Paywall A/B Testing: Optimize In-App Subscriptions for Education Apps

Paywall optimization is one of the quickest ways to increase in-app revenue for subscription apps. But how can you create a high-converting mobile paywall? How do you choose the right price for in-app subscriptions? What subscription durations should you offer? How do you test UI elements, describe the value of your premium features, and choose what trial options to offer?

In this article, we explore the best practices for creating paywalls for apps in the education category. We also provide some benchmarks and examples to help you optimize your subscription paywalls strategy.

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What is paywall A/B testing?

A/B testing, also known as split testing, is a method of comparing two versions of an app feature to determine which one performs better. In the context of paywalls, A/B testing can be used to test different paywall designs, content offerings, and pricing plans. The goal of the A/B testing is to collect the data to make data-driven decisions and grow in-app revenue through paywall optimization.

Paywall A/B testing for in-app subscriptions

Paywalls in each app category tend to have some similar features that work best for their specific category. If you check the pricing strategies, trial offers, and subscription durations of your competitors, you’ll notice that the top-ranking apps often follow the same patterns. Copying their paywalls directly may not be the best move, but getting some inspiration and ideas from relevant products is always useful.

If you’re wondering why your in-app subscription isn’t converting well, consider leveraging paywall A/B testing to create an iterative development process. By retesting and reiterating based on the testing results, you could achieve significant positive changes, including improved trial-to-paid conversion rate, increased retention, increased trial start rate, and increased customer LTV (lifetime value).

Optimize In-app Subscriptions Paywalls for Education Apps

Let’s take a look at the paywalls of the top 15 apps in the Education category.

There are several common features you can easily notice in these top 15 education apps paywalls:

• No more than 2 different subscription durations are offered. The most common durations are annual and monthly subscriptions.

• 7-day free trial

• Monthly subscription is almost always priced below 10 euro

• Similarities in UI: subscription plans offered in rows.

Duolingo Paywall A/B testing

Duolingo is constantly experimenting with its paywalls. As they have highlighted, they are obsessed with A/B testing. Here is a small recap of some of their latest paywall AB testing:

• Set of paywalls testing 3 subscription durations (1 month, 6 months, 12 months) offered in one row as vertical widgets with slightly different prices.

• Set of paywalls with 2-3 subscription options placed horizontally under each other and same prices.

• Set of paywalls explaining how the free trial works and some adjustments to the UI

We have tracked some changes to the main paywall of Duolingo in the last 12 months. We have observed that they have been offering €9, €10, and €12 for monthly subscriptions, and €79, €83, and €87 for annual options. Currently, they are using €10 for monthly and €87 for annual subscriptions.

As of May 2023, Duolingo’s subscription flow is made of four consecutive paywall screens:

This sequence includes:

• Value of the premium subscription

• Catchy 0.00 euro CTA

• Comparison between free and “super” options

• Explanation of a 14-day trial, similar to Blinkist’s trial screen

• Most popular pricing plans with a link to all pricing options

Here are some more examples of AB testing from top-ranking apps in the category.

We have discovered previous iterations of paywalls for popular apps. Below, you can see the comparison of previous and current paywalls.

Photomath Paywall Variations and A/B testing

Mathway Paywall Variations and A/B testing

Picture This Plant Identifier Paywall Variations and A/B testing

Quizlet App Paywall Variations and A/B testing

Brainly Paywall Variations and A/B testing

If you're interested in seeing more examples and boosting your apps revenue, watch our live discussion and learn proven A/B test examples and inclusive expert insights into app A/B testing.