# What Is The Most Common Dismiss Button Copy On Paywalls?

Source: Lazyweb Research
Published: 2026-07-07
Sample size: n=4406
Tags: paywall, monetization, ux-patterns, mobile, upsell
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**Answer.** Across 4,406 paywall CTA rows tracked by Lazyweb Research, 'not now' is the most common dismissal copy at 59 CTAs across 14 companies, ahead of 'no thanks' (51/13) and 'maybe later' (27/13) [1]. Among the 196 dismiss-role CTAs specifically, 'not now' (56) and 'no thanks' (41) again lead, with 'cancel' (40) close behind [2]. Literal X/close text is rare — only 7 CTA rows — because the X lives in the screen chrome, not the button list [1].

> 'Not now' is the most common paywall dismissal copy — 59 CTAs across 14 companies of 4,406 rows, Lazyweb Research, July 2026.

## The leaderboard

| Dismissal copy | CTAs | Companies |
|---|---|---|
| not now | 59 | 14 |
| no thanks | 51 | 13 |
| maybe later | 27 | 13 |
| dismiss | 15 | 6 |
| skip | 12 | 10 |
| literal X / close | 7 | 4 |

Counts are CTA-text pattern matches across all 4,406 rows [1]. The n=1 'continue without upgrading' variant is dropped as too thin [1].

## Dismiss-role subset

If you restrict to the 196 CTAs actually labeled dismiss-role, the ranking shifts slightly: 'not now' 56, 'no thanks' 41, 'cancel' 40, 'maybe later' 26, 'dismiss' 15, 'skip' 10 [2]. The prominence of 'cancel' (40) in this subset reflects cancellation and exit-intent screens where the opt-out is framed as cancelling an action [2].

## How to apply it and caveats

If you want the corpus-standard wording, 'not now' and 'no thanks' are the safe defaults — both appear across the most companies [1]. 'skip' spreads across 10 companies on only 12 CTAs, so it is a common single-use pattern on onboarding paywalls [1]. Caveats: these are frequency counts, not conversion tests; and dismiss prevalence overall is a lower bound because 39% of CTAs are unlabeled [1][2].

## The numbers

| Stat | Computed from |
| --- | --- |
| not now 59/14, no thanks 51/13, maybe later 27/13, dismiss 15/6, skip 12/10, X/close 7/4 | dismiss_copy_leaderboard (4,406 CTA rows) |
| dismiss-role subset: not now 56, no thanks 41, cancel 40, maybe later 26, dismiss 15, skip 10 | dismiss_copy_leaderboard (196 dismiss-role CTAs) |

## Methodology

Copy frequencies come from CTA-text pattern matching over 4,406 rows and the 196 dismiss-role subset. Frequency, not lift; the thin 'continue without upgrading' variant is dropped. July 2026.

## Sources & citations

- [1] Lazyweb Research analysis of 4,406 paywall CTA rows (mobile app corpus, 252 companies), July 2026. Dismissal copy by CTA-text pattern match; n=1 'continue without upgrading' variant excluded.
- [2] Lazyweb Research analysis of 196 dismiss-role paywall CTAs (mobile app corpus, 64 companies), July 2026. Top texts within the dismiss-role subset; 'cancel' appears on exit-intent/cancellation screens.

## Related questions

- [How Many Paywalls Use A 'Maybe Later' Text Link Instead Of An X?](https://www.lazyweb.com/research/how-many-paywalls-use-a-maybe-later-text-link)
- [What Share Of Paywall CTAs Are Dismiss Buttons?](https://www.lazyweb.com/research/what-share-of-paywall-ctas-are-dismiss-buttons)
- [How Do Apps Let Users Exit The Paywall — X Button, 'Maybe Later', Or Not At All?](https://www.lazyweb.com/research/how-do-apps-let-users-exit-the-paywall)