TL;DR
Test your paywall two ways. First, prove it works: run every purchase and restore flow in the stores' sandbox so a real user is never the first to hit a bug. Then, once live, test the paywall against real users with RevenueCat to lift conversions. Working comes first, converting comes second.
Your paywall handles money, so it is the last screen you want to ship on faith. There are two kinds of testing it needs, and they happen at different times. Before launch, you test that the paywall works, that purchases go through and unlock the right things. After launch, you test how well it converts, tuning it against real users. Skip the first and you get refunds; skip the second and you leave revenue on the table.
First, prove the paywall works
Before real money is involved, use the stores' sandbox and test accounts to run the full purchase flow. Buy each plan, confirm the paid features unlock, and check that the subscription shows up in RevenueCat. This is the testing that protects you from the worst bug in any app: a paywall that charges a user but does not give them what they paid for. That bug turns buyers into refund requests and angry reviewers instantly.
Test restore and edge cases too
Do not stop at the happy path. Test restoring a purchase after a reinstall, test what happens if a purchase is cancelled midway, and test the app when the user is offline. Users do all of these things in the wild, and each is a chance for your paywall to break in a way that costs you money. A few minutes testing the messy cases saves you a stream of support messages later.
A checklist before you ship
- 1Buy each plan in sandbox and confirm the paid features unlock.
- 2Confirm the subscription appears correctly in RevenueCat.
- 3Restore a purchase after a fresh reinstall and confirm access returns.
- 4Test a cancelled purchase and an offline state so nothing crashes or double-charges.
Then, test the paywall for conversions
Once the paywall works and your app is live, the second kind of testing begins: making it convert better. RevenueCat lets you run different paywall versions and prices against real users and see which earns more, without shipping a new build. Test one change at a time, the headline, the highlighted plan, the trial, and keep the winner. This is how a paywall that merely works becomes one that quietly grows your revenue.
Keep testing as you grow
Paywall testing is never truly finished. As you add features and learn what users value, revisit the paywall and test again. Small, steady improvements to the one screen every user sees compound into serious revenue over the life of an app. The builders who treat the paywall as a living thing to keep refining, not a set-and-forget screen, are the ones whose apps keep earning more from the same traffic.
Common questions
How do I test a paywall before launch?
Use the stores' sandbox and test accounts to run the full purchase flow without real charges. Buy each plan, confirm the paid features unlock, and check the subscription appears in RevenueCat. This proves the paywall works so a paying user is never the first to hit a bug.
What is the worst paywall bug?
A paywall that charges a user but does not unlock what they paid for. It turns buyers into refund requests and one-star reviews instantly. Sandbox testing every purchase and restore flow before you ship is exactly how you catch this before a real customer ever does.
What edge cases should I test?
Restore a purchase after a reinstall, test a purchase cancelled midway, and test the app while offline. Users do all of these in the wild, and each can break your paywall in a way that costs money. A few minutes on the messy cases saves a stream of support messages later.
How do I test a paywall for more conversions?
Once live, use RevenueCat to run different paywall versions and prices against real users and see which earns more, without shipping a new build. Test one change at a time, the headline, the highlighted plan, the trial, and keep the winner. That turns a working paywall into a growing one.
Do I need to test after launch too?
Yes. The first testing proves the paywall works; the second improves how it converts. As you add features and learn what users value, revisit and test the paywall again. Small, steady improvements to the screen every user sees compound into real revenue over the life of the app.
Can Claude Code help me test my paywall?
It can build test flows and help you reason through edge cases, but the actual purchase testing runs through the stores' sandbox accounts on a real device via Expo. Use Claude Code to wire and fix the paywall, then verify the purchases yourself in sandbox before you ship.
Keep going
Prove your paywall works before a real user pays
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