Understanding 'free' and 'paid' subscriber views
The subscriber view filter allows you to distinguish between subscribers who are already paying for your content, and those who are still using your service for free.
This makes it possible to track not just your overall subscriber base over time, but also your paying subscriber base over time.
A free customer is anyone with a subscription who is not paying for that subscription. So this includes both subscribers using a free trial, and those with a 100% discount.
Given that these are two different views of your subscriber base, they may change the exact meaning of some of your metrics. Here are definitions of what the free and paid subscriber view settings mean for each of your metrics:
Active subscribers
Paid: Subscribers with an active content entitlement who are paying for that entitlement.
Free: Subscribers with an active content entitlement who are not paying for that entitlement.
Any: Classic view, showing all subscribers with an active content entitlement.
New subscribers
Paid: Someone who became a paying subscriber, including those who converted from a free trial to become paying subscribers.
Free: Someone who became an active subscriber but did not yet pay for that subscription
Any: Classic view, showing everyone who became an active subscriber
*Note: New subscribers are never double counted. So if a customer is a new free subscriber and then becomes a new paid subscriber in some timeframe, they will only be classified as a new paying subscriber.
Churned subscribers
Paid: Subscribers whose paid subscription(s) terminated are no longer active
Free: Subscribers whose free subscription terminated and are no longer active
Any: Classic view, showing anyone whose subscription(s) terminated and are no longer active
Net subscriber growth
Paid: The balance of new minus churned paid subscribers in any timeframe
Free: The balance of new minus churned free subscribers in any timeframe
Any: Classic view, the balance of new minus churned subscribers regardless of whether they were free or paid
Churn Rate
Paid: The percentage of your overall paid subscriber base that churns in a monthly timeframe
Free: The percentage of the your overall free subscriber base that churns in a monthly timeframe
Any: Classic view, the percentage of your overall subscriber base that churns regardless of whether they were free or paying
Note: The free subscriber churn rate should not be confused with the free trial conversion rate. Trial conversion rates only focus on the breakdown of trials that have ended, either as conversions or non-conversions. Churn rate focuses on the overall subscriber base and is a different calculation.
Average subscriber lifecycle
Paid: The average number of days active for paying subscribers who churned
Free: The average number of days active for free subscribers who churned
Any: The average number of days active for any subscriber who churned