# What Is the Mix of Primary, Secondary, and Dismiss CTAs on Paywalls?

Source: Lazyweb Research
Published: 2026-07-07
Sample size: n=2679
Tags: paywall, monetization, mobile, ux-patterns, cancellation
HTML: https://www.lazyweb.com/research/paywall-cta-role-mix-primary-secondary-dismiss
Markdown: https://www.lazyweb.com/research/paywall-cta-role-mix-primary-secondary-dismiss.md

**Answer.** Across 2,679 role-labeled paywall CTAs in Lazyweb's corpus, 70.4% are primary, 22.3% secondary, and 7.3% dismiss[1]. Primary actions dominate the labeled set roughly 3 to 1 over secondary, and explicit dismiss controls are rare at fewer than 200 CTAs[1]. Design one clear primary action, allow a lightweight secondary, and treat dismiss as an intentional, minority affordance.

> Of 2,679 role-labeled paywall CTAs, 70.4% are primary, 22.3% secondary, and 7.3% dismiss (Lazyweb Research, July 2026).

## The role breakdown

Across all 4,406 extracted paywall CTAs (252 companies, 874 canonicals), 2,679 carry a role label[1]. Of the labeled set:

| Role | CTAs | Share of labeled |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | 1,886 | 70.4% |
| Secondary | 597 | 22.3% |
| Dismiss | 196 | 7.3% |

The remaining 1,727 CTAs (39.2% of all 4,406) are unlabeled and excluded from these percentages[1].

## How to apply it

The labeled mix says paywalls lead hard with a primary action (7 in 10 CTAs)[1], keep secondary actions like restore or view-all-plans to about 1 in 5, and use explicit dismiss controls sparingly (7.3%)[1]. If your paywall has multiple competing primary-weight buttons, you are diverging from the norm. Keep one primary CTA visually dominant and demote everything else to secondary or dismiss.

## Caveats

Role percentages must use the 2,679 labeled rows, not all 4,406, because 39.2% of CTAs are role='unknown'[1]. That unlabeled share means dismiss prevalence in particular is a lower bound — some unknown CTAs are surely dismiss controls. Roles are model-assigned during extraction.

## The numbers

| Stat | Computed from |
| --- | --- |
| labeled roles: primary 1,886 (70.4%), secondary 597 (22.3%), dismiss 196 (7.3%) of 2,679 labeled; 1,727 unknown of 4,406 total (39.2%); 252 companies, 874 canonicals | cta_role_mix: cta_role counts from paywall_ctas |

## Methodology

Universe: 2,679 role-labeled paywall CTAs (of 4,406 extracted across 252 companies) in the mobile corpus, July 2026. Caveat: 39.2% of CTAs are role='unknown'; dismiss prevalence is a lower bound.

## Sources & citations

- [1] Lazyweb Research analysis of 2,679 role-labeled paywall CTAs (252 companies, ~800 tracked apps), July 2026. Of 4,406 extracted CTAs, 2,679 carry a role label; 1,727 are role='unknown' and excluded from percentages.

## Related questions

- [How Many CTAs Does the Median Mobile Paywall Have?](https://www.lazyweb.com/research/how-many-ctas-median-paywall-has)
- [How Many Paywalls Show a Restore-Purchases Link or Close Button?](https://www.lazyweb.com/research/paywall-restore-and-close-button-prevalence)
- [Feature Checklist vs Benefit Carousel: Which Do Paywalls Use More?](https://www.lazyweb.com/research/feature-checklist-vs-carousel-paywalls)