I downloaded a SketchUp Pro trial because I really just wanted the free version. I can’t afford the pro version, and based on what I’d read about the two versions, the free version would meet my needs.
When my trial did expire, though, I found the online SketchUp Free web app unusable. (I can’t simply upload an existing .skp and open it? And I can’t save my work without a subscription? WTF?) I managed to download SketchUp Make 2017, although it was difficult. Then, the work I’d previously done in the SketchUp Pro 2018 trial wouldn’t open in Make 2017. I figured out how to use SketchUp Free to convert the file, but that wasn’t easy either.
I understand that there’s little reason to help users with the free version of your software, but the advertisement of “Try Pro for 30 days, then model for free!” is misleading at best, and the experience has given me a pretty bad taste in my mouth for what I have otherwise experienced as great software. I will not recommend others use it, and I am unlikely to ever upgrade to the Pro version.