Putting aside subscription fatigue that continues to pile up, there’s one bargain that internet users won’t back down from: inclusion of ads is fine so long as the content is free. According to new IAB research, a strong 8 out of 10 consumers would rather keep up with the ads instead of paying for digital content or services. About 70% are of the sentiment that the trade-off of ad-for-access is reasonable, while 91% admit they would respond unfavorably if their favorite free apps, unexpectedly started charging them. A preference for ad-supported content over paid subscriptions is prevalent across devices, indicating strong support for the free, ad-funded internet model. An overwhelming majority, 81% of mobile app users prefer ads to paying, a sentiment shared by 79% of mobile browser users. While slightly lower, preference for the ad-funded model remains high on tablets, 74% and connected TVs, at 69%. But tolerance doesn’t necessarily mean acceptance, and the gulf continues to widen.
The free internet paradox
The disconnect doesn’t come from advertising itself, but from the intrusive and repetitive reality of how ads keep showing up. Clutch reports that for 93% of people, ads are a thing to be skipped or blocked, and only 3% claim to have never skipped. Even though only 15% pay for the ad-free version, in reality, everyone is actively dodging the ads that they theoretically accept.
The contradiction is quite vivid in the metrics, too. The CTR for the average ad display has shrunk to .05%, a number so forgettable it reads like a rounding error. Customer retention isn’t free anymore; brands are vying for fractions of a fraction of the consumer’s time. Relevance is the only factor moving the needle: 90% of users favor personalized ads, and 87% are more inclined to click on something that already aligns with their shopping needs.
Personalization isn’t just a perk, it’s a way to increase CTR up to 202% while advertising through cross-channel campaigns can boost conversion rates to 30%. This goes to show that generic ads aren’t just intolerable, they’re ineffective, and the patience of users is thinning. 70% are frustrated with mobile ads, and the same sentiment is shared for paywalls. Ads aren’t just background noise anymore; they’ve added friction to user experience. The headline isn’t about the revolt against ads, but the underlying sentiment behind the data: the margin for patience is collapsing, expectations are getting higher, and the appetite for interruptive, irrelevant ads is diminishing. The free internet isn’t the fragile part; the goodwill of the users keeping it free is.