Onboarding should have before and after animated sliders (see videos on the Notion page below) to show the user dramatic improvements with Camera+ features. Most high-grossing apps in this category use this strategy, which helps convince the user to start the free trial without trying the app. Showing is more effective than telling (show the feature instead of listing them). When someone closes a paywall, the chance of them paying goes down significantly, so we need to convince them before they hit the paywall.
The animated before and after images used in the initial onboarding slides can be reused at the top of the paywall (see Facetune2 video below).
FaceApp grosses an estimated 2,600,000 per month (these are only estimates, sometimes these are accurate and other times they are way off). PREQUEL grosses approximately $600,000/month and they both offer only ONE payment option. They also experiment with the psychology of the free trial. FaceApp warns that you are rejecting the free trial and won’t get it again (this pressure tactic works) while PREQUEL asks if you’re “not sure” and then offers the free trial.
FaceApp appears to be using the most successful strategy in the photo category. They are getting $39 upfront with a 3 day trial (I think a 7-day would convert better for them). They only offer one option. They don’t have to worry about people canceling every week or month. I have seen this strategy work with a lot of other apps.
Facetune2 is making an estimated 1,800,000 monthly using a proven 3 option paywall. They push the user to a yearly $36 option (cleverly disguised) with a 7 day free trial. The only problem with 3 options is you risk the user bouncing because they can’t figure out the best deal, or they freeze, leave the app and never come back.
PREQUEL is the 3rd best at $600,000 month. I think they would make more with a yearly option instead of a $4.99 weekly. I don’t think weekly is a good idea based on the data especially for churn implications. It’s better to have someone pay a larger amount upfront and forget about it for a year.
SUMMARY: I would use animated onboarding screens showing dramatic features (while also focusing on your ease of use), then I would reuse those animated images at the top of the paywall. I would charge $29.99 yearly (showing the user that it comes out to 2.49/mth) with a 7 day trial and make that the only option. I would also add a warning if they reject the paywall that they will not get the 7 day trial again if they cancel. This price would be less expensive than the top 3 apps in the category, and in my experience, a price in the $20s converts better than one in the $30s.
Facetune2 after onboarding asks the user to sign in, which is interesting, because this way they have your email address (very smart), then it shows the paywall:
