What it does
CalDiet is a diet and nutrition app designed to simplify calorie tracking. Its core feature is an AI-powered food scanner that analyzes meals from a single photo, providing a detailed breakdown of calories and macronutrients. Beyond scanning, the app offers personalized meal plans, an intermittent fasting tracker, and detailed progress reports to help users manage their diet and achieve weight goals.
Where it shines
CalDiet excels in making data logging feel both comprehensive and approachable. The food scanning process is impressive, not just for its initial analysis (08:37), but for the ability to correct the AI using natural language. At 09:18, the user simply types "2 boiled eggs" to fix a result, a user-friendly feedback loop that builds trust. The app also cleverly gamifies the experience with a fun, food-themed personality quiz (03:26), providing a shareable result that creates a moment of delight separate from the core tracking tasks. Finally, its intermittent fasting timer (07:22) is well-designed, with a clear visual dial and simple controls for setting and adjusting fasting windows.
UX highlights
- The onboarding quiz is guided by a friendly mascot named Momo, which adds personality and makes the lengthy data collection more engaging (00:25).
- A projected weight loss graph (01:12) shown during onboarding is a powerful tool for visualizing the app's value proposition early on.
- The app provides multiple ways to log food, including a precise log for leftovers (10:01) and scanning restaurant menus (09:46), catering to various user scenarios.
- Users can manually adjust their daily nutritional goals using simple sliders (04:24), offering a high degree of personalization over their plan.
- The "My Journey" feature allows users to create and save before-and-after comparison photos, turning progress data into a powerful motivational tool (11:13).
- Coach-like tips from the mascot appear after logging meals (08:48), providing positive reinforcement and guidance.
Monetization & growth
The app uses a hard paywall after a comprehensive onboarding quiz. The user cannot access the main app without starting a 3-day free trial. The paywall screen at 03:01 clearly outlines the trial timeline, showing when the reminder will be sent and when billing starts, which helps manage user expectations. The app presents two primary subscription plans (Yearly and Weekly), emphasizing the low weekly cost of the annual plan. It also features a prominent referral program (11:55), incentivizing users to share a promo code to earn rewards.
Who it’s for
CalDiet is for individuals looking for a modern, tech-forward approach to calorie counting and weight management. It appeals to users who are frustrated with manually searching for food items in large databases and would prefer the convenience of photo scanning. The inclusion of features like intermittent fasting and detailed health risk analysis suggests it targets users who are not just counting calories but are interested in a holistic view of their diet's impact on their health.
Notes & opportunities
The onboarding process is quite long, which could lead to some user drop-off before they reach the value proposition. While the mascot helps, streamlining the initial quiz could improve completion rates. The app also presents an App Store rating prompt very early in the onboarding (02:12), before the user has even tried the core functionality or subscribed. This aggressive tactic might annoy some users and could be more effective after they've experienced a few successful meal logs.