---
name: mobile-app-monetization
description: Use when designing, auditing or A/B testing monetization of a mobile subscription app — paywall placement in onboarding, hard vs soft paywalls, freemium vs charging from day one, removing free trials, price increases, tiered pricing and consumables, external web payment links vs IAP, paywall design and CTA copy, free trials and trial length, weekly/yearly plans and pricing display, paid intro offers, reverse trials, exit offers and discounts, subscription metrics (trial start, trial-to-paid, LTV per install) and RevenueCat charts/experiments. Triggers on "improve my paywall", "should I go freemium", "remove the free trial", "raise my price", "web checkout vs in-app purchase", "why aren't users subscribing", "should I use a hard paywall", "how long should my trial be", "weekly or yearly", "subscription conversion".
---

# Mobile app monetization (paywalls, trials, pricing)

Synthesised from Steve P. Young / App Masters, Sub Club by RevenueCat (David Barnard + founders of
BoldVoice, Natal, Skylight, ex-Tinder CPO Ravi Mehta) and Superwall paywall specialists (2025–26).
Mostly self-reported case studies; treat numbers as "worked in one test", and A/B test before shipping. Notes live in
`${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/`.

## Core playbook

1. **Paywall in onboarding, seen by ~100% of new users.** Nearly all trials start on day zero; 60–80% of buyers buy during onboarding. → paywall-in-onboarding
2. **Nothing mandatory between onboarding and the paywall.** Moving sign-up after the paywall: views 40→94%, trials +190%, sales +52%. Also skip health-connect before the paywall. → paywall-before-signup
3. **Decide the free tier first.** No-free-tier apps convert 10.7% vs 2.1% (RevenueCat, day 35) with equal retention; keep free users only if they are your marketing or network. "Hard paywall" = no free tier / no X / no trial — test each separately. → freemium-vs-hard-paywall-free-tier, what-to-gate-behind-the-paywall
4. **Hard paywall for paid traffic, launch, or "downloads but no sales"** — adding an X halved revenue in one app — but **judge on net revenue after refunds on a matured cohort**: BoldVoice's no-X lift was erased by refunds. → hard-vs-soft-paywalls, net-revenue-after-refunds-experiment-metric
5. **Gate the X by source.** "How did you hear about us?" (or Superwall attribution): paid social → hard, App Store search → soft. → hard-paywall-by-traffic-source
6. **Explain the trial right before the paywall** ("try free" → "we'll remind you 2 days before" + push prompt → timeline paywall): +56% trials. → three-screen-pre-paywall-sequence
7. **Show the paywall more than once** — e.g. no-trial paywall early, trial paywall later (start rate 3%→7.7%); returns diminish after ~8 views. → multiple-paywalls-in-onboarding
8. **Sell outcomes, add scrollable context**, plans + CTA above the fold, floating CTA. Start from a one-page bullet-list baseline; simplify the plan selector; drop comparison tables (+111% once). No paywall wins everywhere. → long-paywall-sell-the-outcome, paywall-design-learnings-at-scale
9. **Video > photos > graphics; add social proof;** test a money-back guarantee. → paywall-visuals-and-social-proof
10. **CTA: "Continue" on iOS, "Start free trial" on Android, never "Subscribe";** add "No payment now". → paywall-cta-copy
11. **2–3 plans with an anchor; break the price down per week/month** (+38%). → paywall-price-display-and-plan-count
12. **Trial on the highest-LTV plan; monthly is usually weak.** 3-day weekly vs 7-day yearly tripled sales once. → weekly-vs-yearly-plans-and-trial-placement
13. **Trial length: 7 days yearly, 3 days weekly; 14 days mainly as an exit offer.** → free-trial-length-by-plan
14. **Test removing the trial when trust and intent are high** (Natal monthly subs +2,000%; Claim went paid-only at 50–55% trial-to-paid) — or let users choose with a trial toggle. → removing-the-free-trial, free-trial-toggle-pricing
15. **Replace monthly with a $1.99 paid intro that renews yearly** (60–70% renew vs 30–40% trial-to-paid). → paid-intro-offers
16. **Never drop a dismissed user into nothing:** longer trial, discount, free credits + review ask, reverse trial, forced email. Cover every placement (transaction abandonment — discount annual only —, session start, after actions, cancel). → paywall-exit-offers, paywall-placements-and-transaction-abandonment, reverse-trial-freemium-conversion, pay-what-you-want-discount-slider
17. **Price high enough to learn** ($20–30/month waterline where the market frames it); fill the demand curve with 2–3 tiers + consumables; raise prices with tests + interviews, grandfathering existing users (Skylight $39→$79). → setting-initial-subscription-price, tiered-pricing-and-consumables, subscription-price-increase
18. **Web payment links (US) are ~a wash at a 30% fee and a loss at 15%**; IAP's lower friction often wins (Skylight QR → IAP +100%). Go hybrid only if paying 30%. → external-payment-links-vs-iap
19. **Know your numbers before buying traffic:** 5–10% start rate, 30–40% trial-to-paid, ~2% install-to-paid, ≥$3 LTV/install. → subscription-conversion-benchmarks, revenuecat-charts-and-experiments

## Note map

| Note | Read when |
|---|---|
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/paywall-in-onboarding.md` | Deciding where the paywall goes; low sales with low downloads |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/paywall-before-signup.md` | Onboarding has a forced account/sign-up step |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/hard-vs-soft-paywalls.md` | Choosing whether users can close the paywall |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/hard-paywall-by-traffic-source.md` | Running Meta/TikTok ads alongside organic; attribution survey screen |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/three-screen-pre-paywall-sequence.md` | Low trial starts; designing screens before the paywall |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/multiple-paywalls-in-onboarding.md` | Considering a second paywall; paywall-view targets |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/long-paywall-sell-the-outcome.md` | Writing paywall content and layout |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/paywall-visuals-and-social-proof.md` | Choosing video/photo/graphics, testimonials, guarantees |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/paywall-cta-copy.md` | Writing the button and microcopy (iOS vs Android) |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/paywall-price-display-and-plan-count.md` | How many plans; per-period price display; plan naming |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/weekly-vs-yearly-plans-and-trial-placement.md` | Picking weekly/monthly/yearly and which plan gets the trial |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/free-trial-length-by-plan.md` | Choosing 3/7/14-day trials; RevenueCat "longer trials" data |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/paid-intro-offers.md` | Monthly plan underperforms; trial activation already >10% |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/trial-to-discount-offer.md` | Low trial-to-paid; offer right after trial start |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/paywall-exit-offers.md` | What to show after the user closes the paywall; boosting reviews |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/reverse-trial-freemium-conversion.md` | Freemium app with many non-paying users |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/pay-what-you-want-discount-slider.md` | Designing a win-back / discount offer for free users |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/subscription-conversion-benchmarks.md` | Judging whether funnel numbers are good; readiness for paid UA |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/revenuecat-charts-and-experiments.md` | Which RevenueCat charts to check; running paywall A/B tests |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/better-sleep-onboarding-paywall-teardown.md` | Want a full real-app example (sleep/health category) |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/freemium-vs-hard-paywall-free-tier.md` | Deciding whether to have a free tier at all; switching hard ↔ freemium |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/what-to-gate-behind-the-paywall.md` | Drawing the free/paid feature line; metered free usage |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/net-revenue-after-refunds-experiment-metric.md` | Choosing the success metric for paywall tests; aggressive tactics lifting trials |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/removing-the-free-trial.md` | Considering pay-up-front (no-trial) plans |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/free-trial-toggle-pricing.md` | Offering trial and no-trial options on one paywall |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/paywall-placements-and-transaction-abandonment.md` | Adding paywalls beyond onboarding; transaction-abandonment and discount offers |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/paywall-design-learnings-at-scale.md` | Designing a baseline paywall; plan-selector, tables, native styling |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/setting-initial-subscription-price.md` | Picking a first price; AI-app price anchors; charm pricing |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/subscription-price-increase.md` | Raising prices; grandfathering existing subscribers |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/tiered-pricing-and-consumables.md` | Adding tiers, consumables or credits; whales; two-tier paywalls |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/external-payment-links-vs-iap.md` | Linking out to web checkout from an iOS app (US) vs keeping IAP |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/hsa-payments-for-health-apps.md` | US health/fitness app wanting HSA/FSA payments |
| `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/wiki/mobile-apps/monetization/onboarding-length-long-vs-short.md` | Deciding how long onboarding/intake should be before the paywall |

## Gaps

- Evidence is practitioner case studies (Steve P. Young, Sub Club guests, Superwall agency/designer) — self-reported, few controlled studies; Superwall/RevenueCat sources promote their own tools. RevenueCat's State of Subscription Apps is the main aggregate dataset cited.
- Not covered: Android/Google Play billing specifics, regional/PPP pricing, price increases *on existing* subscribers (Skylight grandfathered instead), churn/cancellation flows and billing-retry/grace periods, win-back of lapsed subscribers, lifetime-plan economics, ad-revenue optimisation (only "ads ≈ 10–20% max" anecdote), games, final renewal data for web vs IAP (pending as of 2025).
- Platform rules (Apple guidelines on hard paywalls, price prominence, forced email) are not verified here — check current App Review Guidelines.
- Web checkout / web2app paywalls are only touched on (per-day pricing); see the web2app material if it exists in this base.