Status: Brainstorm
Phase: All Phases | Tier: All Tiers
Overview
This is the single reference for what goes where. Every feature — built, in progress, and planned — mapped to a subscription tier and release version. When a new feature is designed, this page answers the question: “Is this Guest, Free, Pro, or Studio?”
The guiding principle: Guest browses. Free tracks. Pro delivers intelligence. Studio creates media. If a feature lets users discover or explore without an account, it is Guest. If it requires identity to persist personal data (stash, favorites), it is Free. If it analyzes, recommends, or generates insights, it is Pro. If it generates audio, video, art, or shareable creative content, it is Studio (or an AI media add-on).
Three-tier access model: Guest (no login), Free (logged in), and Pro (12.99/mo).Studio(19.99/mo) is planned for v4.0. All AI-powered features require Pro — there is no free AI tier.
Current Features (v1.0 Launch)
These features ship at v1.0. The Guest/Free/Pro split is established and should not change — existing users have expectations.
Browse and Discovery
| Feature | Guest | Free | Pro | Notes |
|---|
| Browse 5,226+ strain profiles | Yes | Yes | Yes | Full database access for all users |
| Strain detail pages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Complete strain information |
| High Family classification | Yes | Yes | Yes | See which family each strain belongs to |
| Strain Discovery (explore by effect/terpene) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Full discovery tools |
| Strain type filters (sativa/indica/hybrid) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Basic filtering |
| Label Scanner | Yes | Yes | Yes | Camera-based terpene extraction |
| Music / Soundtracks | Yes | Yes | Yes | AI-generated strain soundtracks |
| Activity Recommendations | Yes | Yes | Yes | Suggested activities based on strain effects |
| Trending strains | Yes | Yes | Yes | Popular and trending strains |
| Blog | Yes | Yes | Yes | Cannabis education content |
| Onboarding | Yes | Yes | Yes | Guided intro experience for all tiers |
Tracking and Personal Data
| Feature | Guest | Free | Pro | Notes |
|---|
| Stash tracking | — | Yes | Yes | Add strains to current stash |
| Favorites | — | Yes | Yes | Save favorite strains |
| Manual text upload | — | Yes | Yes | Add strains via text entry |
| Submit Strains | — | Yes | Yes | Suggest new strains for the database |
| Profile | — | Yes | Yes | Personal profile and settings |
| Consumption Preferences | — | Yes | Yes | Set preferred effects, terpenes, etc. |
Intelligence and Analytics (Pro)
| Feature | Guest | Free | Pro | Notes |
|---|
| Notebooks + Media | — | — | Yes | Unlimited AI research reports with media |
| Stats Dashboard (7 tabs) | — | — | Yes | Overview, Activity, My Strains, Spending, Insights, Rankings, Badges |
| Gmail order sync | — | — | Yes | Automatic order import from email |
| Receipt parsing (photo upload) | — | — | Yes | AI-powered receipt extraction |
| Dispensary tracking | — | — | Yes | Track where you shop |
| Full strain collection management | — | — | Yes | Unlimited collection with history |
| Suggest Strain | — | — | Yes | AI-powered strain recommendations |
| Stash history and archive | — | — | Yes | Historical stash data |
| Ad-free experience | — | — | Yes | No advertisements |
One-Time Add-Ons (Pro Required)
| Feature | Guest | Free | Pro | Notes |
|---|
| Historical Import (6mo) | — | — | $14.99 | One-time add-on for Pro users |
| Historical Import (12mo) | — | — | $29.99 | One-time add-on for Pro users |
| Historical Import (full) | — | — | $49.99 | One-time add-on for Pro users |
All AI is Pro. There is no free AI tier, no “first order analysis free,” no complimentary AI reports. Every feature that uses an LLM sits behind the Pro paywall. This is a firm policy.
Versioned Release Plan
Features shipping after v1.0, organized by release version.
| Feature | Guest | Free | Pro | Version | Notes |
|---|
| Rankings and leaderboards | — | — | Yes | v1.1 | Strain rankings by category |
| Badge system (4 rarity levels) | — | — | Yes | v1.2 | Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary |
| Daily Stories | — | — | Yes | v3.5 | Coming Soon |
| Professor High chat | — | — | Yes | v5.0 | Coming Soon — AI cannabis advisor |
| Ask AI | — | — | Yes | v5.0 | Coming Soon — contextual AI answers |
Planned Core Features
Features on the roadmap that extend the intelligence layer. These follow the same Guest/Free/Pro logic as current features.
| Feature | Guest | Free | Pro | Studio | Status |
|---|
| Menu scanning (dispensary menus) | — | — | Unlimited | Unlimited | In Progress |
| Barcode scanner (product lookup) | — | — | Unlimited | Unlimited | Planned |
| Health sync (Apple Health) | — | — | Yes | Yes | Planned |
| Session journal (log sessions) | — | — | Yes | Yes | Planned |
| Smart suggestions (AI recommendations) | — | — | Yes | Yes | Planned |
| Dispensary map (nearby locations) | Basic | Basic | Full | Full | Planned |
| Neighborhood strain ranks | — | — | Yes | Yes | Planned |
| User reviews (read) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Planned |
| User reviews (write) | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Planned |
| Export data (CSV/JSON) | — | — | Yes | Yes | Planned |
| Shopping agent (dispensary recommendations) | — | — | Yes | Yes | Planned |
These features generate creative content from cannabis intelligence data. They are the primary value driver for the Studio tier and AI media add-ons.
| Feature | Guest | Free | Pro | AI Audio Add-on | AI Visual Add-on | Studio |
|---|
| AI podcast episodes | Preview (15 sec) | Preview (15 sec) | — | Yes | — | Yes |
| Session music (terpene soundtracks) | Preview (15 sec) | Preview (15 sec) | — | Yes | — | Yes |
| Video reports (narrated) | Blurred preview | Blurred preview | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Strain art (custom artwork) | Watermarked preview | Watermarked preview | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| Social post captions | — | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| AI music videos | — | — | — | — | — | Yes |
| AI worlds (3D environments) | — | — | — | — | — | Yes |
| Strain page videos (animated) | — | — | — | — | — | Yes |
| Blog AI content (website) | — | — | — | — | — | Yes |
Free users see previews of AI media below every report — blurred thumbnails, 15-second audio fades, watermarked art. This is the upgrade hook. They experience just enough to understand the value, then hit the paywall. See Pricing Strategy for the full upgrade hook design. Add-On Breakdown
For users who prefer a la carte access over the full Studio tier:
| Add-On | Price | Includes | Best For |
|---|
| AI Audio | 4.99/mo(39.99/yr) | AI podcasts + session music | Users who consume content via audio; podcast listeners; users who want ambient session soundtracks |
| AI Visual | 4.99/mo(39.99/yr) | Video reports + strain art + social posts | Visual learners; social media sharers; users who want custom artwork |
| AI Studio bundle | 7.99/mo(59.99/yr) | All AI media (save $1.99/mo vs both individual add-ons) | Users who want multiple AI media types but not Studio-exclusive perks |
Growth and Social Features
Features designed to drive user acquisition, retention, and community engagement.
| Feature | Guest | Free | Pro | Studio | Status |
|---|
| Share cards (order recaps, milestones) | — | Basic (2 types) | All 8 types + premium designs | All + Studio badge on cards | Planned |
| Report sharing (deep links) | — | — | Yes | Yes | Planned |
| Referral system | — | Standard code | Standard code | Vanity code (custom URL) | Planned |
| IQ points (engagement rewards) | — | Earn + spend | Earn + spend (2x rate) | Earn + spend (3x rate) | Planned |
| Cannabis personality profile | — | — | Yes | Yes | Planned |
| Strain compatibility (friend matching) | — | — | Yes | Yes | Planned |
| Community badges | — | Earn | Earn + display | Earn + display + exclusive badges | Planned |
| Challenges and leaderboards | — | Participate | Participate + create | Participate + create + exclusive challenges | Planned |
Personalization Features
Features that adapt the app experience to individual users.
| Feature | Guest | Free | Pro | Studio | Status |
|---|
| AI tone preference (5 options) | — | — | All 5 tones | All 5 tones | Brainstorm |
| Onboarding AI emails (5-email sequence) | — | Yes | Yes | Yes | Brainstorm |
Studio-Exclusive Perks
Beyond AI media access, the Studio tier includes exclusive perks that Pro users cannot get at any price. These are the identity and status features that make Studio aspirational.
| Perk | Description |
|---|
| Vanity referral code | Custom referral URL (e.g., highiq.app/ref/john) instead of a random code |
| Early access | First to try new features, beta testing invitations, roadmap input |
| Priority generation | AI media generates faster (front of queue) |
| Extended podcast length | Up to 15-minute episodes vs 5-minute standard |
| Custom podcast voices | Choose from additional AI voice options for podcast hosts |
| Studio badge | Visible on profile and share cards — social proof of tier status |
| Exclusive community badges | Badges only earnable by Studio subscribers |
These perks are deliberately low-cost to deliver but high-perceived-value. A vanity referral code costs nothing extra. Priority generation is a queue reorder. Extended podcasts cost marginally more in TTS. But they feel exclusive, and exclusivity drives upgrades.
The Free Tier Philosophy
The Free tier is not a crippled version of Pro. It is a genuinely useful cannabis tracking tool that happens to make the value of Pro (and Studio) painfully obvious.
What Guest does well (no login required):
- Browse the full strain database (5,226+ profiles)
- Explore strains by High Family, terpene, and effect
- Scan labels to identify terpene profiles
- Listen to AI-generated strain soundtracks
- Get activity recommendations based on strain effects
- See trending strains and read the blog
What Free adds (logged in):
- Track an active stash with personal inventory
- Save favorite strains for quick access
- Submit new strains to the database
- Set consumption preferences
- Build a personal profile
What Free makes you want (Pro):
- After tracking a stash manually, you want Gmail sync and receipt scanning
- After saving favorites, you want full collection management with history
- After browsing strain profiles, you want AI-powered Notebooks with deep analysis
- After seeing your stash grow, you want the Stats Dashboard to understand patterns
- After discovering strains, you want Suggest Strain to find your next favorite
Never degrade the Free experience to force upgrades. The Free tier should feel complete for its scope. Users upgrade because they want more, not because Free is broken. Artificial limitations (countdown timers, “3 searches remaining” banners, feature gates with dismissal friction) destroy trust and increase churn post-conversion.
Pricing Comparison with Competitors
No direct competitor offers AI-generated media from cannabis data. But here is how High IQ’s pricing compares to adjacent products:
| Product | Free Tier | Paid Tier | What They Charge For |
|---|
| Leafly | Full access | Ad-free ($4.99/mo) | Removing ads only |
| Weedmaps | Full access | None | Consumer app is free (revenue from dispensaries) |
| AllBud | Full access | None | Ad-supported |
| NotebookLM | Limited | Google AI Premium ($19.99/mo) | AI podcast generation from documents |
| Spotify | Ad-supported | Premium ($11.99/mo) | Ad-free music, offline, higher quality |
| Headspace | Limited | Premium ($12.99/mo) | Full meditation library, courses |
High IQ Pro at 12.99/moispricedinlinewithpremiumcontentapps(Spotify,Headspace)andbelowGoogle′sAIPremiumtier.Studioat19.99/mo is competitive with NotebookLM’s parent tier — and High IQ offers significantly more media types.
Revenue Model Visualization
How revenue scales across different adoption scenarios:
Base Case: 100 Active Pro Subscribers
| Scenario | Monthly Revenue | Uplift |
|---|
| All Pro, no Studio/add-ons | $1,299 | — |
| 10% upgrade to Studio (+$7/mo) | $1,369 | +5.4% |
| 20% upgrade to Studio | $1,439 | +10.8% |
| 30% add one add-on (+$4.99/mo avg) | $1,449 | +11.5% |
| 15% Studio + 25% add-on | $1,529 | +17.7% |
Growth Case: 500 Active Pro Subscribers
| Scenario | Monthly Revenue | Annual Revenue |
|---|
| All Pro | $6,495 | $77,940 |
| 20% Studio + 20% add-on | 7,195+500 = $7,695 | $92,340 |
| 30% Studio + 25% add-on | 7,545+625 = $8,170 | $98,040 |
These projections are conservative and assume no increase in Pro conversion rate. In practice, AI media previews as upgrade hooks should increase the Free-to-Pro conversion rate as well, making the total revenue impact larger than the Studio/add-on uplift alone.
Decision Matrix
When it is time to choose a model, score each option against these criteria:
| Criteria | Weight | Studio Tier (B) | Add-Ons (C) | Hybrid (C+B) |
|---|
| Simplicity for users | High | Best | Moderate | Good |
| Revenue flexibility | High | Moderate | Best | Best |
| Implementation complexity | Medium | Low | High | Medium |
| Risk of cannibalization | Medium | Low | None | Low |
| Marketing clarity | Medium | Best | Moderate | Good |
| Upgrade path naturalness | High | Moderate | Good | Best |
| Cost containment (if AI is expensive) | High | Moderate | Best | Good |
- Pricing Strategy — Core pricing analysis, upgrade hook design, and decision framework
- AI Media Overview — The complete AI media strategy driving the need for new pricing
- AI Preferences — Pro feature that demonstrates personalization value
- Share Cards — Share card designs differ by tier (basic vs premium vs Studio badge)
- Referral System — Studio tier includes vanity referral codes as exclusive perk
