Anki vs Quizlet: which one should you use?
Short version: Anki is better at making things stick, Quizlet is easier and has more ready-made sets. Anki is free everywhere except iPhone, where it costs $24.99. Quizlet is free until you hit its limits.
Last checked October 2026. Prices are US App Store prices.
| What matters | Anki | Quizlet | Flashi (free iPhone option) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price on iPhone | $24.99 one-time (AnkiMobile) | Free with ads and limits; Plus $35.99/yr | Free; Pro $2.99/mo or $24.99/yr |
| Price on desktop and Android | Free (open source) | Same free tier and Plus plan | iPhone and iPad only |
| Spaced repetition | SM-2 by default, FSRS optional | Own scheduling inside Learn mode, not published | SM-2 |
| Pre-made decks | Large shared library, mixed quality | Largest library of any flashcard app | AI builds a deck from a topic or pasted text |
| AI deck creation | No (third-party add-ons only) | Yes, mostly on the paid plan | Yes, 1 deck free, unlimited on Pro |
| Import from the other app | Imports CSV; Quizlet export needs a workaround | Imports pasted text and CSV | Imports Anki .apkg and CSV |
| Works offline | Yes | Offline sets are a Plus feature | Yes |
| Account required | Only for sync (AnkiWeb, free) | Yes | No |
| Learning curve | Steep: settings, add-ons, card templates | Easy | Easy |
| Classes and teacher sharing | No | Yes, strong | Share a deck by link |
Pick Anki if you review every day
Anki is open source and has been the default tool for medical students, language learners and anyone memorizing thousands of facts for over fifteen years. Its scheduling (SM-2, with the newer FSRS algorithm as an option) shows each card right before you would forget it, so daily review time stays low even with a big deck. The shared library has decks for most exams and languages.
The costs are time and, on iPhone, money. Card templates, deck options and add-ons take a while to learn. The desktop, Android and web versions are free, but AnkiMobile for iPhone is $24.99, and there is no free official iPhone app.
Pick Quizlet if you want ready-made sets and class sharing
Quizlet is the easiest of the three to start with. Search a topic and there is usually a set already made, often by a teacher for that exact class. Learn mode, matching games and practice tests make it feel less like drilling.
The limits show up once you study seriously. The free plan caps Learn rounds and practice tests each month, offline sets need Quizlet Plus ($35.99 a year), and the scheduling inside Learn mode is Quizlet's own method rather than a published spaced repetition algorithm, so long-term retention is harder to trust than Anki's.
The gap between them: free spaced repetition on iPhone
If you study on your phone, you are choosing between paying $24.99 for AnkiMobile or accepting Quizlet's limits. That is the gap Flashi fills: it is free to download, uses the same SM-2 scheduling as Anki, imports Anki .apkg decks and CSV files, works offline and needs no account. Type a topic or paste a word list and the AI builds the deck.
What it does not do: run on desktop or Android, export back to Anki, or match Quizlet's library of pre-made sets. The free plan includes one AI-generated deck and two decks total; Pro ($2.99 a month or $24.99 a year) removes those limits. If you already have large Anki decks on desktop and want perfect sync, stay with Anki.
Common questions
Is Anki or Quizlet better for memorizing?
Anki. Its SM-2 and FSRS scheduling is the most studied spaced repetition method, and it shows you a card only when you are about to forget it. Quizlet Learn mode schedules cards too, but with its own unpublished method, and the free plan caps how many rounds you can do each month.
Is Anki free?
On desktop, Android (AnkiDroid) and in the browser (AnkiWeb), yes. On iPhone the official app, AnkiMobile, is a $24.99 one-time purchase. There is no free official Anki app for iPhone. Flashi is a free iPhone app that imports Anki decks and uses the same SM-2 scheduling.
Is Quizlet free?
Quizlet has a free plan with ads. It limits Learn mode rounds, practice tests and offline access. Quizlet Plus removes the limits for $35.99 a year.
Can I move my Quizlet sets to Anki, or to Flashi?
Quizlet removed its direct export, so moving sets takes a copy-and-paste or a browser extension to get a CSV. Once you have a CSV, both Anki and Flashi import it. Moving from Anki is simpler: export a deck as .apkg and Flashi imports it directly.
Which is better for language learning, Anki or Quizlet?
Anki if you will build or download large vocabulary decks and review daily; its scheduling is built for that. Quizlet if you want ready-made sets and games and do not mind the limits. If you are on iPhone and want spaced repetition without paying $24.99 up front, Flashi generates vocabulary decks from a word list and schedules them with SM-2.
Which should a medical or nursing student pick?
Most medical students use Anki because the big shared decks (AnKing, Zanki) are built for it and the review scheduling holds up over thousands of cards. Quizlet works for class-shared sets and quick quizzes. A free iPhone app like Flashi suits students who want to study a subset of cards on their phone without the AnkiMobile fee.
Spaced repetition on iPhone, without the $24.99.
Bring your Anki decks or paste a Quizlet set. Free to download, no account.
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