Subscriptions

GospeLib's monetization design follows one sacred principle: the scripture reading experience is never interrupted by commercial UI. Premium features enhance study tools — they never gate access to the Word.

The Sacred Reading Space

"The scripture page is sacred ground. No ads. No upsells. No 'Upgrade to continue reading.' Ever."

Zone	Commercial UI Allowed?
Scripture reader surface	Never
Study tools (journal, graph, AI)	Premium feature indicators only
Settings / Account	Subscription management
Onboarding (after day 14)	Gentle premium preview
App Store listing	Marketing copy

Premium Feature Indicators

Premium features use a diamond icon (◆) — never locks, "PRO" badges, or grayed-out content.

Design Rules

Rule	Rationale
Diamond ◆ icon, not a lock 🔒	Locks feel punitive. Diamonds feel aspirational.
No "PRO" badges	Avoid feel of a split user base
No grayed-out content	Never show a feature the user can't use in a degraded state
Active wording	"Unlock" not "Restricted"
The feature exists or it doesn't	Free users see the feature count they have. They don't see dimmed versions of what they're missing.

Indicator Placement

Location	Treatment
Feature in sidebar/menu	Small ◆ after the label
Feature in search results	◆ badge on the result card
Feature in tool strip	◆ overlay on the icon
First encounter	Brief inline explanation (one sentence)

Premium Feature Discovery

When a user taps a premium feature for the first time:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                             │
│   ◆ Original Language Tools                 │
│                                             │
│   See every word in Hebrew and Greek with   │
│   morphological detail and word-level       │
│   connections across all of scripture.       │
│                                             │
│   ┌─────────────────────────────────┐       │
│   │       Try free for 7 days       │       │
│   └─────────────────────────────────┘       │
│                                             │
│          Maybe later                        │
│                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

This is a bottom sheet, not a modal. It can be dismissed by swiping down. It appears once per feature — not on every tap.

Unlock Moment Design

Bottom Sheet Anatomy

Element	Details
Surface	Paper surface, elevation 4, radius.xl (16px top corners)
Header	◆ icon + feature name
Illustration	Single screenshot or animation showing the feature in action
Description	1–2 sentences. Benefit-focused, not feature-list.
Primary CTA	"Try free for 7 days" — full-width button, navy background
Secondary	"Maybe later" — text link, no pressure styling
Dismiss	Swipe down or tap outside

Animation

Property	Value
Entry	decelerate curve, 280ms, from below
Feature illustration	Subtle fade-in after sheet reaches position (160ms delay)
Exit	accelerate curve, 200ms, swipe-velocity-responsive

Subscription Screen

Accessed from Settings → Subscription, or from any unlock moment "See all plans" link:

Layout

Section	Content
Header	"Deepen your study" — not "Upgrade" or "Go Premium"
Plans	Two cards side by side (see below)
Feature comparison	Simple checklist, features grouped by study activity
Testimonial	Optional: one short user quote about study impact
Footer	Restore purchases, terms, privacy links

Plan Cards

Plan	Price Position	CTA
Monthly	$X.XX/month	"Subscribe"
Annual	$X.XX/year (with savings badge)	"Subscribe" (pre-selected)

Plan cards use paper surface, elevation 2, radius.lg. The annual plan card has a subtle corpus-color accent border indicating it's the recommended option.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Free	Premium
Full scripture text (all corpora)	✓	✓
Highlights & bookmarks	✓	✓
Personal notes (limited)	✓	✓
Cross-reference links	✓	✓
Original language tools	—	✓
Knowledge graph	—	✓
AI study assistant	—	✓
Unlimited notes & collections	—	✓
Scripture cards (all templates)	—	✓
Offline access (full)	—	✓

Copy Tone Guidelines

Voice

Do	Don't
"Deepen your study"	"Unlock Premium"
"Try for free"	"Start your free trial NOW"
"Original language tools" (describe the feature)	"Premium Feature #3"
"Maybe later"	"No thanks"
"Your study, enhanced"	"You're missing out!"

Principles

Principle	Explanation
Invitational, not transactional	We're inviting the user to go deeper, not selling them a product
Feature-specific, not bundle-generic	Explain what this specific feature does, not "get access to all premium features"
No urgency language	No "Limited time!", no countdown timers, no "Last chance!"
No guilt language	No "Don't miss out!", no "You're losing X per day"
Respect the decision	"Maybe later" — then actually respect it. Don't ask again for 7 days minimum

Price Display

Rule	Rationale
Show price clearly and early	No surprise charges
Monthly equivalent for annual	"$X.XX/month, billed annually at $XX.XX"
Savings badge on annual	"Save X%" — factual, not hype
No "$0 today!" tricks	Don't obscure the actual price behind trial language

Trial Experience

Phase	Duration	Behavior
Trial active	7 days	Full premium access, subtle "Trial: X days remaining" in settings
Trial ending	Day 5–7	One notification: "Your trial ends in X days" (not in-app, only push)
Trial expired	Post-7 days	Premium features return to indicator state. One-time "Trial ended" banner in settings.
Grace period	3 days post-billing-failure	Access maintained, "Update payment method" in settings only

important

No mid-reading trial expiration alerts. No "Your trial just ended!" modals. The user discovers the change naturally when they next try a premium feature.

Related Pages

• Onboarding — premium feature introduction timing
• Reader Experience — the sacred reading space principle
• Study Tools — premium study features
• Loading & Empty States — success/error for subscription actions