Paywall and Upgrade Screen Designer
Design the ask to pay: trigger, layout, plan and trial copy, recomputed savings math, and store and auto-renewal disclosure checks.
Before & after
Same prompt, same agent — the only difference is the skill.
A paywall is a critical conversion tool in your app. You want to make sure users understand what they get with the upgrade and feel like it's worth the price. Consider showing the benefits of the upgrade compared to the free tier, highlighting the key features they'll unlock. Make the upgrade button prominent and easy to find. You might also offer a limited-time discount or free trial to encourage conversion. Test different messaging to see what resonates best with your user base.
PAYWALL DESIGN BRIEF: FILE STORAGE UPGRADE SCREEN TRIGGER MOMENT User hits free storage limit (5GB) and attempts upload; system shows paywall. VISUAL HIERARCHY • Headline: 'You've unlocked the storage limit' (neutral, not punishing) • Comparison table: Free (5GB) vs Pro (100GB, listed first) • Three key benefits highlighted with icons: unlimited uploads, priority sync, offline access • Pricing: show annual discount prominently • Primary CTA: 'Start Free Trial' (conversion-focused, not 'Upgrade') COPY STRATEGY • Lead with the use case they just bumped into: 'Keep your growing library organized' • Social proof: 'Join 50k+ creators storing their work' • Remove friction: 'Cancel anytime, no questions asked' OFFER STRUCTURE Day 1-7 free trial with countdown timer on button after trial ends. BACKUP OPTION Link to 'Lite' plan (20GB) at midpoint price to capture price-sensitive users who might otherwise leave.
About this skill
Ask for payment at the right moment, with pricing nobody feels tricked by. Every savings badge is recomputed and every disclosure is checked.
What it does
- Picks the trigger and paywall type: hard paywall, feature gate, or usage limit
- Specifies the screen top to bottom with outcome headline, plans, default selection, and button copy
- Recomputes savings percentages, per-week equivalents, and intro-to-renewal terms
- Checks trial terms, restore, close control, and store and auto-renewal disclosure items to verify
What you get
A paywall spec with copy, a price-math check, a disclosure checklist, and a test plan measured on paid conversion and early cancels.
Best for
Mobile subscription apps and freemium SaaS whose upgrade screen is underperforming or being built.
SKILL.md preview
---
name: paywall-upgrade-screen
description: Design or fix the moment a free or trial user is asked to pay - the trigger, the paywall or upgrade screen layout, plan and price presentation, trial terms, and the copy - with the price math checked and the subscription disclosure items app stores and auto-renewal laws expect flagged. Use when the user says "our paywall converts badly", "design an upgrade screen", "where should we gate this feature?", "annual vs monthly, which to default?", "review my paywall screenshot", "hard or soft paywall?", or "our trial-to-paid is low". Covers the ask itself; the onboarding flow that leads to it and the signup form are separate jobs.
---
… (sign up to view the full skill)More business & ops skills
View all Business & Ops skills →Onboarding Drop-Off Diagnosis and Activation Fix Plan
Find where new users leak between signup and first value, explain why, and get a ranked fix and test plan with real sample-size math.
A/B Test Design, Build & Experiment Roadmap
Sizes A/B tests to your actual traffic, specifies assignment and exposure logging, and ranks a test roadmap you can actually run.
Lead Magnet Builder and Opt-In Fix
Builds a ready-to-ship lead magnet with contents, opt-in page, and delivery email, and diagnoses magnets that don't convert or sell.
SaaS Upgrade Prompts and Feature Gate Optimization
Find which step of your upgrade funnel is leaking, then redesign the gate, limit, or upsell copy and set up the test to prove it.