Hard Vs Soft Paywall: Which Do Health & Fitness Apps Use?
- By Ali Abouelatta
- n = 435
- Published
- Updated
- 2 min read
- paywall · monetization · retention · mobile · ux-patterns
Short answer
In Health & Fitness, 119 of 435 paywall screens (27.4%) show a visible exit — almost exactly the 26.2% corpus average source[1]source[2]. Exits break down to 80 X/close, 21 text-link, and 18 restore-only; 316 screens are hard source[1]. The cut covers 38 companies and 435 screens source[1].
27.4% of Health & Fitness paywall screens (119 of 435) show a visible exit — near the corpus average, Lazyweb Research, July 2026.
Bar chart · Screens
Screens — Breakdown
One block is about 11.3 Screens
- Visible X / close
- 80
- 'Maybe later' text link
- 21
- Restore-only
- 18
- No visible exit (hard)
- 316
The finding
Across 435 Health & Fitness paywall screens from 38 companies, 119 (27.4%) have a visible exit — essentially the all-corpus rate of 26.2% source[1]source[2]. This vertical is neither notably soft (like Education at 43.5%) nor notably hard (like Photo & Video at 18.8%); it sits at the middle of the pack source[1].
Breakdown
| Exit type | Screens |
|---|---|
| Visible X / close | 80 |
| 'Maybe later' text link | 21 |
| Restore-only | 18 |
| No visible exit (hard) | 316 |
Total 435 screens, 38 companies; 119 soft (27.4%) source[1]. The X is again the dominant exit, and restore-only is relatively prominent here (18 screens) source[1].
How to apply it and caveats
Health & Fitness gives you the cleanest 'default' benchmark — build to roughly one-in-four soft and you match the vertical norm source[1]. If you go harder, know that Photo & Video is the only spec vertical that hard-gates more source[1]. Caveats: 38 companies is the largest company sample of the four verticals but still modest; figures are lower bounds and what-shipped, not lift source[1].
Real in-market screens
Screens from real, in-market apps, tracked by Lazyweb Research.
Spin1206 × 2622opens the full image 
Fitbod1206 × 2622opens the full image 
Duolingo1206 × 2622opens the full image 
Airfun1206 × 2622opens the full image
The numbers
| # | Stat | Computed from |
|---|---|---|
| [1] | 119 of 435 H&F screens (27.4%); X 80, text 21, restore 18, hard 316; 38 companies | exit_share_health_fitness |
| [2] | corpus average 26.2% | screens_with_any_visible_exit: 710/2,708 |
Methodology
Health & Fitness cut is 435 screens across 38 companies from the exit taxonomy. Lower-bound, what-shipped prevalence. July 2026.
Sources
- [1]
Lazyweb Research analysis of 435 Health & Fitness paywall screens (mobile app corpus, 38 companies), July 2026
Exit taxonomy filtered to Health & Fitness; extraction-based lower bounds.
- [2]
Lazyweb Research analysis of 2,708 paywall screens (mobile app corpus), July 2026
All-corpus visible-exit rate for comparison.
Source: Lazyweb Research — proprietary analysis of real, in-market app screens. Cite as Lazyweb Research, 2026-07-07.