# Paywall anatomy and plan-structure benchmarks Source: Lazyweb Research 20 data-backed questions on Paywall anatomy and plan-structure benchmarks. HTML: https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/category/paywall-anatomy-and-plan-structure-benchmarks Markdown: https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/category/paywall-anatomy-and-plan-structure-benchmarks.md ## Questions - [How Many Plan Options Do Mobile Paywalls Show — 1, 2, or 3?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/how-many-plan-options-do-mobile-paywalls-show) Among 734 mobile paywalls with at least one billing period visible in Lazyweb's corpus, 51.5% show exactly two plan options, 42.2% show a single option, and only 6.3% show three or more. Two plans (t… - [What % of Paywalls Pre-Select the Annual Plan?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/what-percent-of-paywalls-preselect-the-annual-plan) Among the paywalls in Lazyweb's corpus where a default selection is actually documented, annual is the preselected plan on 70 canonicals versus 57 monthly and 17 weekly — roughly a 4:1 lead over week… - [What % of Paywalls Show Social Proof (Ratings, Member Counts)?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/what-percent-of-paywalls-show-social-proof) At least 76 of 1,204 described mobile paywalls (6.3%) show a social-proof element — laurels, star ratings, reviews, testimonials, 'trusted by', a member/download count, or an award badge. Social proo… - [Do Paywalls Use Feature Checklists or Benefit Carousels?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/do-paywalls-use-feature-checklists-or-benefit-carousels) Where the layout is documented, feature checklists outnumber benefit carousels roughly 2:1: 163 of 1,204 described paywalls mention a checklist or feature/benefits list versus 76 that mention a carou… - [What % of Paywalls Mention a Free Trial?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/what-percent-of-paywalls-mention-a-free-trial) 44.7% of 1,204 described mobile paywalls (538 screens) mention a free trial, but only 3.2% (39 screens) actually show a trial-timeline UI explaining how the trial works day by day. So while nearly ha… - [How Many CTAs Does the Median Paywall Have?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/how-many-ctas-does-the-median-paywall-have) The median mobile paywall has 2 distinct CTAs, based on 874 paywalls with extracted CTA rows in Lazyweb's corpus (p25=1, p75=3, mean 2.89). A plurality — 41.8% — have just one CTA, while 21.2% carry… - [Dark or Light: What Background Do Mobile Paywalls Use?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/dark-or-light-what-background-do-mobile-paywalls-use) 70.9% of mobile paywalls use a dark background, versus 19.1% light and 10.0% colored/other, based on 1,107 paywalls whose background field was classifiable in Lazyweb's corpus. Dark is the dominant p… - [What Is the Most Common Primary Paywall CTA Button Text?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/what-is-the-most-common-primary-paywall-cta-text) 'Continue' is the single most common primary paywall CTA, appearing on 350 of 1,886 labeled primary CTAs across 66 companies — more than any explicit subscribe verb. It is followed by 'Subscribe' (89… - [What % of Paywalls Have a Visible Close or Restore Option?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/what-percent-of-paywalls-have-a-visible-close-button) At least 314 of 1,204 described mobile paywalls show a close or dismiss button, and at least 212 show a restore-purchases link, in Lazyweb's corpus. Both are minority-described affordances, meaning m… - [Dark or Light: What Background Do Mobile Paywalls Actually Use?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/dark-vs-light-paywall-background-benchmark) Across 1,107 mobile paywall screens with a classified background in Lazyweb's corpus, 70.9% use a dark background, 19.1% light, and 10.0% colored or other. Dark is the clear default for paywalls, but… - [Which App Categories Use Light Paywalls Instead of Dark?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/dark-vs-light-paywall-background-by-category) Across five verticals with enough paywalls to compare, dark backgrounds range from 82% in Music down to 56% in Health & Fitness. Health & Fitness is the most light-friendly big vertical; Music, Photo… - [Should a Health and Fitness Paywall Use a Dark or Light Background?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/health-fitness-paywall-dark-or-light-background) Among 178 classified Health & Fitness paywalls in Lazyweb's corpus, 56.2% are dark and 52 (about 29%) are light — the most balanced dark/light split of any big vertical. Unlike Music or Education, wh… - [Do Education App Paywalls Use Dark or Light Backgrounds?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/education-paywall-dark-or-light-background) Among 208 classified Education paywalls in Lazyweb's corpus, 78.8% are dark and only 29 (about 14%) are light. Education paywalls skew dark almost as heavily as the overall corpus average of 70.9%, s… - [What Background Color Do Music App Paywalls Use?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/music-paywall-dark-or-light-background) Among 72 classified Music paywalls in Lazyweb's corpus, 81.9% are dark — only 9 are light. Music has the highest dark-background share of any vertical measured, above the 70.9% overall average. A dar… - [Do Photo and Video App Paywalls Use Dark Backgrounds?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/photo-video-paywall-dark-or-light-background) Among 67 classified Photo & Video paywalls in Lazyweb's corpus, 79.1% are dark and only 8 are light. Photo & Video skews dark almost as heavily as Music and Education, above the 70.9% corpus average.… - [How Many CTAs Does the Median Mobile Paywall Have?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/how-many-ctas-median-paywall-has) Across 874 mobile paywalls with extracted CTAs in Lazyweb's corpus, the median paywall shows 2 distinct call-to-action texts (p25=1, p75=3, mean 2.89). Most paywalls are lean: 42% show a single CTA a… - [What Is the Mix of Primary, Secondary, and Dismiss CTAs on Paywalls?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/paywall-cta-role-mix-primary-secondary-dismiss) Across 2,679 role-labeled paywall CTAs in Lazyweb's corpus, 70.4% are primary, 22.3% secondary, and 7.3% dismiss. Primary actions dominate the labeled set roughly 3 to 1 over secondary, and explicit… - [How Many Paywalls Show a Free-Trial Timeline UI?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/paywall-trial-timeline-ui-prevalence) Of 1,204 described paywalls in Lazyweb's corpus, 44.7% mention a free trial but only 39 (about 3.2%) show a trial-timeline UI explaining how the trial works day by day. Trials are common; the visual… - [Do Graphics and Design App Paywalls Use Dark or Light Backgrounds?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/graphics-design-paywall-dark-or-light-background) Among 47 Graphics & Design paywalls in Lazyweb's corpus, 21 are dark and 15 light — the most balanced dark/light split observed. Because the sample is below the threshold for percentages, these are a… - [What Is the Most Common Primary CTA Text on Paywalls?](https://design.lazyweb.com/blog/most-common-primary-paywall-cta-text) Of 1,886 labeled primary paywall CTAs in Lazyweb's corpus, 'Continue' is the single most common text at 350 uses across 66 companies — more than any explicit subscribe verb. 'Subscribe' (89), 'Start…