Is Cal AI Free? Cost, Trial and How to Cancel
It downloads at no cost, but scanning results need a subscription after a 3-day trial. The US App Store lists "Unlimited" purchases from $2.99 to $29.99, with no billing period shown.
Key takeaways
- The app is free to download, but its store listing says food scanning results require a subscription.
- The maker's site offers a 3-day free trial, and cancelling happens in your phone's settings, not inside the app.
- The US App Store lists ten purchases, nine named "Unlimited" at $2.99 to $29.99, with no billing period.
- 21 of the 252 one- and two-star US reviews I read say the app wasn't free or was sold as free.
- Deleting the app does not cancel the subscription.
Cal AI is free to download and not free for scanning. Its store listing says food scanning results require a subscription, and the maker’s site offers a 3-day free trial to start. The US App Store lists purchases named “Unlimited” from $2.99 to $29.99, without saying which period each one covers. Here are the prices on four storefronts, how the trial works and how to cancel.
Is Cal AI free to use?
The US App Store listing is labeled “Free · In-App Purchases” and states, in capitals, that food scanning analysis results require a subscription. Cal AI’s FAQ adds that tapping the + button to log food opens the paywall. I found no official page that describes anything a non-subscriber can log.
Reviewers noticed. I pulled the 500 most recent US App Store reviews from Apple’s public reviews feed. Of those, 252 gave one or two stars, and 21 of the 252 say the app isn’t free or was sold as free. I counted phrases such as “not free”, “false advertising” and “thought it was free”. That’s 8% of the low reviews. Several describe answering the sign-up questions first and meeting the subscription screen last.
My count is a keyword match, not a reading of every review, so treat 21 as a rough figure. The Cal AI reviews piece goes through what users praise and what they report.
The “Free” label on Apple’s page covers the download and nothing more. It doesn’t say whether the app works without paying. The same label can sit on an app that asks for money at the first tap. Before you install anything, open the store listing, scroll to In-App Purchases and search the description for the word “subscription”. How to choose a calorie counter app collects more checks like it.
How much does Cal AI cost?
Apple lists ten in-app purchases per country, nearly all named “Unlimited”, and no billing period sits beside any of them. Weekly, monthly or yearly? The store page won’t say. Cal AI’s own home page and FAQ list no prices at all, only the trial offer and the cancel steps.
| Storefront | Lowest “Unlimited” row | Highest “Unlimited” row | “Streak Restore” row |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | $2.99 | $29.99 | $0.99 |
| UK | £2.99 | £29.99 | £0.99 |
| Canada | $3.99 | $39.99 | $0.99 |
| Australia | $4.99 | $49.99 | $1.99 |
I read all four pages. In the US the highest row is about 10 times the lowest (29.99 ÷ 2.99 = 10.0). The page doesn’t say which row is which, so I won’t guess. Each price is in local currency. A separate “Streak Restore” purchase sits on all four lists. The FAQ also mentions a Family Plan, with no price given.
Before the trial starts I’d read the paywall for its price, billing period and renewal date, and screenshot it, because the store listing shows no billing period or renewal date. How the app compares with one that logs by search is in Cal AI vs MyFitnessPal.
Does Cal AI have a free trial?
Yes, a 3-day one. The home page ends with “Claim your 3-day free trial” and the line “No commitment. Cancel anytime.” The FAQ’s cancel answer covers “your subscription or free trial” and warns that charges continue until you cancel. Neither page spells out the price. Neither names the first charge date.
That gap shows up in reviews. Of the 252 low-star reviews, 132 mention a subscription, trial, paywall, price or paying, and 45 mention a charge, a refund, cancelling or billing. Not all of those are complaints about hidden terms, since some are people who forgot the date. My tally matches words and cannot read intent.
A 3-day trial leaves little slack, and neither page names the charge date, so I’d put an alarm on the evening of day two.
If a trial that turns into a charge isn’t what you want, is MyFitnessPal free lists what that app’s free version includes.
How do you cancel Cal AI?
In your phone’s settings. The FAQ says you can’t cancel from inside Cal AI.
On an iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, then CalAI, then Cancel Subscription. On Android, open Google Play, tap your profile icon, then Payments and subscriptions, then Subscriptions, then CalAI, then Cancel. Deleting the app does not cancel anything.
Refunds go through Apple or Google, or through Cal AI by email if you bought direct. An iPhone subscription won’t carry over to Android, per the FAQ.
How does Calsa compare with Cal AI on price and trial?
Cal AI’s own pages list no prices, so the rows below compare how the category and Calsa treat price and breaks. How we compare: 15 calorie trackers sold in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, checked against their websites, help centers and App Store pages, with the paid screens left unopened.
| In the category (of 15 apps, checked 8 Oct 2026) | Calsa | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (DF-04) | 0 of 15 show the price before the first question; 7 of 15 use timers, discount wheels or a second offer | price, trial and how to cancel before any question; no timers |
| Breaks (DF-02) | 0 of 15 are confirmed to have no streaks; 8 of 15 use streaks or badges | no streaks or badges; a break costs nothing |
| Where Calsa is weaker | no tier without a subscription, so you pay to log here too; no manual workout logging; no Apple Watch app or widget; no meal plans or fasting; a smaller food database | |
| Choose something else if | you want to log without paying, need a watch app or want a weekly meal plan |
Calsa puts the price, trial length and first charge date on screen before its sign-up questions, and a reminder arrives before the trial ends.
Questions and answers
Does Cal AI charge after the free trial?
Yes, unless you cancel. The FAQ says you'll keep getting charged until you cancel in your phone's settings, and that deleting the app doesn't cancel. It doesn't state the first charge date, so read it on the paywall and set a reminder for day two.
Can I get a refund from Cal AI?
It depends on where you bought. Apple handles refunds for App Store purchases and Google for Google Play, and Cal AI says to email it if you bought directly. The FAQ gives no refund window, so check your receipt for the store and date.
Can I move my Cal AI subscription from iPhone to Android?
Not currently, according to the FAQ. A subscription is tied to the platform where you bought it, so a switch means buying a new one on the new device.
Is the Streak Restore purchase part of the subscription?
No. It is listed as its own in-app purchase, at $0.99 in the US, £0.99 in the UK, $0.99 in Canada and $1.99 in Australia, separate from the "Unlimited" purchases.
Sources
- Cal AI - Calorie Tracker, US App Store listing with in-app purchases, Apple App Store (US)
- Frequently asked questions (last updated July 2026), Cal AI (Viral Development LLC)
- Customer reviews feed for Cal AI, US App Store, most recent first, pages 1 to 10, Apple
- Cal AI | Download Today (home page with free-trial offer), Cal AI (Viral Development LLC)
- Cal AI - Calorie Tracker, UK App Store listing with in-app purchases, Apple App Store (UK)
- Cal AI - Calorie Tracker, Canadian App Store listing with in-app purchases, Apple App Store (Canada)
- Cal AI - Calorie Tracker, Australian App Store listing with in-app purchases, Apple App Store (Australia)
