eFHUB™ 27

Review by eFreeware

eFHUB 27 is an unofficial companion app from Nova Software Studio, and the developer is careful to point out that it is not a game. Instead of putting you on the pitch, it collects reference material and planning tools for players who want to think about squads, tactics and player development away from a match.

The reason to consider it is the depth of that reference material. There is a player database, a manager database, a squad builder, tactic simulations and skill tutorials, all in one free download. The app has been installed more than 10 million times and holds a 4.4 average from over 44,000 ratings, which suggests a lot of people find the mix useful enough to keep around.

It is a planning tool rather than something you play, so the appeal depends on how much time you spend weighing players and formations. If you enjoy that side of the game, the app is built for exactly that habit. I would treat it as a reference desk for squad decisions rather than entertainment in its own right.

A player database built around max-level numbers

The player database is the part the developer leads with, and the details are more considered than a plain list of names. Player searches can be run against max-level stats instead of only level 1, which matters when you are deciding who is worth the investment of training. Each player card shows the six most important stats, so the strong points are visible without digging through every number.

Two features stand out to me. The app calculates which dribbling skills a given player can perform and shows controller animations for how to pull them off, which ties the database directly to something you do on the pitch. It also calculates how player condition affects stats and overall rating, so the numbers you see reflect the state a player is actually in rather than a theoretical best.

There is a season-long element as well. The app keeps track of player condition across the season, which the developer presents as a way to make better decisions about who to level up. That is a sensible use of a database: instead of looking up a player once, you can follow how they behave over a longer stretch and plan accordingly.

Manager data, squad building and tactic simulation

The manager database covers the other half of squad planning. You can track which managers have switched formation and tactics from one week to the next, filter managers by whether they lean attacking or defensive, and use a custom formation search tool when you have a specific shape in mind. For anyone who picks a manager before picking players, that combination covers the usual questions.

The squad builder is where the databases come together. It aims to help you balance team strength against contract cost, the trade-off most squad planners spend their time on. It calculates team strength, which the developer says is ideal for building two, three and four star squads, shows how players can be positioned under different managers, and totals up the contract cost of the whole squad.

If you would rather not assemble everything by hand, an auto squad build option puts a squad together from the parameters you choose, and you can save an unlimited number of squads. Game Plan goes a step further by simulating off-the-ball movement in both attack and defence, which lets you look for weak and strong points in a manager's tactics against other managers. The Hidden Gem Finder rounds things out by surfacing players with high potential and a low contract renewal cost.

Skill tutorials, saved teams and the newest additions

The dribbling skill tutorials are the most direct link between the app and playing. They use controller animations to show how each skill move is performed on console and mobile, so the instructions are visual rather than a written list of button presses. Combined with the database's calculation of which skills a player can actually perform, this is a tidy loop: find the player, see what they can do, then see how to do it.

My Team is the organizational layer. You save players and managers there so they are easy to reach for viewing or for squad building, which saves repeating the same searches. It is a small feature, but it is the kind of thing that decides whether a reference app becomes a habit or gets forgotten.

The recent update adds a Top 100 Meta section drawing on figures from the 100 highest-ranked players, along with improvements to events, a SuperSub skill update and performance fixes. You can also customize the order of the home screen tabs, which is a quiet quality-of-life change for anyone who uses one part of the app far more than the rest.

What the app asks of you

The app is free to download, and it carries ads and offers in-app purchases. I would go in expecting the free version to be the starting point and decide from there.

The more important requirement is mental rather than financial. This is a companion for a specific game, and it is unofficial and unconnected to any game, existing to provide tutorials and information for learning purposes.

There is also a learning curve in the tooling itself. Between max-level stat searches, condition calculations, contract costs and formation filters, the app gives you a lot of dials to turn. Someone who wants a quick answer may find the depth excessive, while someone who enjoys optimizing a squad will find plenty to work with.

How I would get the most from it

I would start with My Team. Saving the players and managers you already use gives the rest of the app something to work against, and it means the squad builder and Game Plan have a familiar baseline rather than a blank slate. From there, the Hidden Gem Finder is a natural next stop if you are looking to strengthen a squad without pushing your contract costs up.

When you are weighing a specific player, the max-level search and the condition calculation are the two features I would lean on most. Looking at a player at their best tells you what the investment could return, while the condition model keeps that picture honest about how they perform week to week. The season-long condition tracking supports the same decision from a longer angle.

For tactics, the manager database and Game Plan pair up well. Checking which managers have shifted formation and tactics recently gives you current information, and the simulation of off-the-ball movement shows how a shape behaves in attack and defence before you commit to it. If you are learning skill moves, the controller animations are the place to start, and the database tells you which players can actually execute what you are practicing.

Finally, the tab customization in the latest update is worth setting up early. Putting the sections you use most at the front of the home screen keeps the app from feeling like a catalog you have to scroll through every time.

A planning tool for squad tinkerers

eFHUB 27 is a well-stocked companion for players who treat squad building as a project. The player and manager databases, the squad builder with its strength and contract cost calculations, Game Plan and the skill tutorials cover the whole planning loop, and the Top 100 Meta addition gives the data a competitive reference point. The 4.4 average from more than 44,000 ratings fits that picture.

The trade-offs are straightforward. It is free but ad-supported with in-app purchases, it is unofficial and built entirely around one game, and it expects you to engage with its numbers rather than glance at them. None of that is a problem if you are the type of player who enjoys the planning side as much as the matches.

I would suggest it to players who want to understand why a squad performs the way it does, who compare managers by tactics, or who want to find affordable players with room to grow. If you are looking for something to play, this is a reference tool from the first screen to the last.

What's new in version 2.1.055

- New Feature: Top 100 Meta. View statistics and data from the top 100 ranked players. - Events improved. - Customise the order of the homescreen tabs - SuperSub skill updated. - Performance fixes. - Minor improvements.