How much of your product do you let people explore before requiring signup?

I've been hearing conflicting advice around this topic. Some say let people explore everything freely (browsing, viewing guides, even starting to create) and only ask for signup when they want to save or share. Others say gate it early so you capture leads.

Right now anyone can browse the explore page and view public guides without an account. But creating requires signup.

For those who've tested this: did reducing friction before signup actually increase conversions, or did it just increase window shoppers? Where's the line between "let them fall in love first" and "you're giving away the product for free"?

Would love to hear what's worked (and what hasn't) for your products.