Review notes Phase 6

Phase 6 is the word learning app of Germany. It is only in German so I wonder: What do the Germans have here? Is it German reliability and a huge top app or are they stuck on a local optimum.
The website claims being amazing: Learning methods that really help you and add free. Prices seem reasonable.
A big bonus in Germany: "Phase 6 is the only app to offer vocabulary collections for all current course books and schoolbooks developed in close cooperation with Germany's leading educational and school book publishers".
App store reviews are great. 4.6.
28 poeple working there on the teams page! 40 employees on the about page. Science looks gooed. Hermann Ebbinghaus was a German after all.
The website is only available in German! So not promotion in English. But the webapp is also available in English. The iOS and Android app are also available in English and Spanish. Unfortunately the language is a bit buggy. It resets itself back to German sometimes on my Android phone.

It clearly is made for children - if I say I am grown up it asks the name on my children. Hah, which is a bit strange because the website UI does not look to be made for children. Serious children only here.

This time I try so learn Dutch while saying that I am German.

It looks like the business model is providing a basic app for free and then selling books. The books is only a collection of words appearing that book. A book costs around 12 euro. So this is quite expensive - like 1 cent per word. (the internet is full of free words). I think the book publisher will recieve around half of this amout. In this way they like to provide their content exclusive for Phase 6. If the vicabulary lists are also available in the printed book a student can easily use e.g. Wozzol and insert the word lists there by taking a picture of the list. But we don't want the books in this test - so let us enjoy the free and basic app.

Privacy and consideration are done well. e.g. there is a leaderboard where you can appear with your first name and avatar. You can decide here to keep your first name private.

- Create your own word list. "Days of the week in Dutch"
maandag = Montag
dinsdag = Dienstag
woensdag = Mittwoch
donderdag = Donnerstag
vrijdag = Freitag
zaterdag = Samstag
zondag = Sonntag
★ one free if succeeds - YES
★ easy to start creating - YES
★ easy to make a long list - NEARLY - on computer keyboard shortcut for next word is missing
★ easy to use keyboard only - NO - on computer keyboard shortcut for next word is missing. Also dictionary options are not keyboard only
★ automatic translations - BIT - Dictionaries included for German to English/French/Latin/Spanish/Italian and other way around.
Score: 60
You can also add images. However. The images I added on my PC did not appear on my Android Phone. The other way around it did work.

- Select an existing list + AI
★ easy to select, find options - YES - test for free. Pay for more. A lot if you are German
★ Select a decent list - okay made, length okay - add the list - YES - if above
★ Have more options to choose from - YES - if above
★ Generate a list using AI - NO
★ Take over a list from an image - No
Score: 40

- Learn this list. Error hard on the first three. Error a bit on the next 2. Make the last 2 perfect.
★ I can learn - YES
★ I have multiple options to answer - YES: flashcard and write the words down
★ The errors are repeated until answerd correctly - YES
★ There is promoted to rehearse again in time - YES
★ After a right period of time the questions are asked again (Spaced repetition) - YES
Score: 100
They use "Phases". Like leitnersystem of Sebastian Leitner. They really explain the system and this system is easy to understand. I don't know if this is the best (also hard to test). But it is one you can understand very well!

- Easy to use rating
★ Modern app, looks smooth - YES
★ Good looking, nice colors/logo or something - HALF - the ios/Android app have a really ugle pink/black left side menu. Thing are OK. including the monster logo. But it can be better.
★ Easy to start, no hickups - YES - I had some problems but good enough
★★ Easy to do the actions above - BIT - You have actions like "Library" and "Learn center" which all have your courses/word lists. This is not really logical to me. I would first choose a course/word list and then have all the actions for that ite,.
Score: 60

- Try to share, import and export a list
★ share easily one list. e.g. by url - NO
★ share easily all your lists - NO
★ export your list as understandable format, e.g. txt or csv - NO
★ import a list from an easy to create format - NO
★ export all your lists at once - NO - you can export all your data. I requested it. I should get an answer in 30 days. That is not being user friendly but just complying with the law.
Score: 0
Phase 6 does choose not to share. I think they mainly serve poeple using their own content. Sharing is a waste for them.

- Special features
One ★ for every special features that looks worth it
- Content for German educational system
- Spaced repetition with the Phases - leitnerbox - explainable!
- Leaderboard per week/school
Score: 60
Some special features. Not outstanding

- Gaming elements
One ★ for every gaming element that looks worth it
- Leaderboard per week/school
- Avatar basic on progres
- Lot of stats everywhere
- Achievements
- Games
Score: 100
Yes! enough to make us happy!

- Pro
A bit of all the above. ★ for every pro
- Enough Gaming
- Spaced repetition with the Phases - leitnerbox - explainable!
- No ads
- Clean UI when learning
Score: 80

- Cons
A bit of all the above. 5 start minus ★ for every con
- No sharing/export
- No mass import functions
- Not logical UI
- No content for non German speaker, expensive german content
- Start with testing everything for free. You don't know what your investing your time in
Score: 0

- Price
Gold version: annual billing (35.99 €) = 3 euro per month. Free and more expensive versions are available. You will start with Gold for one week for free.
Score: 80
Price is okay. Not cheap but not expensive either. When you use their content it will get more expensive. It must be to pay for their big team with not a giant amount of users.

- Final score: average of all the above

My final verdict! Only use this if you need to use their content. Otherwise better options are available. If you are German or want to learn German and you are happy with the free version and you don't need any import/export options this app may suit you as well. I am again surprised that an app at a company with so many poeple working there (on the app I assume) is so little outstanding. But the weekly leaderboard is cool!