One of the questions we are most frequently asked is why payment information is required in order to begin our free three-day trial. It's a great question, and I thought a brief explanation of our thinking might be helpful.
We see the fact that payment info is needed before the trial begins as a security feature. This little hurdle prevents a massive amount of abuse that would be thrown at the service if registration were wide-open to the Internet. Most sites on the Web are more interested in user acquisition than they are in the security of existing user data, and that's why we have all come to expect free access to software. We think it is irresponsible to leave a server wide open when it holds user data. While taking the correct stance means there's a mild misalignment with broad expectations as to how things are supposed to work, we see that as a fair trade-off.
The above being said, it's worth reiterating that it is entirely a free trial. It's quite easy to close your account before your payment method is charged, and when you do so all traces of data pertaining to you—including your payment info—are completely erased. All it costs is a minute to fumble around with an extra step when you sign up.
If you've been on the fence because of the need to input payment info when you sign up, consider giving us a try. You can leave at any time during the first three days, and it won't cost you a dime. If you decide to stick around, your data will be made a little bit safer due to the fact that we've laid down a little speedbump for would-be attackers.