Paywall previews the first 7 days, not features: 20% to 30% conversion
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsReplacing a feature carousel with a day-by-day preview of the program's first seven days took Clear 30's paywall conversion from 20% to 30%, a 50% relative lift.
The founders of Clear 30, an app that helps people quit or cut back on weed, made the change.
It was described in a Superwall blog recap of a podcast interview.
- Paywall conversion: 20% to 30% (+10 points, +50% relative).
- The founders say nothing else on the paywall changed: same products, same layout otherwise.
- Revenue outcomes for this change alone (trial-to-paid, proceeds) were not shared.
The change
A day-by-day preview of week one replaces the feature carousel.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
The paywall showed features in a carousel: peer support, accountability texts and progress tracking.
Variant
The feature carousel was removed. The paywall instead outlined what the first seven days of the program would look like, day by day. Products and prices stayed the same.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- A plan for the first week helps users picture themselves succeeding. For a habit-change app, that belief may matter more than a feature list.
- Concrete daily steps make the value feel near and real, not abstract.
- The framing moves from what the app has to what the user will do with it.
Caveats: This was reported as a before-and-after change, not a described split test, so other factors (ads, onboarding, season) may have played a part. Sample size and duration were not shared. Superwall published this and also sells the paywall tool used, so the write-up may lean positive.
Who ran it
Clear 30 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 replace the paywall feature list with a preview of the first days of the program, then more users will convert because they can see how they'll reach their goal.
- Primary metric
- Paywall conversion
- Guardrails
- Trial-to-paid
- Day-7 retention
- Refund rate
- Who should test it
- Program-style apps (habit change, fitness, learning, recovery) with a clear day-by-day path. It fits less well for tool apps where users want specific features.
Questions
Was this a proper A/B test?
The source doesn't describe the test setup. Treat it as a before-and-after result and run your own split test.
How many days should the preview cover?
Clear 30 showed the first seven days. A short horizon keeps the plan concrete and believable.
Does this work for non-program apps?
It's untested here. You could try a 'what you'll do in week one' version built around your core use case.
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