Sorry this isn't clear. The trial restriction only kicks in after the first day, so that when you first sign up you can go nuts testing it out. I'll add that clarification to the account or upgrade page somewhere.
You'd think so, but a bunch of users who keep happily using Larder without paying for it say otherwise! It seems like plenty of people don't hit that limit. I probably wouldn't either, actually. It's a tricky balance, because it has to be a high enough limit to still be useful (apparent tick) but low enough to encourage upgrading (uh,not enough data yet). It is a free trial and not a free tier, after all — the idea is that if you find you're using it regularly and hitting the limit, then perhaps you might be interested in paying for it.
Really appreciate your perspective. Looking forward to giving it a shot. I've found Pocket to be bloated and getting slower and slower in China, so the speed and minimal UI is really attractive to me.