Anki App: 7 Powerful Reasons Students Are Switching To This Smarter Flashcard Alternative – And How To Learn Faster Starting Today

Anki Is Great… But Is It Really The Best Option For You?

If you’ve been googling study apps, you’ve definitely seen Anki pop up everywhere.

And yeah, Anki is powerful. But it also feels like using Windows 98 sometimes.

If you love flashcards but hate clunky interfaces, confusing add-ons, and syncing issues, you’re not stuck with just Anki.

That’s where Flashrecall comes in – a modern flashcard app that keeps all the good parts of Anki (like spaced repetition) but makes everything faster, easier, and actually fun to use.

You can grab it here if you want to try it while you read:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

Let’s break down how Anki works, what it does well, where it hurts… and why a lot of people are quietly switching to Flashrecall instead.

What Anki Does Well (And Why People Still Love It)

To be fair, Anki is popular for good reasons:

• ✅ Spaced repetition: It shows you cards right before you’re about to forget them
• ✅ Customizable: Tons of add-ons and card types
• ✅ Huge shared decks: Especially for medicine, languages, exams
• ✅ Free on desktop

If you’re super technical, patient, and don’t mind tweaking settings for hours, Anki can be amazing.

But if you’re like most students, you just want:

• “Make flashcards fast”
• “Remind me to study so I don’t forget”
• “Help me actually understand this stuff”

And that’s where the pain starts with Anki.

The Problem With The Anki App (Especially On Mobile)

Here are the most common complaints people have about Anki:

1. The Interface Feels Old And Confusing

Anki looks… like software from another era. Lots of buttons, menus, and settings that feel overwhelming when you’re just trying to study.

2. Mobile Experience Isn’t Great

• The official iOS app is paid
• The design is clunky and not very intuitive
• Making cards on your phone can feel slow and painful

3. Making Cards Takes Too Long

You usually have to type everything manually. If you’re studying from PDFs, slides, or YouTube videos, it’s a lot of copy-paste, screenshot, repeat.

4. No Built-In “Help Me Understand”

Anki is basically:

> “Here’s the card. Do you remember it? Yes or no.”

If you’re confused, it doesn’t explain anything. You have to leave the app and start googling.

Meet Flashrecall: A Smarter, Faster Alternative To The Anki App

It’s built for people who want to learn fast without wrestling with a complicated app.

You can get it here:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

Here’s how it compares.

1. Anki Makes You Build Everything Manually. Flashrecall Builds Cards For You.

With Anki, you’re mostly:

• Typing questions and answers
• Copying from notes
• Formatting everything yourself

With Flashrecall, you can create flashcards almost instantly from:

• 📝 Text – paste notes or a summary, and it turns them into cards
• 📸 Images – take a photo of your textbook or slides
• 🎧 Audio – turn spoken info into cards
• 📄 PDFs – upload and generate cards from them
• 🔗 YouTube links – create flashcards from videos
• 💬 Typed prompts – “Make me cards about the Krebs cycle” and it does the work

You can still make cards manually if you like full control, but the point is:

2. Both Use Spaced Repetition – But Flashrecall Handles The Annoying Parts

Anki’s spaced repetition is powerful, but you have to:

• Tweak deck settings
• Decide how many new cards per day
• Manage leech cards, lapses, etc.

With Flashrecall, spaced repetition is built-in and automatic:

• It schedules reviews for you
• It sends study reminders so you don’t forget to open the app
• You just show up, tap “Study”, and it gives you what you need to review

Same learning science, way less friction.

3. Flashrecall Lets You Chat With Your Flashcards (Anki Definitely Doesn’t)

This is where Flashrecall really jumps ahead.

If you’re not sure about a card in Anki, your options are:

• Guess
• Mark it as “Again”
• Leave the app and search online

With Flashrecall, you can literally chat with your flashcard:

• Stuck on a concept? Ask: “Explain this to me like I’m 12.”
• Need more depth? “Give me a real-world example.”
• Want to go further? “Turn this into a harder question.”

It’s like having a mini tutor inside your flashcards.

You’re not just memorizing — you’re actually understanding.

4. Flashrecall Is Just… Nicer To Use On iPhone And iPad

If you’ve ever tried using the Anki app on mobile, you know it’s not exactly smooth.

Flashrecall is built specifically for iPhone and iPad, so it feels:

• Fast
• Clean
• Modern
• Easy to navigate

Perfect for:

• Reviewing on the bus
• Quick sessions between classes
• Lying in bed doing “just 10 more cards” (we’ve all been there)

And yes, it works offline, so you can study anywhere without worrying about Wi‑Fi.

5. Anki Is Great For Power Users. Flashrecall Is Great For… Everyone.

Anki is amazing if you:

• Love tweaking every setting
• Don’t mind a clunky UI
• Want full manual control over everything

But if you just want something that works out of the box, Flashrecall is easier:

• Free to start
• No confusing setup
• Spaced repetition and active recall built in
• Auto reminders so you don’t fall off track

You open it, create or import content, and start learning. That’s it.

6. What Can You Actually Use Flashrecall For?

Pretty much anything you’d use Anki for – and more.

Flashrecall is great for:

• 📚 School subjects – math, history, biology, anything
• 🎓 University & exams – MCAT, USMLE, bar exam, finals
• 🌍 Languages – vocab, grammar, phrases
• 🧠 Medicine – drug names, conditions, guidelines
• 💼 Business & careers – frameworks, interview prep, sales scripts
• 🎶 Hobbies – music theory, coding concepts, trivia

If it’s information you want to remember, Flashrecall can turn it into flashcards and schedule it so it actually sticks.

7. When Should You Use Anki, And When Is Flashrecall Better?

Here’s a simple way to decide.

• You’re already deep into the Anki ecosystem
• You love community add-ons and complex settings
• You mainly study on desktop and don’t mind the old-school feel

• You want a modern, fast, clean app that just works
• You study a lot on iPhone or iPad
• You like the idea of auto-generating flashcards from PDFs, YouTube, images, and text
• You want built-in explanations and the ability to chat with your cards
• You want spaced repetition without having to manage all the settings

Honestly, a lot of people do both for a while, then slowly realize they’re opening Flashrecall way more.

How To Switch From “Anki Curious” To Actually Learning Faster

If you’re Anki-curious but also app-fatigued, here’s a simple plan:

Step 1: Install Flashrecall

Download it here (free to start):

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

Step 2: Pick One Thing You’re Studying Right Now

Don’t overthink it. Examples:

• Your next exam topic
• A chapter from your textbook
• A YouTube lecture
• A PDF your teacher sent

Step 3: Let Flashrecall Build The Cards For You

Try one of these:

• Paste a chunk of text and let it auto-generate cards
• Upload a PDF and turn key parts into flashcards
• Drop in a YouTube link and create cards from the video
• Snap a photo of your notes or slides

You can always edit or add cards manually if you want more control.

Step 4: Do A 10-Minute Session Every Day For A Week

• Open the app
• Tap “Study”
• Answer the cards honestly
• Let the spaced repetition do its thing

You’ll get study reminders, so you don’t forget to come back.

Step 5: Use The Chat When You’re Stuck

Any time a card doesn’t make sense, instead of guessing:

• Ask the app to explain it
• Request examples
• Turn it into easier or harder questions

This is the part Anki just can’t do.

Final Thoughts: Anki App Or Flashrecall?

Anki is a legend in the flashcard world.

But legends aren’t always the most comfortable to live with.

If you:

• Want the power of spaced repetition
• But also want speed, simplicity, and a modern design
• And like the idea of flashcards that can actually talk back and explain things

Then Flashrecall is honestly the better fit for most people.

Try it for a week and see how it feels compared to the idea of grinding through Anki setup:

👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

You don’t need the most complicated study app.

You just need the one you’ll actually use every day.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Anki good for studying?

Anki is powerful but requires manual card creation and has a steep learning curve. Flashrecall offers AI-powered card generation from your notes, images, PDFs, and videos, making it faster and easier to create effective flashcards.

What's the fastest way to create flashcards?

Manually typing cards works but takes time. Many students now use AI generators that turn notes into flashcards instantly. Flashrecall does this automatically from text, images, or PDFs.

How do I start spaced repetition?

You can manually schedule your reviews, but most people use apps that automate this. Flashrecall uses built-in spaced repetition so you review cards at the perfect time.

Related Articles

• Anki Flash Cards: The Powerful Alternative Most Students Ignore (And How To Learn Faster With Smarter Flashcards) – Discover why classic Anki decks aren’t your only option anymore and how a modern app can save you hours.
• Anki Revision: 7 Powerful Tricks To Study Smarter (And a Better Alternative Most Students Don’t Know) – Stop wasting hours reviewing the wrong way and use these proven strategies to actually remember what you study.
• Anki Flash: The Complete Guide to Smarter Flashcards on iOS (And a Faster, Easier Alternative Most Students Don’t Know About) – If you’re tired of wrestling with clunky flashcard apps, this will save you a LOT of time.