App Paywall Examples: The 6 Types and When to Use Each One
Not all paywalls are the same, and picking the wrong type can kill your conversion rate. The paywall that works for a news app doesn’t work for a meditation app, and the one that works for a game doesn’t work for a productivity tool.
Here are the six types used in mobile apps, what each one looks like on screen, the conversion data behind them, and when to use them.
In short
- There are six paywall types in apps: hard, soft or metered, freemium, feature-gated, time-limited trial, and usage-based limits.
- Hard paywalls convert at 10.7% download-to-paid at Day 30. Freemium converts at 2.1%. Data from RevenueCat across 115,000+ apps.
- 55% of users on 3-day trials cancel on Day 0, before using the trial at all.
- On 7-day trials, 39.8% still cancel on Day 0.
- Trial-to-paid conversion varies by category: Travel 43.5%, Health & Fitness 37.7%, Photo & Video 22.2%.
- On a breath training app, redesigning onboarding alone lifted free-to-trial conversion by 16.5% in an A/B test, with no change to the paywall or the price.
- On AI Decorator, 80% of paying users convert during onboarding rather than at the pricing screen.
- A paywall in an app is a product screen, not a content wall: it is decided in seconds and depends on the onboarding that leads to it.
1. Hard paywall
The app is completely locked behind a subscription or purchase. Users can’t do anything meaningful without paying first, though they may get a free trial period.
What it looks like
The user opens the app, moves through two or three onboarding screens explaining the value, and lands on a pricing screen there is no way past without choosing a plan or closing the app. The dismiss button usually appears after a few seconds, or not at all.
When it works
When your app solves an urgent, specific problem and users already know they need it. Professional tools, B2B apps, and niche utilities where users arrive with high intent. According to RevenueCat’s 2026 benchmark data across more than 115,000 apps, hard paywalls convert at 10.7% download-to-paid at Day 30, compared to 2.1% for freemium. That is a 5x difference.
When it doesn’t
When users need to experience value before they believe in it. If your app requires a behavior change (meditation, fitness, learning), a hard paywall blocks them before they are convinced.
The nuance that 10.7% hides: it converts better, but across far fewer users. A hard paywall filters out almost everyone in the first thirty seconds. Comparing 10.7% with 2.1% without looking at absolute install volume leads to bad decisions.
From our work
Travel Diaries
Travel Diaries lets people record trips as online journals and order them as printed books. It started as a free app earning money from book sales, and in 2022 it added a paid membership. Only about 10% of users converted, and book orders dropped.
The problem was not the paywall type. It was the order. Users had to subscribe before seeing any value at all, even to print a book.
In the redesign (August to September 2025) we kept the hard paywall and changed what happens before it: a few opening questions about the user’s travel situation and goals, so the app can show the right plan (online journalling or printing), and, most importantly, a preview of the journal covers before the paywall, so the user reaches the aha moment without paying. Sign-up moved to the end, and the trial now starts by asking for payment details, which raises commitment.
The lesson: a hard paywall does not fail because it is hard. It fails when it arrives before there is a reason to pay.
2. Soft paywall (metered)
Users get limited free access, a certain number of articles, sessions, or uses, before hitting the paywall. Once they have used their quota, they need to pay.
What it looks like
A visible counter that ticks down (“2 articles left this month”), and a payment screen that appears exactly when it reaches zero. The apps that do this well warn before the limit, not at the moment of the block.
When it works
Content apps, learning platforms, news apps. Users get a taste, build a habit, and then convert because they want more. The key is finding the right limit: enough to create a habit, not so much that they never need to pay.
When it doesn’t
When your app’s value isn’t tied to consumption volume. If users only need your app once a week, a usage limit might not trigger often enough to convert.
3. Freemium paywall
The app is permanently free with a useful but limited feature set. Premium features are locked behind a subscription or one-time purchase.
What it looks like
The whole app works. The paywall shows up as a “Go Premium” screen reachable from settings or a permanent button, and reappears wherever the user touches a paid feature. Spotify is the textbook example: free with ads, premium without.
When it works
When you can clearly split features into “good enough for free” and “worth paying for.” This model works for productivity tools, creative apps, and social platforms.
When it doesn’t
When you can’t draw a clear line between free and paid. If the free tier is too generous, nobody upgrades. If it’s too restrictive, nobody sticks around.
4. Feature-gated paywall
Similar to freemium but more granular. Specific features are locked while the core app is fully functional. Users discover locked features as they explore.
What it looks like
A padlock or premium badge on a single feature inside the interface. Tapping it opens a modal sheet explaining just that feature, not the whole catalogue of benefits. It is a contextual paywall: it appears at the exact moment the user wants that one thing.
When it works
When premium features naturally emerge during the user journey. A photo editor where basic editing is free but advanced filters or AI tools require payment. The user sees the locked feature at the moment they want it most.
When it doesn’t
When your core value is the premium feature. If the only reason someone downloads your app is for the locked feature, gating it creates frustration, not desire.
5. Time-limited trial
Full access for a limited period (7, 14, or 30 days), then the paywall activates. Users experience everything before deciding.
What it looks like
A screen laying out the trial timeline (“today full access, day 5 we remind you, day 7 billing starts”), usually with the cancellation reminder used as a selling point rather than buried as small print.
When it works
When your app needs time to demonstrate its full value. Fitness programs, habit trackers, project management tools. Conversion rates vary sharply by category: Travel apps convert at 43.5% trial-to-paid, Health & Fitness at 37.7%, Photo & Video at 22.2%.
The critical detail: 55% of 3-day trial users cancel on Day 0, before the trial even begins. For 7-day trials it’s 39.8% on Day 0. Users don’t cancel because the trial didn’t work. They cancel because the paywall moment didn’t convince them. The trial is almost irrelevant: the onboarding leading up to the paywall is everything.
From our work
Breath training app
We have measured this. On a breath training app we redesigned the onboarding only, leaving the pricing screen and the trial length untouched. An A/B test showed a 16.5% increase in free-to-trial conversion (October 2024 to January 2025).
Four changes did it: a goal question up front to personalise the journey, testimonials and ratings as social proof before asking for anything, information revealed progressively instead of all at once, and the benefit framed in terms of performance and achievement.
Same paywall, same price, same trial. The only thing that changed was how the user felt by the time they arrived.
6. Usage-based limits
Free users are limited by a resource: storage space, API calls, exports per month, number of projects. Upgrading removes or raises the limit.
What it looks like
A progress bar or credit counter in the interface, and a payment screen when it runs out. It is the default model in AI apps, where every action has a real cost to the developer.
When it works
Cloud services, data tools, creative platforms where power users naturally hit limits. The limit should feel fair: users understand they are getting more than the average person.
When it doesn’t
When the limit feels arbitrary or too low. If someone hits the limit during their first session, it feels punitive rather than fair.
From our work
AI Decorator
In AI apps the usage limit is not a business lever, it is a real constraint: every generation costs the developer money. That changes how you design it.
On AI Decorator, an app that transforms interior and garden photos, we ran QA with real users through TestFlight. We found people did not understand how to start a new generation after seeing their result. The obvious fix was to make that step as easy as possible. We did the opposite: we made it clearer, but deliberately kept some friction, to avoid accidental generations that drive up cost without giving the user anything.
The app launched with 32% trial-to-paid conversion from release, and 80% of paying users convert during onboarding (June to September 2025).
What these look like on screen
The six types above are about when you ask. These are about how the screen is built once you have decided. Four patterns worth recognising, from apps with enough scale to have tested them properly.
Notice what the last two have in common with the first four: every one of them names the commitment plainly somewhere on the screen. That is the through-line in paywalls that keep working after a policy change.
How to choose the right one
There’s no universal answer, but here’s a practical framework:
How fast does your app deliver value?
If instant, a hard paywall or trial can work. If slow and habit-based, a soft paywall or freemium with a clear upgrade moment.
Is your value continuous or one-time?
Continuous, subscription with any paywall type. One-time, feature-gated or one-time purchase.
How large is your potential audience?
Large audience, freemium, because you monetize the small percentage who pay. Small, high-intent audience, hard paywall or trial.
What’s your category convention?
Look at the top 10 apps in your category and see what paywall type they use. Don’t copy them blindly, but understand user expectations.
Frequently asked questions
What is a paywall in an app?
A paywall is the screen where an app asks the user to pay, or to start a free trial, in order to keep using it or to unlock a specific feature. In mobile apps a paywall is a product screen rather than a content wall like a newspaper’s: its job is to explain the value and close the conversion within a few seconds.
What is the difference between a hard paywall and a soft paywall?
A hard paywall locks the whole app from the start: nothing meaningful can be done without paying or starting a trial. A soft or metered paywall allows limited use first, for example a number of articles, sessions or exports, and only then asks for payment. According to RevenueCat’s 2026 benchmarks across more than 115,000 apps, hard paywalls convert at 10.7% download-to-paid at Day 30, compared with 2.1% for freemium.
Which type of paywall converts best?
Hard paywalls have the highest download-to-paid conversion rate, 10.7% at Day 30 versus 2.1% for freemium, but they convert across far fewer users because most people leave first. No single type always wins: the right choice depends on how quickly the app delivers value, whether that value is recurring or one-off, and the size of the potential audience.
How many people cancel a free trial on the first day?
55% of users on 3-day trials cancel on Day 0, before they have even used the trial. For 7-day trials the figure is still 39.8% on Day 0. This suggests the decision is not made during the trial but at the paywall moment, and that the onboarding leading to that screen matters more than the length of the trial.
What is the difference between RevenueCat and Superwall?
Both are subscription infrastructure tools, not paywall types. RevenueCat focuses on managing subscriptions, receipts and revenue analytics across platforms, and includes remotely configurable paywalls. Superwall focuses on the paywall itself: it lets you design, target and A/B test payment screens without shipping a new App Store build. Choosing between them does not replace deciding which paywall type your app needs.
Which paywall is yours leaking through?
Knowing the six types is one thing. Knowing which one your app needs, and what it is costing you today, takes a look at your funnel. I’ll record one and tell you what I’d fix first.
See App Optimization