Another option that provides a softer payment barrier is the metered model. Stemming from the word “meter” for “measure,” a metered paywall is a payment barrier that dynamically adapts to its users. Generally speaking, all content displayed on a website with a metered paywall is free, but every user has a cap on the number of articles that can be accessed.
With the assistance of technical materials (newspapers often use cookies, publishers are able to follow how many articles a visitor has read per month. Once the limit has been reached, the user must buy a subscription or wait until the next month, when they’re able to read free articles again. While users can easily leverage on this model, many websites using this model require user registration, allowing them to better understand their readers’ behaviour. In the United Kingdom, the Telegraph launched a metered model in 2013, but in 2016 decided to replace it with a premium digital subscription.