If you search for a cannabis tracker, you will find both free and paid options. The question is not whether free is better than paid — it is what the free app does to make money. That distinction matters a lot when your data is sensitive medical information.
Here is an honest look at free vs paid cannabis trackers, what you actually get for your money, and how to tell whether a free app is genuinely free or just monetising your data somewhere else.
The real cost of "free"
Running an app costs money: servers, databases, development, support. If an app is free with no obvious revenue, the money is coming from somewhere. In the broader app market, "somewhere" often means:
- Advertising. The app shows you adverts. For a cannabis tracker, this could mean cannabis-adjacent adverts that may not be relevant or appropriate.
- Data monetisation. Your usage data (including what you track, when, and how often) is aggregated and sold to third parties. This is common in free apps and is rarely obvious to the user.
- Data brokering. In the worst case, your actual tracking data (strains, amounts, patterns) is packaged and sold. This is rare but not unheard of, especially in unregulated markets.
None of these are acceptable for an app handling medical data. If the app is free and the privacy policy does not clearly state that your data is not sold or shared, assume it might be.
What a good paid tier looks like
A paid tier that charges for features, not data, is the most honest model. The transaction is clear: you pay money, you get features. The app does not need to monetise your data because it has a straightforward revenue stream.
Look for:
- A useful free tier. The core features (basic tracking, stock balance, burn rate) should be free. Charging for essentials locks out patients who cannot pay, which is not what a patient-focused tool should do.
- A clear upgrade path. Paid features should be genuinely useful additions, not the basics held behind a paywall. Think advanced stats, unlimited products, deeper analytics — things that enhance the experience for power users.
- Transparent pricing. The price should be clear, stable, and reasonable. No hidden fees, no surprise price increases, no confusing tiers.
What is actually worth paying for?
If the free tier covers the essentials (stock tracking, burn rate, countdown), what makes a paid upgrade worth it? Here are the features that genuinely add value:
- Unlimited active products. If you have more than a few strains on your prescription, per-product tracking becomes essential. A free tier might limit you to 3 products, which is enough for many but not all patients.
- Per-strain stats and history. Seeing trends for individual strains, not just your overall consumption, helps you understand which products work best for you.
- Restock and batch history. If you want to track exactly when each product arrived and how it has been used, batch-level tracking is valuable.
- Advanced analytics. Visualisations, comparisons across time periods, and deeper stats that go beyond the basics.
- Historical backfill. The ability to add earlier entries can help you build a more complete record. Check whether a tracker supports this before relying on it.
None of these are essential for basic tracking. But if you are a regular user who wants deeper insight into your consumption, they can be worth a small subscription.
The Grams Left model
Grams Left is free for the core tracker: stock tracking, consumption logging, burn rate, prescription countdown, data export, and account deletion. No card required, no time limit, no adverts, no data selling. Ever.
Grams Left Plus adds deeper features including unlimited active products, per-strain tracking, advanced stats, backfill, and early access to new features. Current monthly and annual prices are shown on the pricing page. The model is transparent because we want you to trust it: we charge for features, not your data.
If you are looking for a tracker with a clear, honest business model and a genuinely useful free tier, start tracking free — no card required.