Alternatives to Anki
The spaced-repetition standard
Anki ranks #1 of 6 in Flashcard apps, with an Alt Score of 95. It is licensed under AGPL-3.0, freemium from Free and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Web. 9 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Anyone memorizing information for the long term — students, medical/language learners, professionals studying for exams — who wants a more efficient alternative to re-reading notes or generic flashcards.
A free flashcard app that schedules reviews using a spaced-repetition algorithm, showing you cards right before you're about to forget them. Cards can include text, images, audio, video, and scientific notation, and decks scale to well over 100,000 cards without slowing down. A large ecosystem of user-shared decks and add-ons lets you start studying a subject immediately or extend the app's functionality.
You create or import decks of cards, then review them; after each card you rate how well you recalled it, and Anki uses that rating to calculate when to show it again. Anki runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, with the free AnkiWeb service syncing your collection across all devices.
Where Anki stands out
Verified capabilities most alternatives don't have.
Why people leave Anki
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
How Anki compares with its alternatives, feature by feature.
| Flashcard apps checklist | Anki | RemNote | Brainscape | Mochi | SuperMemo | Quizlet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| Spaced repetition algorithm | ||||||
| Media on cards (audio, image) | ||||||
| Shared deck library | ||||||
| Cross-device sync | ||||||
| Offline | ||||||
| Open source | ||||||
| Cloze deletions | ||||||
| Stats & heatmaps | ||||||
| Import from competitors |
Every fact and feature listed for Anki is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Starts at Free verified 2026-07-08
The free computer version is available for all major platforms.
https://apps.ankiweb.net/index.html -
License AGPL-3.0 verified 2026-07-08
Desktop AGPL-3.0; AnkiMobile (iOS) is paid proprietary.
Anki is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License, version 3 or later
https://github.com/ankitects/anki/blob/main/LICENSE -
Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-08
The free computer version is available for all major platforms. AnkiMobile is the official iOS app and all purchases help fund Anki's development. AnkiDroid for Android is free
https://apps.ankiweb.net/index.html -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web verified 2026-07-08
downloads for Windows, macOS, and Linux variants. AnkiMobile is the official iOS app. AnkiDroid for Android is free. The free AnkiWeb synchronization service lets you sync your cards across devices.
https://apps.ankiweb.net/index.html -
Status active verified 2026-07-08
Current version is 26.05
https://apps.ankiweb.net/index.html -
Spaced repetition algorithm Yes verified 2026-07-08
Anki's spaced repetition system is based on an older version of the SuperMemo algorithm called SM-2. Recently, a new algorithm called FSRS has been integrated
https://docs.ankiweb.net/background.html -
Media on cards (audio, image) Yes verified 2026-07-08
You can use the paper-clip button to select audio, images, and videos from your computer's hard drive and attach them to your notes.
https://docs.ankiweb.net/editing.html -
Shared deck library Yes verified 2026-07-08
The easiest way to get started with Anki is to download a deck of cards someone else has shared
https://docs.ankiweb.net/getting-started.html -
Cross-device sync Yes verified 2026-07-08
AnkiWeb is a service that allows you to keep your collection synchronized across multiple devices, and to study online.
https://docs.ankiweb.net/syncing.html -
Offline Yes verified 2026-07-08
Desktop runs fully offline; sync optional.
It is multi-platform, running on Windows, macOS, Linux/FreeBSD
https://docs.ankiweb.net/background.html -
Open source Yes verified 2026-07-08
Anki is open source and cross-platform.
https://docs.ankiweb.net/background.html -
Cloze deletions Yes verified 2026-07-08
Cloze deletion is the process of hiding one or more words in a sentence.
https://docs.ankiweb.net/editing.html -
Stats & heatmaps Yes verified 2026-07-08
This graph shows past card review activity. Hovering the mouse over a specific item allows you to view the number of revisions made that day.
https://docs.ankiweb.net/stats.html -
Import from competitors Partial verified 2026-07-08
Named competitor import is Mnemosyne only.
Anki can import text files, packaged Anki decks created by the export feature and Mnemosyne 2.0 .db files.
https://docs.ankiweb.net/importing/intro.html
FAQ
Yes. RemNote, Brainscape and Quizlet have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.