of resources when you deploy a solution in free trial mode. The initial point amount required varies by solution; see the description on the specific solution page.
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Eligible users can claim an initial 50 trial points one time from the deployment page of any solution that supports a free trial. Each user can claim the initial points only once.
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Incentive trial points: You receive 5 incentive trial points the first time you complete a solution trial and pass the deployment check. The incentive is awarded once per solution, up to 10 solutions, for a cumulative maximum of 50 points.
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Trial points are valid for one year, starting from the top of the hour (HH:00:00) when you claim them. For example, if you claim 50 trial points at 10:05:04 on May 1, 2026, they take effect at 10:00:00 on May 1, 2026 and expire at 10:00:00 on May 1, 2027. If you receive 5 incentive trial points at 11:00:00 on May 1, 2026, they take effect at 11:00:00 on May 1, 2026 and expire at 11:00:00 on May 1, 2027. We notify you by email and internal message before the points expire.
Operational rules for free trials
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Resources for a solution trial are created under a dedicated trial account. They can only be used for the current solution trial—not for any commercial workload. Do not upload personal data, sensitive information, or business secrets to trial resources.
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Choose a trial duration based on the solution, but make sure your trial point balance is sufficient. Each trial cannot exceed 168 hours. If you need more time, extend the trial—your point balance must still be sufficient, and the total duration must remain within 168 hours.
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Follow the operation manual provided with each solution. Do not perform operations outside its scope.
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When you end the trial, the duration expires, or your trial points reach zero, the trial resources are released, the trial account is deleted, and the trial data is erased.
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If you want to deploy the solution to your own Alibaba Cloud account, choose Deploy without a free trial. You bear the cost of the resources required for direct deployment.
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A user cannot exceed the maximum number of concurrent solution trials, and the same solution cannot exceed its maximum trial frequency. The exact limits are shown on the page.
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Free trial resources are for the trial account holder only and cannot be transferred.
Trial point deduction rules
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Trial points are a dedicated quota for Alibaba Cloud solution trials, used only to offset the cost of resources created for learning and validating solutions.
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Points are deducted from the actual cloud-resource bills generated by the trial resources, at 1 point : USD 1. The estimated point consumption shown for each solution is for reference only. For per-product billing rules, see the Product Pricing page.
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Points are deducted on each product's billing cycle. Because billing cycles vary, deductions may continue throughout the trial—and even after it ends.
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When you have trial points acquired at different times, the earliest points are deducted first.
Other rules
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Alibaba Cloud may adjust the scope of solutions, point amounts, configurations, and rules at any time based on business needs. The terms displayed on the relevant page when you participate prevail; rights you have already acquired are not affected by later adjustments.
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Do not use trial resources to mine cryptocurrency or for any other illegal activity. Within the trial environment, do not browse, publish, or forward content that is illegal, socially disruptive, or infringes on others' rights. Violation may result in revoked benefits and trial eligibility.
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To keep the program fair, Alibaba Cloud may revoke benefits (including stopping the current trial and clearing trial points), revoke trial eligibility, reverse non-compliant transactions, and take legal action against users who conceal information, fabricate facts, cheat, defraud, or otherwise circumvent the rules.
How to apply for a free trial
Product trial
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Log on to the Alibaba Cloud official website and go to the Free Trial page.
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Find the product you want to try and follow the on-screen instructions to activate the cloud resource and grant authorization.
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After the trial starts, you can view the trial instance and related information in the console.
Solution trial
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Log on to the Alibaba Cloud official website, go to the Technical Solutions page, and find a solution that supports a free trial.
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Go to the solution deployment page and click the Claim and Try button to receive your free trial points. Each user can claim points only once. The points are valid for one year after you claim them.
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Click Try Now. The system creates a trial account, trial resources, and a trial environment for you. Do not use the trial resources for production. After the trial ends, the trial account is deleted and the trial resources are automatically released.
Manage free trials
You can log on to the Billing Management console to view and manage your product trials and solution trial points.
Product trial
Log on to the Expenses and Costs console. In the navigation pane on the left, click Benefits > My Trial. On the Service Free Trial tab, view and manage your free trial instances.
Solution trial
Log on to the Expenses and Costs console. In the left navigation pane, click Benefits>My Trial, then go to the Solution Free Trial tab to view information about your trial credits, such as their acquisition details, balance, expiration time, and transaction history.
FAQ
Solutions
Why can't I start a trial?
If you cannot claim trial points, check the on-screen message for the specific reason.
You can also check the following conditions:
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Check if your user information is complete.
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Each user can claim trial points only once. Check if another account associated with you has already participated.
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Check if your account has overdue payments.
If you have checked all the above and still cannot start a trial, contact our customer service.
Are solution free trials restricted for associated accounts?
Yes. Associated accounts are different Alibaba Cloud accounts that share the same registration, login, or usage information, such as the same ID document, phone number, or email address. Alibaba Cloud considers these to be associated accounts. Only one of these accounts can be used to claim trial points.
How do I view my trial point information and usage?
Log on with the account that you used to claim the trial points. Go to My Trial > Solution Free Trial to view your point balance, expiration date, transaction records, and more.
If I do not use all my trial points this year, can they be carried over to next year?
No. Trial points are valid for one year and cannot be used after they expire.
If I run out of trial points during a trial, can I buy more?
You can only obtain trial points by claiming the initial allotment or by earning incentive trial points the first time you try a solution. There is no purchase channel for additional points.
If I run out of trial points, can I pay to try a new solution to get incentive trial points?
No. First-deployment incentive trial points can only be earned by trying a solution for free for the first time. Paying for a trial does not qualify.
If I do not have enough trial points, can I use my remaining points and pay the difference?
No. When you start a solution trial, you must choose to either deploy using trial points or deploy by paying. You cannot combine both methods. For example, if Solution A requires X trial points and your account only has X-5 points, you cannot use points to start the free trial. In this case, you'll need to make a paid deployment instead.
How do I close or release a trial instance?
After you complete all operations on the deployment page, click End Trial in the upper-right corner. Alternatively, follow the user guide to manually release all instances and resources activated during the trial.
How can I recover an instance if I accidentally release it during a trial?
Released instances cannot be recovered. Trial resources are for one-time use only. Do not upload important data to trial resources.
After a trial instance is released, can I try it again?
Yes. If you release a trial product instance and have enough trial points, you can use points to try the same solution again. However, you cannot exceed the maximum trial frequency for that solution.
After releasing a trial instance, can I try the same solution again and still earn first-deployment incentive trial points?
No. First-deployment incentive trial points are awarded only the first time you try a solution.
When do trial points expire?
Trial points become valid at the beginning of the hour (0 minutes, 0 seconds) in which you claim them and are valid for one year. You can also check the status of expiring points on the Expenses and Costs console > My Trial > Solution Free Trial page.
Can the validity period of trial points be extended?
The validity period of trial points cannot be extended.
After the trial expires, can I renew and keep the trial resources?
Trial resources are for Proof of Concept (POC) use only and are isolated from production environments. You cannot pay to keep trial resources.
Why did I get a "resource creation failed" message after starting a free trial with points?
If a product in the current solution is out of stock in a specific availability zone, some resources may fail to be created. You can try again later or try a different solution.
Why were some trial points deducted even though I got a "resource creation failed" message?
If a product in the current solution is out of stock in a specific availability zone, some resources may fail to be created. Because a solution involves multiple products, points may be deducted for the resources that were successfully created.
Submit a ticket if you need assistance.
After starting a trial, I found that the duration is not long enough. Can I extend it?
Yes. If the trial duration is insufficient, click Extend in the upper-right corner within 30 minutes before the trial ends. You must have enough trial points for the extension, and the total trial duration cannot exceed 168 hours.
Why is the "Start Trial" button grayed out and unclickable?
Check the text below the button for an explanation, or contact our customer service.