Maekersuite

TL;DR:
- Most of the time, no script was generated—processes failed frequently, and internal errors occurred.
- Customer support is non-existent; tickets remained unanswered for over two weeks, even after reminders.
- The UX/UI design has significant flaws that impact usability.

Maekersuite focuses on the pre-production process for YouTube videos. After reading several reviews and watching tutorials, I was intrigued by the idea of having a comprehensive research companion. However, when I opened the app, the UI looked different from what was shown in the tutorials. I later discovered that the founder had stated they spent 2024 improving the existing design instead of developing new features. While I generally support prioritizing better UX over adding features to an already mature tool, my experience with Maekersuite did not reflect this philosophy.

The app guides you through the process using menu points, with each step having a separate view. While this structure seems logical at first glance, my main issue was that the platform rarely succeeded in generating an outline or script (the final step in the process). I encountered multiple internal errors (as mentioned in other negative reviews), and in some cases, I was left with an empty text area without any explanation. When I tried to troubleshoot by going back to the previous step and regenerating, I still couldn’t resolve the issue. The project overview displayed a red dot indicating processing failure, but there were no clear instructions on how to fix it.

I submitted a support ticket but never received a reply—not even after sending a reminder ten days later. With the refund window limited to 30 days, I decided to request a refund as the platform simply wasn’t functioning properly for me (though this might be specific to my account). Unfortunately, the lack of customer support made it impossible to resolve these issues.

Usability Issues

During my troubleshooting, I also noticed significant flaws in the app's design and functionality:

- Inconsistent Data Handling:
For example, I researched a topic via a keyword and found a video in the results list. However, when I opened the details, Maekersuite claimed there was no transcript available for that video. Out of curiosity, I checked YouTube directly and found that a transcript did exist. When I then searched for the video using its URL (a different research type), Maekersuite displayed the transcript in this menu. Thinking it might now be cached, I returned to the original keyword search menu but still found no transcript for the same video—even after waiting a day. This inconsistency in how data is handled across different research types was frustrating and confusing.

- UX/UI Design Flaws:
The font size for main results is set to just 12px—barely readable—and for the first time ever, I had to use my browser’s zoom function at 125%. The page layout also wastes a lot of space: oversized headers, filter fields, and table headers take up about one-third of the screen height. Additionally, each line in result lists has excessive padding above and below, making it difficult to view more than ~10 results per screen. For someone researching large volumes of data, this design hampers productivity significantly.

Scrolling within the app is equally problematic. Some sections allow normal scrolling (pass-through sections), while others use scroll-jacking techniques where scrolling triggers animations or actions within that section. This inconsistency disrupts navigation and forces me as a user to hunt for narrow scrollbars just to bypass these sections.

Conclusion

When I consider that this UX/UI design is the result of an entire year of 'development,' during which no new features were added, I can’t help but question the future of this tool. While Maekersuite may have potential, its current state—with experienced inconsistenties, poor usability, and inadequate support—makes it difficult to recommend. Ultimately, I chose to refund.