Flow paywall

Subscription, Pricing & Paywall Flows

Overview

A paywall converts when the user hits it at a moment of felt value, understands exactly what they pay and when, and trusts they can leave. Extraction tricks — hidden toggles, roach-motel cancellation — raise short-term conversion while destroying LTV, app-store standing, and — under ROSCA and state click-to-cancel laws — legality.

When to Use

• Building a pricing page, in-app paywall screen, trial start, or plan-change flow
• Placing upgrade prompts inside a freemium product
• Designing cancellation, pause, or win-back flows
• Reviewing subscription UX for dark patterns or App Store Guideline 3.1 compliance
• Not for: one-off purchase checkout mechanics (see flow-checkout)
• Not for: usage-based enterprise billing negotiated by sales

The Proven Flow

1. Pricing page

   • 3 tiers (2–4 acceptable; 5+ paralyzes). Middle tier visually highlighted with a "Most popular" badge — it anchors choice and is where most buyers land (Notion, Spotify, essentially every major SaaS).
   • Annual/monthly toggle above the cards, annual preselected. Savings stated as a concrete number ("Save $24/yr" or "2 months free"), and the annual card shows both figures: "$8/mo, billed $96 annually."
   • Each card: plan name, price, one-line who-it's-for, 5–8 differentiating features (not the full matrix), one CTA. Free tier CTA: "Get started." Paid CTAs: "Start free trial" or "Upgrade."
   • Per-seat pricing says so on the card ("$12 per editor / month") — a flat-looking price that multiplies at checkout reads as a bait-and-switch.
   • Signed-in existing subscribers see their current plan marked ("Current plan") with only upgrade/downgrade CTAs active.
   • Full comparison table below the fold, with the tier columns sticky on scroll so long tables stay comparable.
   • FAQ answers the three fear questions: can I cancel anytime, what happens when the trial ends, do you prorate.
   • An enterprise tier uses "Contact sales" — never a fake price. Mixing self-serve numbers with one "Custom" column is fine; a page of all-"Contact us" is not a pricing page.
   • Localize currency where you sell; a $-only page in the EU depresses conversion and VAT-inclusive display is expected there.

2. Trial start — pick the model deliberately

   • Card-upfront (Superhuman, most B2B SaaS): fewer trial starts but roughly 3–5× higher trial→paid conversion; filters for intent. Requires: exact charge date on the consent screen ("Your trial ends July 21 — we'll email you 3 days before"), a reminder email that actually sends, and one-tap cancel.
   • No-card (Spotify's freemium ramp, most PLG tools): maximal top-of-funnel; conversion happens later via in-product upgrade prompts. Requires a real free tier or a graceful trial-end state — never a data hostage.
   • Rule of thumb: no-card when the product proves value inside one session; card-upfront when value takes days and you can afford a smaller, warmer funnel.
   • Design the trial-end state before launch: what the user sees on day 15 (locked features grayed with upgrade CTA, data intact and exportable) determines whether lapsed trials ever convert.
   • During the trial, show remaining time passively — "9 days left in trial" in the nav — not as recurring interrupts.

3. In-app paywall screen (mobile)

   • One screen: value proposition as 3–4 benefit bullets (outcomes, not feature names), plan selector with the preferred option preselected, price + renewal terms in plain sight, primary CTA.
   • Restore Purchases and Terms/Privacy links visible. Apple requires price, duration, and auto-renewal terms visible before purchase — hiding them is a Guideline 3.1 rejection.
   • Soft paywalls must have a dismiss "X" findable within ~2 seconds. Delayed or camouflaged close buttons are a documented dark pattern and a review-team flag.
   • Timing: show the paywall after onboarding demonstrates value (post-aha), and again at feature-gate moments — not as the app's first screen unless the model is deliberately hard-paywall.
   • Use the platform's native purchase sheet (StoreKit / Play Billing) for the transaction itself; the paywall screen is yours, the payment UI is theirs.

4. Soft vs hard paywall

   • Soft (metered or feature-gated): the free tier persists; the wall appears on premium actions. Use when network effects or habit formation need free users — Notion, Figma, Spotify.
   • Hard (nothing without paying or trialing): use when serving free users costs real money or the audience is professional — Superhuman, Bloomberg. Hard paywall + trial beats hard paywall alone.
   • Metered hybrid (N free uses/month) fits content and AI products. Show the meter before it runs out: "2 of 3 free reports used this month."

5. Upgrade prompts at value moments

   • Trigger on the action that proves need, never on a timer: hitting the block/file/seat limit, previewing a premium feature, exporting, inviting a third collaborator. Notion's block limit, Figma's editor seats, and Spotify's skip limit all monetize exactly this way.
   • Anatomy: name what just happened ("You've reached 3 boards"), one-line benefit of upgrading, CTA + neutral "Maybe later."
   • Frequency cap: the same prompt at most ~once per session. Never modal-interrupt mid-typing or mid-playback.
   • Instrument each trigger separately — prompt-shown → upgrade-started → paid per trigger tells you which value moments actually convert.

6. Upgrade / downgrade

   • Upgrades apply instantly, prorated, with the prorated charge shown before confirm.
   • Downgrades apply at period end, with an explicit statement of what's lost: "You'll lose version history over 30 days on Aug 1."
   • Never silently delete data on downgrade — a read-only lock beats deletion every time.

7. Cancellation

   • Reachable in ≤3 clicks/taps from account settings, fully self-serve, in the same medium as signup. ROSCA and state click-to-cancel laws (California and others) require cancellation as easy as signup — the FTC's vacated 2024 rule is being re-proposed and its standard remains the enforcement benchmark: no mandatory chat, no phone call, no "contact us."
   • Flow: visible Cancel button (not gray-on-gray, not buried) → optional one-screen reason survey (skippable) → one save offer max → confirm → confirmation screen + email stating the access-until date.
   • Cancellation takes effect at period end; access continues until the paid-through date — state this on the confirm screen and in the email.
   • Save offers ranked by performance and user goodwill: pause 1–3 months > temporary discount > downgrade to free. Pause converts best and is least resented.
   • Accepted pause states the auto-resume date on confirm and sends a reminder email ~3 days before billing resumes — a silent resume is a hidden-charge complaint waiting to happen.
   • State the refund policy at the confirm step ("No further charges; no refund for the current period" or whatever is true) so nobody has to ask support.
   • iOS subscriptions: deep-link straight to the App Store manage-subscriptions sheet. Never build a fake in-app cancel that dead-ends.

8. Dunning — failed renewal payments (involuntary churn)

   • Involuntary churn is typically 20–40% of all churn; treat it as a flow, not an edge case.
   • Retry the charge on a decaying schedule (e.g., day 1, 3, 7) while access continues in a grace period.
   • Notify in two channels: email ("Your payment failed — update your card") plus a persistent in-app banner deep-linking to the payment method form.
   • Only after retries exhaust does the account downgrade — to read-only or free, never to deleted.
   • Never treat a failed card as a cancellation intent; no save offers, just the fastest possible path to updating the card.

9. Win-back

   • At cancellation confirm: "You'll have access until Aug 12" — and nothing pushy.
   • Post-expiry: email at ~1 week and ~1 month with a concrete offer (discount, or "here's what's new since you left"). Max 2–3 touches; honor unsubscribes immediately.
   • Reactivation is one click back into the old plan with prior data intact — never force re-onboarding.
   • Win-back offers must not undercut loyal subscribers visibly — "new customers only" pricing shown to an existing subscriber breeds cancel-to-rebuy gaming and resentment.

Layout & Structure

• Pricing cards: equal width, feature rows aligned across cards, highlighted tier ~5–10% larger or elevated with border/shadow + badge. Price is the largest text on the card. One full-width CTA per card.
• Good–Better–Best structure: the middle tier's features must make it obviously best-value. If analytics show everyone buys the cheapest tier, the middle tier's differentiators are wrong — fix the packaging, not the buttons.
• Paywall screen (mobile): value bullets top, plan selector middle, CTA fixed at bottom above the home indicator. Renewal terms ("$79.99/yr, renews annually, cancel anytime") within one line of the CTA — never footnote-buried.
• Numbers everywhere: "Save $24" beats "Save 20%." Show annual total AND monthly equivalent. Show the exact trial-end date, not "after 14 days."
• Trust block near the CTA: cancel-anytime line, money-back guarantee if real, payment logos. One line, not a badge wall.
• Price presentation: charm pricing ($9/$29/$99) is the SaaS default; round pricing signals premium (Superhuman's flat $30). Pick one system. Typical inter-tier ratio is ~2.5–4×.
• Plan-change screens: always show current plan, target plan, effective date, and the exact next charge amount before the confirm button.
• Accessibility: the highlighted tier must not rely on color alone — badge text plus elevation; the annual/monthly toggle is a real switch/tab control with visible state, not a styled div.
• Billing surface: current plan, renewal date, next charge amount, payment method, and invoice history live on one billing page — users judging "should I cancel?" need all five in one glance.
• Social proof placement: logos or a single customer quote below the pricing cards, never between the toggle and the cards — proof supports the decision; it must not interrupt price comparison.

Compliance Floor (non-negotiable)

• US (ROSCA + state law): ROSCA §5 requires a simple cancellation mechanism; CA and other states mandate click-to-cancel. The FTC's 2024 rule was vacated (8th Cir., July 2025) and is being re-proposed — build to its standard: cancel as easy as signup, same medium, no forced calls/chats.
• Apple Guideline 3.1: price, duration, and auto-renewal terms visible pre-purchase; Restore Purchases present; external purchase links need no entitlement on the US storefront since May 2025 (Guideline 3.1.1(a)), entitlement-gated on other storefronts.
• EU consumer law / DSA: no fake countdowns, no confirmshaming, no pre-ticked add-ons; VAT-inclusive pricing displayed.
• Google Play: parallel requirements — clear pricing and renewal terms pre-purchase, cancellation via Play's subscription center, no misleading trial framing.
• Auto-renewal disclosure: the exact renewal price and date appear at consent and in the receipt email — not only in the ToS.
• Log consent: store what price/terms the user saw at subscribe time; it settles disputes and refund requests.

Quick Reference

Situation	Pattern
Choosing tier count	3 tiers, middle highlighted "Most popular"
Annual vs monthly	Toggle, annual default, dollar savings + both prices shown
Product proves value in one session	No-card trial, or freemium + soft paywall
Value takes days; warm audience	Card-upfront trial + end-date consent + reminder email
Free user hits a limit	Contextual upgrade prompt naming the limit, ≤1×/session
AI/content product	Metered free tier with a visible usage meter
User clicks Cancel	≤3 clicks, self-serve, one save offer (pause first), access-until date
User downgrades	Apply at period end; state losses; never delete data
User upgrades	Instant, prorated, prorated amount shown pre-confirm
iOS paywall	Price + renewal terms + Restore Purchases + ToS visible; native manage-subs for cancel
Trial ending, card on file	Reminder email 3+ days out, with a cancel link in it
Churned user	2–3 win-back emails; one-click reactivation to old plan
Enterprise tier	"Contact sales" — never a fake price
Trial in progress	Passive "9 days left" indicator, no interrupts
Trial ended, no conversion	Features locked + grayed, data intact and exportable
Paywall timing (mobile)	Post-aha in onboarding + at feature gates, not app-open
Renewal payment fails	Dunning: decaying retries + grace period + update-card banner
Pause offer accepted	Auto-resume date on confirm + reminder email before resume
Existing subscriber views pricing	Current plan marked; only change-plan CTAs active

Anti-Patterns

Anti-pattern	Why it breaks	Fix
Roach motel: sign up online, cancel by phone	ROSCA/state-law violation; FTC dark-pattern enforcement; chargebacks	Self-serve cancel, same medium, ≤3 clicks
Hidden auto-renewal / silent trial→paid charge	Refund storms; App Store rejection; legal exposure	Exact charge date at consent + reminder email
Annual price shown as monthly with tiny "billed annually"	Perceived bait-and-switch at checkout	Both numbers adjacent, equal visual weight
Confirmshaming decline copy ("No thanks, I hate saving money")	Documented dark pattern; erodes trust	Neutral decline: "Maybe later" / "No thanks"
4+ sequential save-offer screens on cancel	Roach-motel variant; FTC scrutiny	One save offer, then confirm
Hard paywall before any value shown, no trial	Nothing to want yet; near-zero conversion	Trial, feature preview, or metered free tier first
Upgrade nag on a timer, context-free	Trains banner blindness toward all prompts	Trigger only at limit and feature moments
Deleting data when a plan lapses	Data hostage; reputational damage	Read-only lock; export always available
Fake urgency (looping countdown timers)	Deceptive countdown = FTC/EU DSA dark pattern	Real deadlines only, or none
Pre-selecting the most expensive plan	Sneaking; refunds and distrust	Preselect the honest recommendation (middle tier)
Burying Restore Purchases	App Store rejection; locked-out paying users	Visible on every paywall screen
40-row feature matrix as the only pricing info	Choice paralysis	5–8 differentiators per card; matrix below fold
Paywall "X" that appears after a delay	Manipulative friction; review-team flag	Dismiss visible immediately on soft paywalls
Silent price increase on renewal	Refunds, chargebacks, regulator attention	Advance notice email with the new price and a cancel link
Treating failed payments as churn	20–40% of churn is involuntary	Dunning flow: retries + grace period + update-card path
"New customers only" deals shown to subscribers	Cancel-to-rebuy gaming; loyalty resentment	Match or hide promotional pricing for existing users
Cancel button styled to be invisible (gray-on-gray)	Manipulative friction; ROSCA/state-law violation; FTC dark-pattern enforcement	Cancel styled like any other secondary action
Grandfathered pricing revoked without notice	Highest-loyalty users churn angriest	Honor it, or migrate with long notice and a better offer
Trial countdown via daily push notifications	Anxiety marketing; notification-permission revokes	Passive in-app indicator + one email near the end
Proration math hidden until the invoice	Perceived overcharge; support load	Exact prorated amount on the confirm screen