Abstract: 【Purpose/significance】This paper explores the willingness of users to transition from free knowledge Q&A platforms to paid knowledge Q&A platforms based on Social Learning Theory and the Push-Pull-Anchorage Model. It is of great significance for deeply understanding the motivation behind user transitions and promoting the sustainable development of paid knowledge platforms. 【Method/process】Starting from the perspective of social learning and combining the Push-Pull-Anchorage Model to construct a theo⁃ retical hypothesis model, this study uses Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to investigate the factors influencing the transition of users from free to paid knowledge Q&A platforms and their configura⁃ tions.【Result/conclusion】The study results indicate that users learn from others' feedback, behaviors, and outcomes during the pro⁃ cess of knowledge payment transition. There are five configurations of pathways, in which the combination effect type pathway includes users referring to the opinions of other users in the decision-making process. In the innovation-pull type pathway, highly innovative in⁃ dividuals are more receptive to new things, and users learn from positive word-of-mouth to form positive feedback, thereby strengthen⁃ ing their willingness to transition. In the auxiliary effect type pathway, users are influenced to some extent by anchoring effects during the transition process. This study deepens the understanding of the questioners' willingness to transition and the underlying motiva⁃ tions, and provides many feasible suggestions for paid knowledge Q&A platforms.【Innovation/limitation】This study explores the will⁃ ingness of questioners to transition and the underlying motivations, and proposes corresponding strategies. By using fsQCA to explore the complex relationships between variables, it has a certain degree of innovation