Should my app use a hard paywall, a soft paywall or freemium, and how do I test it?
The paywall decides how many users ever see your value. There's no universal best choice.
- Which paywall model?
- When should it appear?
- How do we test it?
A hard paywall, shown before any use, suits apps with clear value and strong ad targeting. A soft paywall after onboarding lets users see value first. Freemium works when free users bring growth or later upgrade. Test placement, design and price with a paywall tool or your own experiments, one variable at a time, and judge on revenue per install, not conversion alone.
Options
| Model | Fits | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Hard | Clear value, strong targeting | Low trial starts |
| Soft, after onboarding | Value needs a demo | Some never pay |
| Freemium | Network or habit apps | Too much free value |
How to test
- One variable at a time.
- Judge on revenue per install.
- Run long enough for renewals.
- Keep pricing honest and clear.
How we look at it at ShoutEx
We plan and analyse paywall tests. Paywalls and monetization models go deeper.
- Copying a competitor.
- Judging on conversion alone.
- Several changes per test.
- Confusing price text.
- Model fits the app.
- Revenue per install.
- Clean tests.
- Clear prices.
What developers and the app stores say
Here is what developers say.
Community summaries describe recurring themes in public threads, not individual posts. Vendor pages describe vendor claims, so test them on your own calls.
Read next
Go deeper in the ShoutEx guides, or check the sources behind this answer.
We'll plan and analyse paywall tests.
Book a call →Follow-up questions
Which paywall tools exist?
RevenueCat, Superwall, Adapty and others.
How many paywall tests a year?
As many as you can run cleanly.
Do lifetime plans make sense?
Sometimes, as an option. Watch long-term revenue.