Launch Center Pro · B2C · iPhone shortcut launcher app
Skip the paywall during onboarding, then block users once they're using the app
Host calls it a mistake: a surprise block is 'a terrible experience'
Failedpaywallonboarding
What they did
The host's own apps didn't show a paywall in onboarding; users onboarded, got excited using the app, and then hit a paywall block. Jacob Eiting added a lesson from his Elevate boss Jesse Pickard: ~97% of users never pay, so showing them a paywall early is fine and makes the commerce clear.
What happened
The host calls it a mistake that makes for a terrible experience; users hate surprises.
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · How’s Your App Really Doing? The State of Subscription Apps 2023“Yeah, and then that's a mistake I've made in my apps, is that like not showing the paywall in onboarding, and then people get onboarded, they're like doing stuff and they're excited, they're using your app, and then all of a sudden, like boom, you like block them. That's a terrible experience.”
“He's like, "Hey, 97% of these people are going to come in and never pay you anything, and you probably have some free experience. Like, they can look at a paywall.”
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- Pok Pok: Double the monthly subscription priceMore than doubled revenue, but the higher-price cohort churned much faster
- None to Run: Write one blog post on why Couch to 5K injures beginners, and share it in your Facebook groupLaunch cohort: 20%+ trial starts, ~90% trial-to-paid; drifted down as store traffic grew
- AllTrails: Rank first in Google for every trail and keep the subscription cheapHost believes very low acquisition cost and strong retention; no numbers
- RevenueCat: Publish a yearly benchmark report built from your customers' anonymized data