Loading video...

Video Failed to Load

Go Home

We studied 2,995 paywalls. Interviewed 'The Paywall Guy' Jonathan Parra, who's designed 4,700+ paywalls. Analyzed 728 subscription flows on Mobbin. We found these and more: → An ugly paywall could outperform a pretty one → More friction could increase conversions → Users often decide to pay before they reach...

64,512 views • 2 months ago •via X (Twitter)

14 Comments

Matias Jurfest's profile picture
Matias Jurfest2 months ago

@jondeparra @mobbin Here is the link so you don't need to search for it:

Bulelani Botman's profile picture
Bulelani Botman2 months ago

@jondeparra @mobbin enjoyed this. can mobbin please make more

Rachel How's profile picture
Rachel How2 months ago

@jondeparra @mobbin more coming 🫡

Cherishhhhhed's profile picture
Cherishhhhhed2 months ago

@jondeparra @mobbin Where's the link

Sébastien DB's profile picture
Sébastien DB2 months ago

@jondeparra @mobbin La friction qui convertit mieux que le tunnel fluide, je l'ai vécu sur PurrPlan : une étape d'onboarding qu'on jugeait "trop longue" filtrait les utilisateurs gratuits et doublait le taux d'activation payante. L'intention derrière la friction compte plus que la friction…

Rachel How's profile picture
Rachel How2 months ago

@jondeparra @mobbin oui, sometimes friction is good when done well!

Nick Venturi's profile picture
Nick Venturi2 months ago

@jondeparra @mobbin ugly layouts making the most money will always be funny

Rachel How's profile picture
Rachel How2 months ago

@jondeparra @mobbin 🤣

Saeed Anwar's profile picture
Saeed Anwar2 months ago

@jondeparra @mobbin An ugly paywall outperforming a pretty one makes perfect sense. Polished design signals "big company trying to extract money." Raw design signals "scrappy product worth trying." What was the single highest-converting paywall pattern across the 2,995?

Solrac's profile picture
Solrac2 months ago

@jondeparra @mobbin I created a paywall service on @monad check it out here

Mahendra Kumawat's profile picture
Mahendra Kumawat2 months ago

@jondeparra @mobbin Who knew ugly paywalls could win? 🤔 More friction = more conversions? Mind. Blown. 🚀

Sophie Namir's profile picture
Sophie Namir2 months ago

@jondeparra @mobbin 2,995 paywalls and the big takeaway is ugly beats pretty? makes sense though, polished reads as marketing, raw reads as 'this is just what it costs'

AI Mastery Guide's profile picture
AI Mastery Guide2 months ago

@jondeparra @mobbin An ugly paywall outperforming a pretty one is such a counterintuitive finding, definitely rethinking my own paywall now

Kok Sing's profile picture
Kok Sing2 months ago

@jondeparra @mobbin When designing the onboarding flow for a new mobile app, how do you address social proof when there are no users yet?

Related Videos

Today, I had the privilege of speaking to the HUMAIN team at our CEO Townhall. I often say this, and I mean it deeply: I am living my dream... working in a country where energy goes beyond oil. It’s in the people, the ambition, and the belief in building a better future. Saudi Arabia is unlike anywhere else. The hospitality is second to none. The vision is bold. And the commitment to shaping the future is real. What we are building at HUMAIN is foundational. We are not only participating in the AI era, but redefining it. Shifting the narrative from experimentation to real value creation. But more importantly, we are not afraid to challenge what an organization should look like in an AI-native world. In fact, we are pioneering it. We are actively reshaping how we work: - Moving toward a future where AI agents do the work - Empowering our people to focus on high-value thinking, creativity, and decision-making - Building strong foundations in security, governance, and guardrails - Continuously enhancing our models, systems, and operating frameworks This is not theory. This is happening now. What I saw today from our teams gives me absolute confidence: - Products that are not just innovative, but game-changing - Teams building at a speed and quality that challenge global norms - A culture focused on execution, ownership, and impact At #LEAP2026 this year, we will go beyond vision. We will show: Real demos. Real products. Some of them are a first of their kind in the world. And they are built right here in Saudi Arabia. I could not be more proud of this team. What they have accomplished in such a short time is remarkable. This is just the beginning. The future is not something we wait for. It’s something we build. #HUMAIN #LEAP #TheEndOfLimits #AI

Tareq Amin

17,856 views • 5 months ago

"You're a scumbag... how do you even look yourself in the mirror?" She said after we presented her with an offer above list price This is the story of how we closed the biggest deal in Frasier Cole history after one person and one conversation fueled a legendary revenge deal: November 15th, 2021, 1,323 days ago, 6 months into us starting Frasier Cole, we were working with a buyer who was in exchange. We already had 2 deals under contract with them and they really needed a 3rd to complete the exchange. We saw a deal that had been listed 2 days previously and it fit the clients criteria and remaining amount in their exchange. Best of all, we had a relationship with the listing brokerage as we are already under contract with them on another deal for this client's exchange. Asking price was $5m and we offered $5,090,000 30 day look/10 day close. 2 hours later we received a call from the CEO of the company. She started off cordial because, well, Mason had a prior professional relationship with this woman. Things quickly turned when she asked Mason "How he looked himself in the mirror?" and telling him he a "scumbag who only cares about low hanging fruit?" "Under no circumstance will we be paying you any commission on this deal. Your client is welcome to buy it but we will be keeping the entire fee" The reason was because she's known our client for years and because we already are under contract on a deal with this company. Our response was "If you know the buyer so well, why didn't you show him this deal?" That only made her more angry... so she said they let the other deal slide but this one they have no intention of paying a commission. Mind you, this woman makes $1-2m a year. We told the client and they were unwilling to pay our fee. Mason and I were pissed - what could we do? We have no signed buyer rep agreement and no recourse. We could let it go, move on, take the high road... F*ck that We started thinking of ways to get revenge... The best idea we could come up with that night is to buy their office building, rezone it for MF, and kick 'em out. It worked because it was a shitty office building on maybe the best development tract in Dallas. We looked up the owner of their office building and immediately called him "Would you sell 5550 LBJ?" "Yeah, actually this is perfect timing we just sorted out a title issue and are looking to sell." "Great, we'll get you an offer and take it from there" Holy sh*t We immediately called one of my best friends and college roommate Dustin who worked for a PE group in NYC. They loved the deal. What's not to love? 8.5 acres, 364k SF of office, and an existing parking garage. 17% occupied and all had short term leases or were willing to be bought out. Within a couple weeks we had an incredible offer to put in front of the owner and we were off to the races. That deal closed late yesterday after 1,322 days of working on it. Funny enough, the CEO who wronged us already moved their company out of the property before we were able to close. That's fine. Before they left, she found out that we had put the deal together. We heard she yelled at her office and land broker because they couldn't sell the building they were working in. We are now on to bigger and better things, but this one feels good. --- The story of the actual deal is an incredible one, but I wanted to highlight how it came about. I will post the story of the actual transaction soon, but for now... enjoy our revenge story

Off-Market Value-Add

32,079 views • 1 year ago