How Ryn VPN achieved a 158% revenue surge with a strategic rewarded ad paywall

Intro

Ryn VPN is a virtual private network (VPN) app providing reliable, high-speed access. The team faced the challenge of optimizing their freemium funnel. Specifically, they wanted to find the right moment to prompt users for subscription while maximizing revenue from both paid and ad-supported users.

Ryn VPN executed a major overhaul of its freemium paywall and placement strategy using Superwall, leading to explosive growth.

The challenge

Ryn VPN's main challenge was converting freemium users:

• Low conversion rate. The original conversion rate was only 0.08%, indicating that the traditional paywall placement and offer were not effectively converting free users into paid subscribers.

• Optimization opportunity. The team wanted to move from a standard paywall to rewarded ad placement system, giving users free VPN minutes in exchange for viewing an ad, offering a path to conversion.

• Complex implementation. This shift required not just a new paywall design but a new monetization architecture capable of tracking and optimizing both rewarded ad usage and paid conversion within the same funnel.

The solution

Ryn VPN replaced its standard freemium paywall with rewarded ad placement:

• New paywall design. The paywall presented the value proposition of the paid subscription alongside three access tiers.

• Rewarded ad placement. A new option, "Continue with Ads," was added, granting 30 minutes of free VPN access after viewing an ad.

• Conversion bridge. The ad-supported option served as a bridge, giving free users a choice before committing to a purchase.

The results

The strategic shift delivered massive, immediate financial acceleration:

• Revenue skyrocketed. Revenue increased by 158% in the 28 days following deployment of the new paywall, compared to the previous year.

• ARPU was optimized. Average revenue per paying user (ARPPU) increased by 98%, showing that the new paywall was securing more committed customers.

• Buyer volume increased. The volume of paying users increased by 30%, showing that the optimized funnel was bringing more users across the conversion line.

• Conversion rate jumped. The conversion rate increased from 0.08% to a much stronger 1.2%, proving that the conversion bridge was working.

About Superwall

Superwall is the centralized monetization suite that converts data into revenue. It provides product, growth, and engineering teams with a unified platform to deploy paywalls, manage subscriptions, and ensure every experiment is a profitable, data-backed decision.