Should I Build It Should I Build It
12 May 2025
Android Languages Education

app to help learning ielts, focus on ielts, give a tip, correct ...

...grammar

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Swamp

The market has seen several mediocre solutions that nobody loves. Unless you can offer something fundamentally different, you’ll likely struggle to stand out or make money.

Should You Build It?

Don't build it.

Your are here

Your idea for an IELTS learning app falls into a crowded space. We found 10 similar products, indicating high competition. The IDEA CATEGORY here is 'Swamp', which is not ideal because it means there are already many mediocre solutions in the market, and standing out will be difficult. The average engagement on these similar products is low, with an average of 3 comments per product, suggesting it's hard to get users excited. There's no clear net use or buy signal from the existing market, indicating that people are not explicitly clamoring for these kinds of solutions, but at the same time, not explicitly against them. This doesn't mean that your idea is bad or unsalvageable but that it will take a lot of work and effort to build something unique and useful.

Recommendations

  1. First, conduct thorough research on existing IELTS apps. Understand their strengths and weaknesses, and identify what makes them 'mediocre' in the eyes of users. Look at the feedback from similar products, like the criticism around Penster's feedback lacking specificity and the limitations of Lorro in noisy environments. This will help you avoid repeating their mistakes.
  2. Focus on a specific niche within IELTS preparation that is underserved. For example, consider focusing on a specific skill (writing, speaking, listening, reading) or a particular demographic (e.g., students with learning disabilities, professionals needing IELTS for immigration). Instead of trying to build an app for everyone, find a niche within IELTS preparation. This can help you differentiate your product and attract a loyal user base.
  3. Explore whether there are existing platforms or providers in the IELTS space that you could build tools for, instead of trying to compete directly. For instance, could you develop a plugin for popular online learning platforms that provides AI-powered grammar correction or personalized feedback on writing samples? This may be an easier path to market than building an entire standalone app.
  4. Given the challenges in the IELTS preparation market, explore adjacent problems that might be more promising. Could you apply your expertise in language learning to a different exam or skill set? This might open up new opportunities with less competition and more potential for growth.
  5. Given the 'Swamp' category, consider carefully whether pursuing this idea is the best use of your time and resources. Launching a successful app in a crowded market requires significant effort and investment. Make sure you have a clear plan for how you will stand out and attract users before committing to building anything. It may be wiser to find a better market where your skills will lead to a better chance of success. Make sure to save your energy for a better opportunity
  6. Analyze user feedback from similar products to identify common pain points. For instance, the criticism of Lorro for requiring a noise-free environment suggests an opportunity to develop a more adaptable solution. Address these pain points in your product design to enhance user satisfaction.
  7. Consider how you will make your app user-friendly and visually appealing. The criticism of Penster's feedback example suggests the importance of clear and actionable feedback. Implement visually prominent and easily trackable scores to improve the user experience.

Questions

  1. Given the existing competition, what is your unique selling proposition that will make your app stand out and attract users away from established solutions? How do you plan to address common user pain points and offer a fundamentally different and more effective learning experience?
  2. How will you balance providing automated feedback with personalized support? What strategies will you employ to ensure that your app offers valuable and actionable guidance that is tailored to each user's specific needs and learning style?
  3. Considering the limited engagement observed in similar products, what innovative strategies will you implement to keep users motivated and engaged with your app over the long term? How will you foster a sense of community and create opportunities for users to interact with each other and share their learning experiences?

Your are here

Your idea for an IELTS learning app falls into a crowded space. We found 10 similar products, indicating high competition. The IDEA CATEGORY here is 'Swamp', which is not ideal because it means there are already many mediocre solutions in the market, and standing out will be difficult. The average engagement on these similar products is low, with an average of 3 comments per product, suggesting it's hard to get users excited. There's no clear net use or buy signal from the existing market, indicating that people are not explicitly clamoring for these kinds of solutions, but at the same time, not explicitly against them. This doesn't mean that your idea is bad or unsalvageable but that it will take a lot of work and effort to build something unique and useful.

Recommendations

  1. First, conduct thorough research on existing IELTS apps. Understand their strengths and weaknesses, and identify what makes them 'mediocre' in the eyes of users. Look at the feedback from similar products, like the criticism around Penster's feedback lacking specificity and the limitations of Lorro in noisy environments. This will help you avoid repeating their mistakes.
  2. Focus on a specific niche within IELTS preparation that is underserved. For example, consider focusing on a specific skill (writing, speaking, listening, reading) or a particular demographic (e.g., students with learning disabilities, professionals needing IELTS for immigration). Instead of trying to build an app for everyone, find a niche within IELTS preparation. This can help you differentiate your product and attract a loyal user base.
  3. Explore whether there are existing platforms or providers in the IELTS space that you could build tools for, instead of trying to compete directly. For instance, could you develop a plugin for popular online learning platforms that provides AI-powered grammar correction or personalized feedback on writing samples? This may be an easier path to market than building an entire standalone app.
  4. Given the challenges in the IELTS preparation market, explore adjacent problems that might be more promising. Could you apply your expertise in language learning to a different exam or skill set? This might open up new opportunities with less competition and more potential for growth.
  5. Given the 'Swamp' category, consider carefully whether pursuing this idea is the best use of your time and resources. Launching a successful app in a crowded market requires significant effort and investment. Make sure you have a clear plan for how you will stand out and attract users before committing to building anything. It may be wiser to find a better market where your skills will lead to a better chance of success. Make sure to save your energy for a better opportunity
  6. Analyze user feedback from similar products to identify common pain points. For instance, the criticism of Lorro for requiring a noise-free environment suggests an opportunity to develop a more adaptable solution. Address these pain points in your product design to enhance user satisfaction.
  7. Consider how you will make your app user-friendly and visually appealing. The criticism of Penster's feedback example suggests the importance of clear and actionable feedback. Implement visually prominent and easily trackable scores to improve the user experience.

Questions

  1. Given the existing competition, what is your unique selling proposition that will make your app stand out and attract users away from established solutions? How do you plan to address common user pain points and offer a fundamentally different and more effective learning experience?
  2. How will you balance providing automated feedback with personalized support? What strategies will you employ to ensure that your app offers valuable and actionable guidance that is tailored to each user's specific needs and learning style?
  3. Considering the limited engagement observed in similar products, what innovative strategies will you implement to keep users motivated and engaged with your app over the long term? How will you foster a sense of community and create opportunities for users to interact with each other and share their learning experiences?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 10
  • Engagement: Low
    • Average number of comments: 3
  • Net use signal: 15.2%
    • Positive use signal: 15.2%
    • Negative use signal: 0.0%
  • Net buy signal: 0.0%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 0.0%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

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