Eato®: Calorie Counter

What it does

Eato is a comprehensive diet and weight loss app designed to create personalized meal plans and track nutrition. It uses an extensive onboarding quiz to gather user data on goals, lifestyle, and biometrics. The core of the app revolves around an AI-powered calorie tracker that allows users to log food by searching a database, scanning barcodes, or taking a photo of their meal for automatic identification.

Where it shines

Eato excels in making the setup and daily tracking processes feel both personal and frictionless. The onboarding quiz is a standout, using interactive sliders for weight and height (00:27) and reinforcing user choices with social proof like '75% of our users have faced the same' (03:53), which builds immediate trust. The app's multi-modal food logging system is its crown jewel. The AI food identification feature (06:45), which analyzes a photo of a meal and breaks down its ingredients and nutritional info, is particularly impressive and removes a significant barrier to consistent tracking.

UX highlights

Interactive Onboarding: Instead of tedious forms, the app uses engaging sliders and quick-tap options that make the long quiz feel dynamic.
Multi-Modal Logging: At 05:51, the app offers three clear ways to log food (Search, AI Identify, Barcode), catering to any situation the user might be in.
Live BMI Feedback: As the user adjusts their weight with the slider during onboarding (00:38), their BMI is calculated and categorized in real-time, instantly showing value.
Integrated Meal Plan & Grocery List: The 'My Plan' tab (08:05) provides a clear weekly schedule. A single tap on 'Grocery List' (09:27) compiles all necessary ingredients, simplifying meal prep.
Actionable Recipe Cards: Recipes are not just static lists. Users can adjust servings (09:14), check off steps as they cook (08:14), and add a recipe to their plan for any day or mealtime (08:34).
Clear Calorie Tracking Dashboard: The main dashboard (05:46) offers an at-a-glance view of remaining calories and a breakdown of macronutrients, making it easy to monitor daily progress.

Monetization & growth

Monetization is handled through a soft paywall presented after the extensive onboarding quiz (05:10). By the time the user sees the subscription options, the app has already demonstrated significant value by creating a 'personalized plan.' The paywall offers three subscription tiers (1, 3, and 12 months), with the 3-month option highlighted as 'Popular.' The subscription is initiated via the standard App Store flow, which includes a 1-week free trial, reducing the initial barrier to commitment.

Who it’s for

This app is for individuals who are serious about losing weight but have been overwhelmed by the complexities of calorie counting and meal planning. It targets users who appreciate technology-driven solutions, particularly the convenience of AI food scanning. It seems ideal for beginners who need structure, as well as experienced dieters looking for a more efficient tracking tool than traditional manual-entry apps.

Notes & opportunities

While the onboarding is engaging, its length could be a point of friction for some users. The app could potentially test a shorter path to the core features for users who want to explore before committing to the full quiz. Additionally, the 'Calorie Goal' info screen (07:56) is quite text-heavy and uses complex BMR formulas. Simplifying this explanation with more visual aids could make the science behind the plan more accessible to a broader audience.