Common questions

How much does it cost?

Free during beta. No credit card. I'll add paid tiers eventually but the core study features will always have a free way in.

What makes Lumen different from other study apps?

Lumen was designed by a student, not for one. The differences you'll feel: partial-credit short answers (½ and ¾ marks, not just right/wrong), school-scoped leaderboards that actually create rivalry with the people next to you, year-level-aware AI explanations, and a single workspace where flashcards, quizzes, tutor, grader, notes, and podcasts all share the same source material. It's still maturing in some places — onboarding polish, mobile sweep — but the core study loop is built around how students actually study.

What AI providers does it use?

OpenRouter (which routes to Claude / GPT / Gemini / DeepSeek under the hood) for chat + generation, OpenAI for podcast text-to-speech, Gemini direct for YouTube transcription fallback. We don't train on your data.

What about my school's privacy policy?

If your school has a strict no-AI-tools rule, talk to your teacher first. Lumen is an external service that processes your study material through AI providers — same as ChatGPT or Claude.ai. It's your call.

Will the AI cheat on my assignments?

Lumen is a study tool, not an assignment tool. The acceptable-use clause in our Terms says don't use it to violate academic integrity rules. The tutor is Socratic by design — it asks questions, doesn't write essays.

How accurate are the AI grades?

Useful as a draft, never a final word. Treat them like a friend giving feedback before you submit — directional, often right, occasionally wrong. We surface the model's reasoning so you can audit each call.

What's the deal with the leaderboards?

Every meaningful study activity (quiz answer, deck review, tutor turn, paper graded, note created, forum post) earns points. The board is scoped to your school OR country OR globally, with windows of today / 7 / 30 / 365 days. Streaks count consecutive days of activity. Privacy-safe: shows first name + last initial + year (e.g. "Daniel C. · Year 9"). Opt out anytime in Settings.

What are streams, levels, and XP?

Same XP that fuels the leaderboard also levels up a character/job stream you pick — Knight, Magician, Doctor, Merchant, Scientist, or Governor. Each stream has 10 named levels (L1 Apprentice → L10 things like Forbes #1, Lionheart, Nobel Laureate). The curve is aggressive — L10 takes months. Switching streams costs half your XP. Full guide at /app/xp-guide once you're signed in.

Is there a mobile app?

Not yet. The web app is mobile-responsive — works fine on phones — but a native app is on the roadmap.

I forgot my password. Help.

Click 'Forgot password' on the sign-in page. We'll email you a reset link. The link is valid for 15 minutes.

Who built this?

Daniel C. — Year 9 student at Brisbane Boys' College. Built in his bedroom because no existing study app was quite right.

How do I get in touch?

Email [email protected] — that's Daniel's inbox. Bug reports, feature requests, general feedback all welcome.