Anki Guide: The Complete Beginner’s Playbook To Smarter Flashcards (And A Better Alternative Most People Miss) – Learn how to use Anki the right way, plus discover a faster, easier flashcard app that does the hard work for you.

An Honest Anki Guide (And Why You Might Want Something Easier)

Let’s be real: everyone talks about Anki like it’s the holy grail of memorization…

Then you open it, stare at the interface, and think: “Wait, what am I looking at?”

So this guide will do two things:

1. Explain how Anki works in simple, non-nerdy language

2. Show you an easier option if you want all the spaced repetition benefits without the clunky setup: Flashrecall – a fast, modern flashcard app for iPhone and iPad:

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

You’ll learn how to use Anki properly, but also see where it’s painful… and where Flashrecall just feels smoother.

What Anki Actually Is (And Why People Love It)

Anki is a flashcard app that uses spaced repetition – a fancy way of saying:

> “Review stuff right before you’re about to forget it.”

It’s insanely effective for:

• Languages (vocab, grammar patterns)
• Med school content
• Exams (SAT, MCAT, bar, boards, etc.)
• Formulas, definitions, dates, anything memory-heavy

The problem?

Anki is powerful, but not beginner-friendly. It feels like software from 2005 because… it kind of is.

If you like tweaking settings and building everything from scratch, Anki is great.

If you just want to learn fast with as little friction as possible, Flashrecall is way more chill.

How Anki Works in Plain English

Here’s the basic Anki flow:

1. You create cards

Front: a question

Back: the answer

Example:

• Front: “Capital of France?”
• Back: “Paris”

2. You study every day

Anki shows you cards. After each one, you tell it how hard it was:

• Again
• Hard
• Good
• Easy

3. Anki schedules future reviews

Based on your answers, it decides when to show the card again:

• If it was easy → later
• If it was hard → sooner

That’s it. The magic is in the timing.

The downside?

You have to manually create or import decks, understand settings, and remember to open the app consistently.

Step-by-Step: Getting Started With Anki (The Simple Version)

1. Install Anki

• Download Anki for your computer from the official site
• Install the mobile app if you want to review on the go (paid on iOS)

2. Create Your First Deck

• Click “Create Deck”
• Name it something clear like:
• “Spanish – Verbs”
• “Biology – Cell Structure”
• “Anatomy – Muscles”

Try to keep one topic per deck so things don’t get messy.

3. Add Cards (The Core of Anki)

Click “Add” and start creating cards.

Some tips:

• Use simple questions
• One fact per card
• Avoid huge paragraphs

> What are all the causes, symptoms, and treatments of heart failure?

• “What are the main causes of heart failure?”
• “What are common symptoms of heart failure?”
• “First-line treatment for heart failure?”

Smaller cards = easier to remember = better spaced repetition.

Where Anki Starts to Get Annoying

Once you’re past the basics, the cracks show:

• The interface feels old and clunky
• Making lots of cards is slow
• Importing from PDFs, YouTube, or notes takes effort
• No built-in “chat with your deck” if you’re confused
• You have to remember to open the app – no friendly nudges by default

This is where Flashrecall just… fixes things.

Flashrecall: A Simpler, Faster Alternative to Anki

If you like the idea of Anki (spaced repetition, flashcards, learning faster) but hate the friction, try this:

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

• Automatic spaced repetition – built-in, no confusing settings
• Study reminders – so you actually review instead of forgetting the app exists
• Instant flashcards from almost anything:
• Images (screenshot a slide → get cards)
• Text
• Audio
• PDFs
• YouTube links
• Or just type a prompt and let it help generate cards
• Manual card creation too, if you like full control
• Active recall baked in – you see the question, try to remember, then reveal
• Works offline – perfect for commuting or bad Wi‑Fi
• You can chat with your flashcards if you’re unsure and want deeper explanations
• Great for languages, exams, school, university, medicine, business – anything memory-based
• Fast, modern, easy to use – no 2005 vibes
• Free to start
• Works on iPhone and iPad

So instead of spending an hour building a deck, you can:

• Drop in your PDF lecture
• Paste a YouTube link
• Or snap a pic of your notes

…and let Flashrecall help turn it all into cards.

Anki vs Flashrecall: Which One Should You Use?

Let’s compare them quickly:

1. Ease of Use

• Anki:
• Steeper learning curve
• Lots of settings, add-ons, card types
• Powerful but not beginner-friendly
• Flashrecall:
• Simple, clean interface
• Cards from images/text/PDFs/YouTube with almost no friction
• Great if you want to start learning today without a tutorial

2. Creating Cards

• Anki:
• Mostly manual
• You can import decks, but good ones are hit-or-miss
• Attaching media is possible but clunky
• Flashrecall:
• Generate cards from:
• Images (slides, textbook pages, handwritten notes)
• PDFs
• YouTube videos
• Typed prompts
• You can still create cards manually if you prefer, but you don’t have to

3. Spaced Repetition

• Both use spaced repetition and active recall
• Anki: more tweakable
• Flashrecall: automatic and simple – you just show up and study

4. Staying Consistent

• Anki:
• No built-in push reminders unless you set things up separately
• Easy to forget for days
• Flashrecall:
• Study reminders built in
• You get nudged to review at the right time
• Much better if you struggle with consistency

5. Learning Deeper

• Anki:
• Flashcards only – if you don’t understand something, you go Google it
• Flashrecall:
• You can chat with your flashcards
• Ask: “Explain this in simpler terms” or “Give me another example”
• Perfect when you’re stuck but don’t want to leave the app

A Simple Anki-Style Study System You Can Use (In Either App)

Whether you stick with Anki or switch to Flashrecall, here’s a simple system that works:

Step 1: Collect Your Material

• Lecture slides
• Textbook chapters
• Practice questions
• YouTube explanations
• Class notes

In Flashrecall, you can:

• Upload the PDF
• Paste the YouTube link
• Snap a picture of your notes

…and generate cards from that directly.

In Anki, you’ll mostly be copying and pasting by hand.

Step 2: Turn Content Into Good Cards

Rules for solid flashcards:

• One fact per card
• Use clear questions
• Avoid long paragraphs
• Use your own wording if possible

Examples:

• Instead of:

> “Explain photosynthesis.”

Use:

• “What is the main purpose of photosynthesis?”
• “Where in the cell does photosynthesis happen?”
• “What are the two main stages of photosynthesis?”
• Instead of:

> “All cranial nerves” (huge list)

Use:

• “Cranial nerve III – name and main function?”
• “Cranial nerve VII – sensory or motor?”

Step 3: Review Every Day (Short, Not Perfect)

• Aim for 10–30 minutes a day, not 3 hours once a week
• Don’t worry if you can’t clear all reviews some days
• The key is showing up regularly

With Flashrecall, the app will:

• Send you study reminders
• Auto-schedule your reviews

So you basically just open, tap, and go.

Step 4: Fix What You Keep Forgetting

If a card keeps showing up as “hard” or “again”:

• Make it simpler
• Split it into 2–3 smaller cards
• In Flashrecall, you can chat with the card:
• “Explain this like I’m 12”
• “Give me a real-world example”

This turns confusing stuff into something your brain can actually handle.

When Anki Is Great… And When Flashrecall Is Better

Use Anki if:

• You love full control and customization
• You don’t mind a dated interface
• You’re okay spending time learning the tool itself
• You like tinkering with add-ons and advanced settings

Use Flashrecall if:

• You want to start learning today with minimal friction
• You like the idea of:
• Auto-generated cards from PDFs, images, YouTube
• Built-in reminders and spaced repetition
• A clean, modern app that works offline
• Being able to chat with your flashcards when you’re confused
• You’re on iPhone or iPad and want something that just works

You can grab it here (free to start):

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

Final Thoughts: Use the Tool That Helps You Actually Study

Anki is powerful. This guide should help you understand how to use it without getting overwhelmed.

But the best app is the one you’ll actually open every day.

If you want:

• Less setup
• Faster card creation
• Built-in reminders
• A modern, easy-to-use flashcard app with spaced repetition and active recall

…then try Flashrecall and see how it feels in real life.

You can always use both. But if you’re tired of wrestling with software and just want to remember more in less time, Flashrecall makes that a whole lot easier:

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

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.

What's the best way to learn vocabulary?

Research shows that combining flashcards with spaced repetition and active recall is highly effective. Flashrecall automates this process, generating cards from your study materials and scheduling reviews at optimal intervals.

Related Articles

• Anki Guide: The Complete Beginner’s Playbook To Smarter Flashcards (And A Faster, Easier Alternative) – Learn how to use Anki the right way, plus a simpler app that does the hard work for you.
• Anki Spaced Repetition: Why Most Students Get Stuck (And The Smarter Flashcard App That Helps You Learn Faster)
• Anki Flip Cards: 7 Powerful Upgrades To Study Faster (And The App Most Students Don’t Know About) – Stop wasting time flipping the same cards and switch to smarter tools that actually help you remember.