What to test during a Matrix OS free trial
Understand Matrix trial eligibility, the card requirement, checkout and renewal, then test one complete cloud-computer workflow.
Creating a Matrix account and starting a hosted computer are separate steps. Eligible first-time customers can start a three-day trial for their first primary cloud computer. A card is required. Checkout shows the amount due today, the trial deadline and the selected monthly price that will apply unless you cancel first.
Check the offer before you start
Use current Matrix pricing and the offer displayed at checkout as the reference for plan prices, resources, region options and eligibility. Product plans can change; this guide deliberately does not maintain another price table.
The first-primary-computer offer is not a trial for every computer. Additional computers and accounts that are not eligible follow the terms displayed during their checkout. Creating an account alone does not provision a running machine.
Start your first computer
- Open Matrix Cloud and sign in.
- Choose a plan and available region appropriate for your workload.
- Review the checkout amount, card requirement, trial end and renewal price.
- Complete checkout and wait for the computer to become ready.
- Open Terminal and authenticate the agent you want to use.
The quickstart covers the full path. To use the native client, follow desktop installation and browser approval. The desktop app connects to your cloud computer; installing it does not itself provision compute or authenticate every coding agent.
Evaluate one complete workflow
Choose one repository and a small, observable result. For example, ask an agent to fix one failing test, run the tests and explain its diff. Start with sample data and the access required for that task.
During the trial, check:
| Question | Evidence to inspect |
|---|---|
| Can I start my agent? | Successful authentication and a real command completing. |
| Does the environment fit my repository? | Dependencies install and the normal test command runs. |
| Can I reconnect? | The same named session and an inspectable output or saved file. |
| Can I review the result? | A diff, test log and files you can open. |
| Does the plan fit? | Adequate resources and lifecycle behavior for the intended workload. |
Remote compute can continue independently of your laptop while the computer and process remain running. It does not guarantee task completion, uninterrupted provider access or automatic recovery after every failure. Test the behavior you depend on before leaving important work unattended.
Understand the separate costs
The Matrix computer and an agent's inference access are separate parts of the setup. Bring or configure the supported agent credentials and review that provider's terms. A running computer does not automatically mean every agent is authenticated or funded.
Choose a plan from the current resource and lifecycle descriptions. A small supervised experiment and sustained parallel background work can have different requirements. Do not assume the cheapest computer has the same background behavior as every other plan.
What happens when the trial ends?
Unless you cancel before the displayed deadline, the selected paid plan begins according to checkout. Use the supported billing management flow described in Settings and billing, and verify the cancellation status and effective date shown there.
If the offer or price shown in your account differs from an older article, use your current checkout and billing screen. Contact Matrix support when the account state needs clarification.
Frequently asked questions
Is the trial card-free?
No. The eligible hosted-computer trial requires a card. Account creation and documentation access are separate from starting hosted compute.
Does every new computer receive a trial?
No. The offer applies to an eligible first primary computer. Review the terms for additional computers before confirming checkout.
Can I use the desktop app during the trial?
Yes, once the computer is ready and the desktop has been approved through your browser. See the desktop guide.
What should I do before the trial deadline?
Finish the bounded test, review the result and decide whether the selected plan fits. If it does not, cancel before the displayed deadline and check the billing confirmation.
What is the fastest useful test?
Follow the Claude Code setup and reconnect walkthrough, using a small repository task with a result you can inspect.
Try a first task in Matrix
Use the trial to run one small agent task from setup through review.
- Follow the quickstart to sign in, choose a computer and complete any required provisioning. To use the native app, follow the desktop installation and approval steps.
- Open a separate session with a small sample project or synthetic input. Configure the agent access needed for that task and make the expected output explicit.
- Check the output, resource fit, reconnect behavior and the deadline shown in billing.
For a worked coding example, use the setup and reconnect walkthrough. Inspect the result before expanding the scope or leaving a longer task unattended.
Open Matrix →Read the quickstart →Current plans and pricing →