The Mission

Paperwall’s mission is to give readers an easier way to pay for the articles they care about, while helping publishers earn more from high‑intent, casual visitors. Instead of forcing every interested reader into a full subscription, Paperwall adds a light‑weight pay‑per‑read option on top of existing paywalls so people can support quality journalism one article at a time. As long‑form reporting, analysis, and thoughtful writing become more important (and harder to fund) Paperwall aims to create a more flexible and sustainable way to access and support trusted work online.

Paperwall approaches pay‑per‑read differently from earlier micro‑transaction experiments. It works as a shared wallet and network: readers add their payment details once, then use tickets to unlock individual articles across participating publications with just a couple of clicks. It is designed to integrate cleanly with existing paywalls and Stripe‑based billing, so publishers keep control of access, identity, and editorial policy while testing a new, low‑friction revenue stream.

The Story

Paperwall is currently an independent, founder‑led project based in Toronto, Canada. The product is live in early form and being prepared for initial pilots with a small group of publishers.

If you are interested in running a pilot, trying Paperwall as a reader, or contributing feedback as it evolves, please get in contact.