Paywall that previews premium features: +50% conversion, +64% ARPU
Commentary byLiftArchiveOur analysis, not theirsReplacing a text paywall with a visual one that previews premium features lifted conversion by over 50% and estimated ARPU by 64%.
Unchaind, a faith-based recovery app, ran this A/B test.
It was published as a Superwall case study.
- Conversion rate: up over 50% for the feature-preview paywall.
- Estimated ARPU: up 64%. The source calls this an estimate, so it may not reflect final renewals.
- The winner became the new baseline for later tests, which the team says kept raising conversion and ARPU. Those later results were not broken out.
The change
The bulleted benefits list is replaced by visual previews of premium features.
Simplified mockup drawn by LiftArchive from the shared screenshots.
Control
A text-based paywall with a headline and a bulleted list of benefits.
Variant
A visual paywall that used rich media to preview the look and feel of the premium features.
Why it likely won
Our reading of the result, not the practitioner's claim.
- Seeing the app in action makes the value concrete, while bullet points ask users to imagine it.
- Previews can reduce doubt about what premium actually includes.
- Users who see the product may be more willing to pick a higher-value plan, which would lift ARPU on top of conversion.
Caveats: Sample size, duration and confidence were not shared, and the ARPU gain is an estimate. The case study was published by Superwall, which sells the paywall testing tool used.
Who ran it
Unchaind ran this test. Source: Superwall case study. The numbers are theirs; the summary and commentary on this page are ours.
How to run this test on your app
- Hypothesis
- If we preview premium features with screenshots or video on the paywall instead of a text list, then more users will subscribe because they can see what they are paying for.
- Primary metric
- Paywall conversion rate
- Guardrails
- ARPU or proceeds per user
- Trial-to-paid conversion
- Paywall load time
- Who should test it
- Apps whose premium features are visual or easy to show on screen. It may help less when the premium value is abstract, like removing ads or limits.
Questions
Should I use video or screenshots in a paywall preview?
The source mentions images, videos and carousels but does not say which format Unchaind used.
Start with whatever shows your core feature fastest, then test formats.
Will a heavier visual paywall hurt load time?
It can. Watch how fast the paywall renders, especially on slow connections, so the media does not cost you users before they see the offer.
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