Every indie founder looks at big-app paywalls and wonders: should mine look like that? The answer is usually: closer than you think, but not for the reasons you’d expect.
Based on RevenueCat’s 2026 benchmark data covering 115,000+ apps, here’s what most paywalls actually look like across categories.
The structure
Most paywalls show two plans. Two-plan paywalls dominate at 41–60% across all categories. Health & Fitness leads at 60% two-plan. If you’re showing three plans, you’re in the minority — and three plans work best when the middle one is clearly the target (see the article on plan structure).
Scrollable paywalls are the standard. 59–76% of paywalls are scrollable rather than static. Travel apps lead at 76% scrollable. Photo & Video is the lowest at 59% — but still the majority. A single static screen with all information is the exception, not the rule.
Annual plans appear most often. Annual plans show up on 28–44% of paywalls across categories. Health & Fitness leads at 44%. Weekly plans vary widely by category — Photo & Video apps show weekly plans 33% of the time, while Travel shows them only 10.5%.
The UI elements
What almost everyone has: Highlighted pricing (74.5% median — essentially a baseline expectation), multiple plan options displayed (59.2% median), a feature list (57% median), free trial messaging (54% median).
What about half of apps have: Discount badge (41% median), cancel assurance (“cancel anytime” language) (34% median).
What almost nobody has: Countdown timer at 1.4% of paywalls. Despite being widely discussed in conversion rate optimization content, almost no legitimate app uses them. Progress bars at 0.2% — essentially absent.
The implication: if your paywall doesn’t have a countdown timer, you’re in the 98.6% of apps. This is the standard. Countdown timers are the exception, used almost exclusively by apps that lean into pressure tactics — which is why when users see one, it often reads as suspicious.
Text density
Most paywalls are text-heavy. High text density (information-rich, explanation-forward copy) accounts for 45–63% of paywalls across categories. Gaming leads at 63%. Photo & Video is the exception — it uses the most low-density (visual-forward) paywalls at 27%.
This runs counter to the common advice to “keep your paywall minimal.” The data says users in most categories want information before they pay.
CTA language
The most common call-to-action button text across all apps: “Continue.” Not “Subscribe,” not “Start Free Trial,” not “Unlock.” Just “Continue.”
This makes sense behaviorally. “Continue” implies the user is already on a journey. They’re not making a new decision; they’re taking the next logical step. “Subscribe” and “Start Free Trial” follow. “Cancel Anytime” appears prominently as trust-building text alongside the primary CTA.
What this means for your paywall
Your paywall doesn’t need to be creative to convert. The median experience that works is: scrollable, two plans, annual plan highlighted, feature list present, “cancel anytime” visible, and a “Continue” button. That’s it.
The variation that actually moves conversion is in the copy and in the plan structure — whether the recommended plan feels like the obvious choice for someone like this user.