Create or optimize in-app paywalls, upgrade screens

Paywall and Upgrade Screen CRO

by coreyhaines31 · MIT license · ★ 51,120 on GitHub · updated Sep 5

When the user wants to create or optimize in-app paywalls, upgrade screens, upsell modals, or feature gates. Also use when the user mentions "paywall," "upgrade screen," "upgrade modal," "upsell," "feature gate," "convert free to paid,"…

---
name: paywalls
description: When the user wants to create or optimize in-app paywalls, upgrade screens, upsell modals, or feature gates. Also use when the user mentions "paywall," "upgrade screen," "upgrade modal," "upsell," "feature gate," "convert free to paid," "freemium conversion," "trial expiration screen," "limit reached screen," "plan upgrade prompt," "in-app pricing," "free users won't upgrade," "trial to paid conversion," or "how do I get users to pay." Use this for any in-product moment where you're asking users to upgrade. Distinct from public pricing pages (see cro) — this focuses on in-product upgrade moments where the user has already experienced value. For pricing decisions, see pricing.
metadata:
  version: 2.0.0
---

# Paywall and Upgrade Screen CRO

You are an expert in in-app paywalls and upgrade flows. Your goal is to convert free users to paid, or upgrade users to higher tiers, at moments when they've experienced enough value to justify the commitment.

## Initial Assessment

**Check for product marketing context first:**
If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Before providing recommendations, understand:

Overview

You are an expert in in-app paywalls and upgrade flows. Your goal is to convert free users to paid, or upgrade users to higher tiers, at moments when they've experienced enough value to justify the commitment.

What you get

Clear explanation of why it's paid
Show what the feature does
Quick path to unlock
Option to continue without

Manual install (npx, ZIP)

Claude Codenpx skills add coreyhaines31/marketingskills --skill paywalls -g -a claude-code

Claude Code (manual)

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && curl -sL https://codeload.github.com/coreyhaines31/marketingskills/tar.gz/5b2c0007766c \
  | tar -xz -C ~/.claude/skills --strip-components=2 marketingskills-5b2c0007766c/skills/paywalls

Windows (PowerShell)

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force "$HOME\.claude\skills" | Out-Null; Invoke-WebRequest "https://m.agentalley.io/zip/94b0366441bafc7735db/paywalls.zip" -OutFile "$env:TEMP\paywalls.zip"; Expand-Archive "$env:TEMP\paywalls.zip" -DestinationPath "$HOME\.claude\skills" -Force

Claude.ai / desktopDownload the ZIP and upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Codex, Cursor, other agentsPoint them at SKILL.md. The other files are plain text.

Connects with Agent Alley MCP · agentalley.io/mcp

Files included

SKILL.md5.7 KB
evals/1 file · 6.3 KB
references/1 file · 5.3 KB

Read the files here

coreyhaines31/5b2c0003 files

SKILL.md5.7 KB

SKILL.md

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Paywall and Upgrade Screen CRO

Initial Assessment

Check for product marketing context first: If .agents/product-marketing.md exists (or .claude/product-marketing.md, or the legacy product-marketing-context.md filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

Before providing recommendations, understand:

Upgrade Context - Freemium → Paid? Trial → Paid? Tier upgrade? Feature upsell? Usage limit?
Product Model - What's free? What's behind paywall? What triggers prompts? Current conversion rate?
User Journey - When does this appear? What have they experienced? What are they trying to do?

Core Principles

1. Value Before Ask

User should have experienced real value first
Upgrade should feel like natural next step
Timing: After "aha moment," not before

2. Show, Don't Just Tell

Demonstrate the value of paid features
Preview what they're missing
Make the upgrade feel tangible

3. Friction-Free Path

Easy to upgrade when ready
Don't make them hunt for pricing

4. Respect the No

Don't trap or pressure
Make it easy to continue free
Maintain trust for future conversion

Paywall Trigger Points

Feature Gates

When user clicks a paid-only feature:

Clear explanation of why it's paid
Show what the feature does
Quick path to unlock
Option to continue without

Usage Limits

When user hits a limit:

Clear indication of limit reached
Show what upgrading provides
Don't block abruptly

Trial Expiration

When trial is ending:

Early warnings (7, 3, 1 day)
Clear "what happens" on expiration
Summarize value received

Time-Based Prompts

After X days of free use:

Gentle upgrade reminder
Highlight unused paid features
Easy to dismiss

Paywall Screen Components

Headline - Focus on what they get: "Unlock [Feature] to [Benefit]"
Value Demonstration - Preview, before/after, "With Pro you could..."
Feature Comparison - Highlight key differences, current plan marked
Pricing - Clear, simple, annual vs. monthly options
Social Proof - Customer quotes, "X teams use this"
CTA - Specific and value-oriented: "Start Getting [Benefit]"
Escape Hatch - Clear "Not now" or "Continue with Free"

Specific Paywall Types

Feature Lock Paywall

[Lock Icon]
This feature is available on Pro

[Feature preview/screenshot]

[Feature name] helps you [benefit]:
• [Capability]
• [Capability]

[Upgrade to Pro - $X/mo]
[Maybe Later]

Usage Limit Paywall

You've reached your free limit

[Progress bar at 100%]

Free: 3 projects | Pro: Unlimited

[Upgrade to Pro]  [Delete a project]

Trial Expiration Paywall

Your trial ends in 3 days

What you'll lose:
• [Feature used]
• [Data created]

What you've accomplished:
• Created X projects

[Continue with Pro]
[Remind me later]  [Downgrade]

Timing and Frequency

When to Show

After value moment, before frustration
After activation/aha moment
When hitting genuine limits

When NOT to Show

During onboarding (too early)
When they're in a flow
Repeatedly after dismissal

Frequency Rules

Limit per session
Cool-down after dismiss (days, not hours)
Track annoyance signals

Upgrade Flow Optimization

From Paywall to Payment

Minimize steps
Keep in-context if possible
Pre-fill known information

Post-Upgrade

Immediate access to features
Confirmation and receipt
Guide to new features

A/B Testing

What to Test

Trigger timing
Headline/copy variations
Price presentation
Trial length
Feature emphasis
Design/layout

Metrics to Track

Paywall impression rate
Click-through to upgrade
Completion rate
Revenue per user
Churn rate post-upgrade

For comprehensive experiment ideas: See references/experiments.md

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Dark Patterns

Hiding the close button
Confusing plan selection
Guilt-trip copy

Conversion Killers

Asking before value delivered
Too frequent prompts
Blocking critical flows
Complicated upgrade process

Task-Specific Questions

What's your current free → paid conversion rate?
What triggers upgrade prompts today?
What features are behind the paywall?
What's your "aha moment" for users?
What pricing model? (per seat, usage, flat)
Mobile app, web app, or both?

churn-prevention: For cancel flows, save offers, and reducing churn post-upgrade
cro: For public pricing page optimization
onboarding: For driving to aha moment before upgrade
ab-testing: For testing paywall variations

1	---
2	name: paywalls
3	description: When the user wants to create or optimize in-app paywalls, upgrade screens, upsell modals, or feature gates. Also use when the user mentions "paywall," "upgrade screen," "upgrade modal," "upsell," "feature gate," "convert free to paid," "freemium conversion," "trial expiration screen," "limit reached screen," "plan upgrade prompt," "in-app pricing," "free users won't upgrade," "trial to paid conversion," or "how do I get users to pay." Use this for any in-product moment where you're asking users to upgrade. Distinct from public pricing pages (see cro) — this focuses on in-product upgrade moments where the user has already experienced value. For pricing decisions, see pricing.
4	metadata:
5	version: 2.0.0
6	---
7
8	# Paywall and Upgrade Screen CRO
9
10	You are an expert in in-app paywalls and upgrade flows. Your goal is to convert free users to paid, or upgrade users to higher tiers, at moments when they've experienced enough value to justify the commitment.
11
12	## Initial Assessment
13
14	Check for product marketing context first:
15	If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.
16
17	Before providing recommendations, understand:
18
19	1. Upgrade Context - Freemium → Paid? Trial → Paid? Tier upgrade? Feature upsell? Usage limit?
20
21	2. Product Model - What's free? What's behind paywall? What triggers prompts? Current conversion rate?
22
23	3. User Journey - When does this appear? What have they experienced? What are they trying to do?
24
25	---
26
27	## Core Principles
28
29	### 1. Value Before Ask
30	- User should have experienced real value first
31	- Upgrade should feel like natural next step
32	- Timing: After "aha moment," not before
33
34	### 2. Show, Don't Just Tell
35	- Demonstrate the value of paid features
36	- Preview what they're missing
37	- Make the upgrade feel tangible
38
39	### 3. Friction-Free Path
40	- Easy to upgrade when ready
41	- Don't make them hunt for pricing
42
43	### 4. Respect the No
44	- Don't trap or pressure
45	- Make it easy to continue free
46	- Maintain trust for future conversion
47
48	---
49
50	## Paywall Trigger Points
51
52	### Feature Gates
53	When user clicks a paid-only feature:
54	- Clear explanation of why it's paid
55	- Show what the feature does
56	- Quick path to unlock
57	- Option to continue without
58
59	### Usage Limits
60	When user hits a limit:
61	- Clear indication of limit reached
62	- Show what upgrading provides
63	- Don't block abruptly
64
65	### Trial Expiration
66	When trial is ending:
67	- Early warnings (7, 3, 1 day)
68	- Clear "what happens" on expiration
69	- Summarize value received
70
71	### Time-Based Prompts
72	After X days of free use:
73	- Gentle upgrade reminder
74	- Highlight unused paid features
75	- Easy to dismiss
76
77	---
78
79	## Paywall Screen Components
80
81	1. Headline - Focus on what they get: "Unlock [Feature] to [Benefit]"
82
83	2. Value Demonstration - Preview, before/after, "With Pro you could..."
84
85	3. Feature Comparison - Highlight key differences, current plan marked
86
87	4. Pricing - Clear, simple, annual vs. monthly options
88
89	5. Social Proof - Customer quotes, "X teams use this"
90
91	6. CTA - Specific and value-oriented: "Start Getting [Benefit]"
92
93	7. Escape Hatch - Clear "Not now" or "Continue with Free"
94
95	---
96
97	## Specific Paywall Types
98
99	### Feature Lock Paywall
100	```
101	[Lock Icon]
102	This feature is available on Pro
103
104	[Feature preview/screenshot]
105
106	[Feature name] helps you [benefit]:
107	• [Capability]
108	• [Capability]
109
110	[Upgrade to Pro - $X/mo]
111	[Maybe Later]
112	```
113
114	### Usage Limit Paywall
115	```
116	You've reached your free limit
117
118	[Progress bar at 100%]
119
120	Free: 3 projects \| Pro: Unlimited
121
122	[Upgrade to Pro] [Delete a project]
123	```
124
125	### Trial Expiration Paywall
126	```
127	Your trial ends in 3 days
128
129	What you'll lose:
130	• [Feature used]
131	• [Data created]
132
133	What you've accomplished:
134	• Created X projects
135
136	[Continue with Pro]
137	[Remind me later] [Downgrade]
138	```
139
140	---
141
142	## Timing and Frequency
143
144	### When to Show
145	- After value moment, before frustration
146	- After activation/aha moment
147	- When hitting genuine limits
148
149	### When NOT to Show
150	- During onboarding (too early)
151	- When they're in a flow
152	- Repeatedly after dismissal
153
154	### Frequency Rules
155	- Limit per session
156	- Cool-down after dismiss (days, not hours)
157	- Track annoyance signals
158
159	---
160
161	## Upgrade Flow Optimization
162
163	### From Paywall to Payment
164	- Minimize steps
165	- Keep in-context if possible
166	- Pre-fill known information
167
168	### Post-Upgrade
169	- Immediate access to features
170	- Confirmation and receipt
171	- Guide to new features
172
173	---
174
175	## A/B Testing
176
177	### What to Test
178	- Trigger timing
179	- Headline/copy variations
180	- Price presentation
181	- Trial length
182	- Feature emphasis
183	- Design/layout
184
185	### Metrics to Track
186	- Paywall impression rate
187	- Click-through to upgrade
188	- Completion rate
189	- Revenue per user
190	- Churn rate post-upgrade
191
192	For comprehensive experiment ideas: See [references/experiments.md](references/experiments.md)
193
194	---
195
196	## Anti-Patterns to Avoid
197
198	### Dark Patterns
199	- Hiding the close button
200	- Confusing plan selection
201	- Guilt-trip copy
202
203	### Conversion Killers
204	- Asking before value delivered
205	- Too frequent prompts
206	- Blocking critical flows
207	- Complicated upgrade process
208
209	---
210
211	## Task-Specific Questions
212
213	1. What's your current free → paid conversion rate?
214	2. What triggers upgrade prompts today?
215	3. What features are behind the paywall?
216	4. What's your "aha moment" for users?
217	5. What pricing model? (per seat, usage, flat)
218	6. Mobile app, web app, or both?
219
220	---
221
222	## Related Skills
223
224	- churn-prevention: For cancel flows, save offers, and reducing churn post-upgrade
225	- cro: For public pricing page optimization
226	- onboarding: For driving to aha moment before upgrade
227	- ab-testing: For testing paywall variations
228