Paywalled Feature
Paywalled Feature — A feature an app shows you but will not let you use until you pay for its subscription tier.
Visible, but locked
A paywall is the point at which an app stops and asks for money. A paywalled feature is one that sits behind it: you can see the button, often with a small lock or a “Premium” badge, but tapping it opens an upgrade screen rather than the tool. It differs from a feature the app simply does not have, because the app is showing it to you on purpose.
In calorie trackers, paywalls tend to fall on the tools that save the most time each day, because those are the ones people are most willing to pay for.
Hard, soft and timed
- Hard paywall. The feature does not work at all without paying.
- Soft paywall or allowance. The feature works a set number of times a day or a month; paying raises the limit.
- Timed paywall. Everything works during a trial and then locks.
- Cosmetic paywall. The feature works, but paying removes ads or adds themes and badges.
The distinction matters because a soft limit on an occasional task is barely noticeable, while a hard paywall on something you do at every meal shapes your whole routine.
What tends to sit behind the wall
Here is what each app’s store listing put behind its paid tier when we read them on the first of October 2026:
- MyFitnessPal lists barcode scanning, meal scan and voice logging under Premium.
- Lose It! places its barcode scanner, photo logging and AI voice logging under Premium.
- Cronometer keeps barcode scanning free, with ads, and puts photo logging, voice logging and its Crono Coach assistant in Gold.
- MacroFactor has no free plan, so after its 7-day trial every feature is behind the wall.
Prices and feature lists change, so check the listing before you build a habit around any free plan.
Worked example: testing a free plan against your day
Write down the three things you will do at almost every meal. For many people that is something like “scan a packet”, “photograph a plate” and “check the day’s protein”. Then check each against the free plan:
| What you do daily | Hard paywall? | Daily limit? | Fine on free? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scan a packet | |||
| Photograph a plate | |||
| Check protein |
If any line says “hard paywall”, the free plan will push you to pay within a week, and it is better to know that before you start. If the only entries are daily limits on occasional tasks, the free plan will probably serve you indefinitely.
How often the paywall appears
In our 30-day field test on the free tier of each app, we counted paywall prompt encounters per logging session:
- PlateLens: 0
- Cronometer: 0 (Gold prompts on micronutrient screens, but core logging works without)
- Lose It!: 1 per session (gentle upsell prompts)
- Cal AI: 2 per session (limit-driven prompts)
- MyFitnessPal: 3-4 per session (the most aggressive paywall in the test)
An app without paywalled features
PlateLens shows what the second case looks like. Nothing in it carries a lock. Logging by camera, voice, scanner or keyboard, the browser version, the coach, body scanning, glucose records, fasting and the self-adjusting calorie goal all come with the free account, which has no expiry and asks for no card. The $34.99-a-year Premium tier changes quantities only: photo scans go from three a day to unlimited, and coach messages from five a day to unlimited. Scanning and typing were never capped.
For the pricing models behind all of this, see freemium, and for the scanner specifically, barcode.