# Yearly plan only on the paywall: lost on conversion and revenue

- Outcome: Lost
- Page type: Paywall (App)
- Elements: Plans
- Date shared: 2024-09
- Test run by: [Stardust](https://liftarchive.com/practitioners/stardust/)
- Commentary by: LiftArchive (our analysis, not theirs)
- Original source: https://superwall.com/blog/how-stardust-increased-ios-app-revenue-by-4x-in-six-weeks
- Page: https://liftarchive.com/test/stardust-yearly-only-paywall/

Showing only the yearly plan on Stardust's paywall lost on both conversion and proceeds per user. Stardust, a cycle and pregnancy tracking app, ran this test, written up on the Superwall blog. No figures were shared for this variant.

## Result

**Lost on conversion and proceeds per user**

- Paywall conversion: lower than the control. The size of the drop was not shared.
- Proceeds per user: also lower, so focusing on the yearly plan did not make up for lost buyers.
- In the same test, adding a discount badge and weekly-equivalent price won instead, lifting conversion by 50%.

## Control

The paywall showed a yearly plan ($24.99) and a weekly plan ($2.99).

## Variant

The paywall showed only the yearly plan, with the weekly option removed.

## Why it likely lost (our reading)

- Without a cheaper option, users who were not ready for a yearly commitment had nothing to pick.
- The weekly price may act as an anchor that makes the yearly plan look like a good deal. Removing it takes that away.
- Fewer choices can feel like less control, which may put off users at the moment of purchase.

## Caveats

No figures, sample size or duration were shared for this variant, and the post was written by Superwall, which sells the paywall testing tool used.

## How to run this test

- Hypothesis: If we show only the yearly plan on the paywall, then proceeds per user will rise because every buyer takes the high-value plan.
- Primary metric: Proceeds per user
- Guardrail: Paywall conversion rate
- Guardrail: Trial start rate
- Guardrail: Refund rate
- Who should test it: Apps where most revenue already comes from yearly plans and short plans mostly cannibalize them. Apps where many buyers pick a short plan, as here, are likely to lose.

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Credit: Stardust ran this test and owns the result. Summary and commentary by LiftArchive (https://liftarchive.com/test/stardust-yearly-only-paywall/).
Usage: Free to use, quote and build on, with credit and a link: name the practitioner or organization that ran the test and link to its LiftArchive page. The results belong to the practitioners who ran and shared them; the summaries and commentary are LiftArchive's.
