# What Percent Of Paywalls Offer Only 'Restore Purchases' As An Exit?

Source: Lazyweb Research
Published: 2026-07-07
Sample size: n=2708
Tags: paywall, monetization, checkout, mobile, ux-patterns
HTML: https://www.lazyweb.com/research/what-percent-of-paywalls-offer-only-restore-purchases-as-an-exit
Markdown: https://www.lazyweb.com/research/what-percent-of-paywalls-offer-only-restore-purchases-as-an-exit.md

**Answer.** Of 2,708 mobile paywall screens tracked by Lazyweb Research, 151 (5.6%) offer only a 'Restore purchases' link and no dismiss, X, or text-link exit — across 56 companies [1]. Restore-only is the least common visible pattern, behind the X (517) and the 'Maybe later' link (193) [2]. For a new user, restore-only is effectively a hard paywall: the link recovers a prior purchase, it does not let them leave [1].

> 151 of 2,708 paywall screens (5.6%) give only 'Restore purchases' — no real exit — across 56 companies, Lazyweb Research, July 2026.

## The finding

On 151 screens (5.6%) the only escape-shaped control is a 'Restore purchases' link, with no dismiss, X, or worded opt-out present [1]. These span 56 companies [1]. In the precedence taxonomy, restore-only ranks below both the visible X and the text link, so these are screens where restore is genuinely the sole option [2].

## Why restore-only is a soft-looking hard gate

'Restore purchases' exists for users who already paid and reinstalled; it does nothing for a first-time visitor. So a restore-only paywall functions as a hard gate for the audience that matters for conversion, even though a link is present [1]. Treat these 151 screens as near-hard when you benchmark, not as soft.

## How to apply it and caveats

If your goal is to soften a paywall, adding 'Restore' does not achieve it — you need an X or a worded opt-out that a new user can act on [2]. If your goal is a hard gate but you must satisfy store review, restore-only is the minimal pattern 56 companies use [1]. Caveat: counts are extraction-based lower bounds and what-shipped only [1].

## The numbers

| Stat | Computed from |
| --- | --- |
| 151 restore-only screens (5.6%) across 56 companies | restore_only_screens: 151/2,708 = 5.6% |
| restore-only ranks below X (517) and text link (193) in precedence taxonomy | exit_type_taxonomy |

## Methodology

Restore-only is a branch of the exit taxonomy over 2,708 screens: a Restore CTA with no other exit. Extraction-based lower bound, what-shipped only. July 2026.

## Sources & citations

- [1] Lazyweb Research analysis of 2,708 paywall screens (mobile app corpus, 56 companies), July 2026. Restore-only = a 'Restore' CTA present but no dismiss/X/text-link exit; a lower bound.
- [2] Lazyweb Research analysis of 2,708 paywall screens (mobile app corpus), July 2026. Mutually exclusive exit taxonomy with visible-X precedence.

## Related questions

- [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)
- [Hard Vs Soft Paywall: How Common Is Each?](https://www.lazyweb.com/research/hard-vs-soft-paywall-how-common-is-each)
- [What Percent Of Paywalls Have A Visible Dismiss Option?](https://www.lazyweb.com/research/what-percent-of-paywalls-have-a-visible-dismiss-option)