Sub Club by RevenueCat · Video summary
Live Paywall Roasts: What's Working (and What Apple is Banning) | Sub Club Live – Vahe Baghdasaryan
Experts roast paywall designs, revealing Apple's strict enforcement and offering actionable insights on improving conversion rates and user experience.
Watch on YouTube ↗Key takeaways
- 🍎Apple is strictly enforcing paywall rules, leading to app rejections and payout pauses, particularly for apps using Stripe within the app or those with high refund rates (over 10%).04:06
- 🔧Review your app's payment flow to ensure it complies with Apple's guidelines, specifically avoiding Stripe integration within the app and ensuring clear subscription management.04:06
- 🤔Using Apple Pay within the app can confuse users, mimicking the App Store sheet, and leading to issues with auto-renewal management and potential refunds, which Apple is cracking down on.06:47
- 💡Experimenting with notification picker paywalls where users choose their trial reminder timing can increase conversion rates by single digits.08:36
- 🎁Packaging free trials as limited-time offers within onboarding can significantly improve conversion rates by creating a sense of urgency and exclusivity.09:56
- 📊A/B test packaging free trials as limited-time offers and explore notification picker paywalls to gauge their impact on conversion rates.09:56
Chapters
- 0:01🎯 Introduction to the Live Paywall Roasts
- 1:34🎯 Vah's Location and Industry Updates
- 8:34🎯 Experimenting with Notification Paywalls
- 15:27🎯 Pricing Strategies and Tier Experiments
- 29:32🎯 Examples of Effective Paywalls
- 32:43🎯 Critique of Complex and Confusing Paywall Designs
- 46:24🎯 Multi-step Paywalls and Visual Hierarchy
- 55:05🎯 Market and Platform Considerations
- 59:41🎯 Final Tips and Community Engagement
The digest
A detailed expert review of contemporary subscription paywalls reveals effective strategies, common pitfalls, and evolving challenges due to Apple’s tightening enforcement against in-app payments outside the App Store. This discussion offers practical insights for app developers, product managers, and monetization specialists seeking to optimize paywall design, pricing structures, and compliance with platform rules to drive higher conversion rates and sustain revenue growth.
High Level Overview
This session features Vahe Baghdasaryan, a monetization consultant known for helping consumer apps optimize paywalls, pricing, and monetization strategies. The conversation centers on recent trends in subscription paywalls, especially under Apple’s increasingly strict policies regarding external payment options like Stripe integration within apps. It combines analysis of real-world paywall examples submitted by the community with actionable recommendations for improving user experience and conversion, while ensuring compliance with Apple’s rules. The content is valuable for professionals managing paid apps on iOS and other platforms, offering a frontline perspective on what currently works in subscription monetization and the regulatory headwinds shaping design and strategy.
Keep reading in The Digest
The full 6-minute article, 7 more sections, and every new episode from Sub Club by RevenueCat and the creators you follow.
- Structured Deep Dive
- 1. Apple’s Increasing Enforcement Against In-App Payment Workarounds (00:59–08:40)
- 2. Emerging Paywall Patterns Driving Higher Conversion (08:40–12:00)
- 3. Paywall Submission Reviews and Optimization Lessons (13:00–59:00)
- Key Frameworks and Mental Models
- Practical Implications & Takeaways
- Action-Oriented Summary
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