Time Period vs Functionality Trial Period

What is better for window form applications or what do you开发者_JAVA技巧 all perfer?

An application with a Trial Period by a Date (like free to use for 30 days) or do you like to limit functionality of the application for the Free Version?

I think that it depends on the application type.

I think time limited is best if:

• No data saved in the application which will not be available if I don't by it.
• It is an every-day kind of application, not something that is just used once or twice.

I think function limited is best if:

• The application is used just once or in a short period of time.
• The application can be limited in such a way that it can prove its power, but not provide useful results.

I've marked this as community wiki, feel free to add things to the lists.

I like # of uses better than a date limit. I often try something once, forget about it for a while, then want to try it again only to be locked out. Having a set number of uses unlimited by time is much better. Limited functionality can be OK depending on the app, but full functionality limited by usage is better IMO.

"The customer is always right"; provide both and let him/her chose.

We do both.

• Fully functional 14-day trial period
• Reverts to restricted DEMO functionality after 14-days

Maybe some users forget to use or test your app after installation. After a couple of weeks user starts your app and trial is expired -> User is angry. So think about possibility of trial extension :-)