What it does
Retain is a smart study assistant designed for students. Its main job is to turn existing learning materials into interactive flashcards using AI. Users can upload content from various sources, including images of notes, multi-page PDFs, and even YouTube video links. The app then generates flashcards and organizes them into decks, using spaced repetition to create personalized study plans.
Where it shines
Retain's strength lies in its flexible and powerful content ingestion. The ability to create a full flashcard deck from a YouTube video by simply pasting a link (15:26) is a standout feature. It opens up a vast source of educational content. The app also gives users control over their learning style. Before a study session, it prompts them to choose between 'AI-Evaluation' (05:25), where they type an answer for the AI to grade, and 'Self-Evaluation' (09:51), where they rate their own confidence. This dual-mode approach makes the app adaptable to different study needs.
UX highlights
- The app uses polished animations to make processing time feel productive, like the 'Personalizing...' screen during onboarding (00:54) and the abstract wave animation when creating flashcards (03:31).
- In-app tours effectively guide new users through complex screens. For example, after a deck is created, a series of tooltips explains every feature on the deck management screen (06:30).
- Deck management is quite robust. Users can easily filter cards by state (07:15), sort by different criteria like proficiency (07:25), and perform bulk actions like moving or deleting cards.
- The AI Chat feature (16:10) provides an alternative way to interact with uploaded documents, offering summaries and answering questions, which complements the flashcard-based learning.
- Little touches like confetti animations after completing a goal (06:14) add a playful, rewarding feel to the experience.
- The UI is clean and organized, with clear signposting for primary actions like adding new cards or starting a study session.
Monetization & growth
The app uses a hard paywall that appears after the user completes the sign-up process (02:44). Access to the core application is gated behind this subscription. The paywall presents two options, Yearly and Monthly, strongly encouraging the yearly plan with a '3 days free' trial and a lower effective monthly price. The app also employs an aggressive growth tactic by asking for an app rating during the onboarding flow (01:23), before the user has had a chance to engage with the main features.
Who it’s for
This app is clearly built for high school and university students who need to process large amounts of information for exams. It's ideal for learners who already have digital or physical notes, textbooks (as PDFs), or follow educational video content. The focus on efficiency and AI-powered automation will appeal to students looking to optimize their study time and move beyond manually creating flashcards.
Notes & opportunities
While powerful, the app requires users to have at least 20 flashcards in a deck to unlock features like AI-generated summaries and mock exams (11:37). This could be a point of friction for users who start with a small topic or just want to test the feature quickly. The onboarding flow, while thorough, is also quite long. Shortening it or making some steps optional might improve initial user retention.