Start free. Always. That is the short version of this whole article. Here is the long version.
The free tier is usually the whole lookup. Type in your passport and destination, get the entry type, the stay limit, and the document list. That covers the can I go travel visa app question completely, and for most travelers it is all they will ever need. A good free visa eligibility checker app for iOS and Android with current data beats a paid app with a stale database every time.
Paid tiers typically add one or more of these: change alerts when rules shift, multiple passport profiles for families or dual citizens, saved trips with document checklists, and sometimes offline packs. None of that is snake oil. If you travel constantly or manage travel for other people, alerts and multi-profile support can genuinely earn their price.
What paid should never be: the same public lookup with a paywall on the answer. Visa rules are public information. If an app charges you just to see whether you need a visa, that is not a premium feature. That is rent-seeking on public data. The trip visa check app download should never cost money for the basic question.
The real comparison is not free versus paid. It is current versus stale. Check the store listing's update history before you pay for anything. An app updated last month with a free tier beats an app updated last year with a premium badge.
My take: start free, upgrade only for a feature you can name. "Alerts for rule changes on my three most-visited countries" is a reason. "It looked more professional" is not.
Whatever tier you use, the database matters more than the price. The passport-plus-destination eligibility report at visadocs.fyi gives you the current entry rules for your exact passport and destination, free, with no upsell attached.