Arise: AI Food Calorie Counter

What it does

Arise is a calorie counting and nutrition tracking app for iOS. It helps users manage their diet to achieve weight loss or gain goals. The core of the app is a daily food diary where users can log meals, water intake, and exercise to monitor their calorie budget.

Where it shines

A standout feature is the app's use of a traffic light system to indicate food energy density. As seen at 04:40, foods are marked with green, orange, or red dots, providing a simple, intuitive guide for making healthier choices beyond just counting calories. The app also offers robust analytics, with charts (07:11) that visualize calorie intake, macronutrient breakdowns, and other health metrics over time, giving users a clear view of their progress.

UX highlights

The main dashboard (01:20) uses a clean, dark-mode UI with a central calorie ring that provides an immediate status check.
Quick-add buttons for water intake make logging this frequent action fast and simple.
The food search functionality is comprehensive and returns results quickly, which is critical for a high-frequency task like meal logging (02:35).
Gamification is used effectively through an 'Achievements' section (06:56), rewarding users for milestones like logging their first breakfast.
The app leverages native iOS integrations like Apple Health (00:12) to streamline profile setup and data syncing.

Monetization & growth

Arise presents a soft paywall immediately after the onboarding flow completes (01:11). The offer emphasizes a significant discount on the annual plan and uses social proof like 'Apple App of the Day' and '6 Million Downloads' to build credibility. The app gates many advanced features, such as detailed macro tracking and saving custom dishes, behind the PRO subscription. Interestingly, at 02:09, the app proactively displays a modal explaining why it charges for features, a transparent attempt to build user trust.

Who it’s for

This app is designed for individuals who want a structured, data-driven approach to managing their weight. Its detailed tracking and analytics appeal to users who are motivated by seeing measurable progress. The simple UI and features like the energy density system also make it accessible for those who are new to calorie counting and need extra guidance.

Notes & opportunities

While the core logging experience is smooth, accessing detailed macronutrient breakdowns for logged meals requires an extra tap and is a PRO feature (02:50), which could be a point of friction for data-savvy users. The app also requires a user to log in to contribute to the public food database (03:25), adding a barrier to community-driven data improvement. Making these features more accessible could further improve the user experience.