Paywall CTA to web checkout: -11.9% conversion, ~+20% net proceeds
Test run bySuperwallTesting and CRO tool
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsSending the paywall button to web checkout instead of Apple's in-app purchase cut initial conversion by 11.9% but raised net proceeds by about 19.85%.
Superwall ran these early tests across US iOS apps after the 2025 App Store ruling and published the pooled data on the Superwall blog.
- Initial conversion: -11.9% (negative). Switching from app to browser adds friction.
- Net proceeds: about +19.85%, because web payments skip Apple's 30% fee.
- Superwall's model assumes trial-to-paid is the same on web. If it rises 10%, it estimates net proceeds could rise about 32%.
- For apps on Apple's 15% Small Business rate, Superwall estimates web checkout would cut net proceeds by about 1.3% at current trial-to-paid rates.
Control
A standard in-app paywall. Tapping the button started Apple's in-app purchase flow.
Variant
The same paywall, but the button opened an external browser with Superwall's web checkout. After paying, users returned to the app via a deep link.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Leaving the app for a browser and typing payment details is harder than a one-tap Apple purchase, so fewer users finish.
- Each web sale keeps much more revenue, which more than makes up for the lost conversions at a 30% fee.
- At a 15% fee the margin gain is smaller, so the conversion drop can wipe it out.
Caveats: Early data pooled across several US iOS apps; sample size and duration were not shared. The proceeds figure is a model that assumes trial-to-paid stays the same, and refund and chargeback effects were not yet known. Superwall sells the web checkout used.
Who ran it
Superwall ran this test. Source: Superwall blog. The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
How to run this test on your app
- Hypothesis
- If we send our paywall button to web checkout instead of Apple IAP, then net proceeds will rise because we avoid the App Store fee, even if fewer users finish checkout.
- Primary metric
- Net proceeds per paywall viewer
- Guardrails
- Initial conversion
- Trial-to-paid
- Refund and chargeback rate
- Who should test it
- US iOS apps paying Apple's 30% fee. Apps on the 15% Small Business rate may lose money unless web trial-to-paid improves.
Questions
Will web checkout always make more money?
No. In this early data it did at a 30% Apple fee.
At the 15% Small Business rate, Superwall estimated a small loss unless trial-to-paid improves.
Why did conversion drop?
Users have to leave the app, use a browser and pay outside Apple's one-tap flow. That extra friction loses some buyers.
What else should I track?
Trial-to-paid, refunds and chargebacks. Superwall said these were still unknown when it published.
Similar tests
Kovalee