How Long Can You Get Your Money Back? SaaS Refund & Money-Back Windows — 2026
A money-back guarantee is the safety net a free trial isn't: it lets you pay, use the product for real, and still get a refund. This compiles the refund windows across SaaS and hosting in 2026 — and flags who quietly shortened theirs.
Trials let you test before paying; money-back guarantees let you commit and still back out. The windows range from a generous 97 days to a slim 7 — and at least one provider cut its window in 2025. This page maps refund/guarantee terms and the broader shift to trial-only pricing.
Free to cite and link. Refund terms and exclusions change and vary by product/region; confirm the current policy (and what's excluded) on the vendor's page before relying on it.
Money-back guarantee windows (hosting & SaaS)
| Provider | Category | Money-back window |
|---|
| DreamHost | Hosting | 97 days (shared hosting) — the longest in this set |
| Aura | Identity/security | 60-day money-back guarantee |
| HostGator | Hosting | 45-day money-back guarantee |
| Bluehost | Hosting | 30-day money-back guarantee |
| MasterClass | eLearning | 30-day satisfaction guarantee (annual, billed upfront) |
| ClickFunnels | Funnels | 14-day trial + 30-day money-back guarantee |
| GoDaddy | Hosting | 7 days — reduced from 30 in February 2025 |
The shift to trial-only (no free plan, no refund safety net)
| Tool | Category | What you get instead of a free plan |
|---|
| Thinkific / Podia | Courses | Free plan discontinued → 30-day trial (Podia ended free Oct 14, 2024) |
| Teachable | Courses | Old free plan removed for new sign-ups (2025); 7-day trial + paid Starter |
| Circle | Community | No free plan (2026); 14-day trial on all plans |
| Constant Contact | Email | No free plan; 60-day free trial instead |
| Pipedrive / Close / Drip | CRM / Email | No free plan; 14-day trial only |
| Kajabi / Moosend | Courses / Email | No free plan; 30-day trial |
Key findings
- DreamHost's 97-day guarantee is the outlier worth knowing. Most hosting money-back windows are 30–45 days; DreamHost's 97 days lets you run a real site for three months and still get a refund — a genuine risk-reducer for a multi-year hosting decision.
- GoDaddy quietly cut its refund window from 30 to 7 days (Feb 2025). That's a meaningful reduction in buyer protection, and the kind of policy change that doesn't show up in a price comparison. Read the current refund window, not last year's review.
- "Money-back guarantee" and "free trial" are different protections. A trial tests before payment (no money at risk but limited features/time); a money-back guarantee lets you use the paid product fully and reverse the charge. For tools with no free trial, the guarantee is your only safety net — check which one you actually get.
- The free plan is disappearing, replaced by time-boxed trials. Thinkific, Podia, Teachable, Circle and others removed free plans in 2024–2026 in favour of 7–30 day trials. The trend (see our price-hikes tracker) shifts risk back to the buyer — you commit sooner, with less time to evaluate.
- Annual-upfront + a satisfaction guarantee is a common pattern. MasterClass (annual billing, 30-day satisfaction guarantee) and others pair a large upfront charge with a refund window — the guarantee is what makes the upfront commitment palatable. The window length is the real protection; verify it before paying annually.
Methodology
Refund/money-back windows and trial terms were compiled from our sourced 2026 category studies (hosting, courses, email, CRM, security, eLearning). Windows are as published at compile time and exclude product/region-specific exclusions. This is a buyer-protection snapshot, not legal or financial advice; a guarantee's value depends on its exclusions and how the refund is processed.
Editorial note (verification): Refund windows, exclusions and processing terms change (GoDaddy's reduction is a recent example). Confirm the current policy and exclusions on the vendor's page before relying on this. Compiled 2026-06-27.
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