If all plans have the same features, what am I actually paying for?

Storage, and storage only. Snaptide is quite explicit about this: every plan, including the free one, includes full access to everything — AI face recognition, unlimited photos, private guest links, QR access, white label, full-resolution downloads, cold storage and 24/7 support. There are no locked tools or sneaky upgrade gates where a button is greyed out until you pay more. The only thing a bigger plan buys you is room for more photos, which for a working photographer is usually the thing that matters anyway.