Anki Like Apps: 7 Powerful Alternatives To Learn Faster (And The One Most Students Don’t Know About) – If you love spaced repetition but hate clunky setups, this breakdown will save you hours.

Anki Like Apps: What Actually Makes Them Good (And Which One To Pick)

So, you’re looking for anki like apps, and the main difference you’ll notice is how much effort they take to set up versus how quickly you can start learning. Classic Anki is super powerful but can feel old-school and fiddly. Newer apps like Flashrecall focus on speed and ease of use—AI makes your flashcards for you from images, PDFs, or text so you spend more time learning and less time formatting. If you want maximum control and don’t mind a learning curve, Anki-style tools work great; if you want fast, modern, and automatic spaced repetition that just works on your phone, Flashrecall is the better fit for most people.

Before we go through the different options, here’s the app I’d honestly start with:

👉 Flashrecall on the App Store:

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

It gives you the Anki-style spaced repetition experience, but way less friction.

What People Usually Mean By “Anki Like Apps”

When someone searches for anki like apps, they’re usually looking for:

• Spaced repetition (SRS) so you remember stuff long term
• Active recall (you have to answer, not just reread)
• Custom flashcards
• Sync between devices
• Something less clunky than Anki’s interface

Anki is amazing, but:

• The UI is dated
• Card setup can be annoying
• Mobile experience isn’t very friendly for beginners

So let’s go through some Anki alternatives and how they compare—especially to Flashrecall.

Flashrecall – An Anki-Like App That Actually Feels Modern

If you like the idea of Anki but not the setup, Flashrecall is basically what most people wish Anki felt like on iOS.

Why Flashrecall Stands Out

• Instant flashcards with AI

Take a photo of your notes, upload a PDF, paste text, drop in a YouTube link, or even use audio—Flashrecall turns it into flashcards automatically. No more spending an hour typing cards before you can study.

• Built-in spaced repetition (no config headache)

The app handles all the SRS logic for you. You just review your cards, rate how well you remembered, and Flashrecall schedules the next review. No confusing settings.

• Active recall by default

Cards are designed to make you think before seeing the answer—like Anki—but with a cleaner, friendlier UI.

• Study reminders you don’t have to manage

Flashrecall can nudge you to study at the right time, so you don’t forget your reviews. You don’t have to remember to “open the app before it’s too late” every day.

• Offline mode

On the train, in a library with bad Wi‑Fi, on a plane—your decks still work.

• Chat with your flashcards

Stuck on a concept? You can actually chat with the flashcard to get more explanation or examples. That’s something Anki just doesn’t do out of the box.

• Great for almost anything
• Languages (vocab, grammar, phrases)
• Medicine (drugs, conditions, guidelines)
• Exams (SAT, MCAT, Step, bar, etc.)
• School subjects (math, history, science)
• Business and work knowledge
• Free to start, works on iPhone and iPad

No weird setup, just download and go.

Again, here’s the link if you want to try it while reading:

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

Anki – The Original Classic (And Why People Still Use It)

To be fair, Anki is still a beast.

What Anki Does Really Well

• Super customizable card types
• Tons of community decks (especially for medicine and languages)
• Open ecosystem with plugins on desktop
• Very powerful if you’re willing to tinker

Where Anki Struggles Compared To Flashrecall

• Setup time – You’ll spend a lot of time manually creating cards
• UI – Feels like old software, especially on desktop
• Mobile experience – The official iOS app is paid, and still not exactly “fun” to use
• No built-in AI – If you want automatic card creation, you need extra tools or manual work

If you love full control and don’t mind a steeper learning curve, Anki is still great. But if you want something more plug-and-play with smart automation, Flashrecall is easier for day-to-day studying.

Quizlet – Simple, Popular, But Not Really Anki-Like

Quizlet often shows up when people search for anki like apps, but it’s a bit different.

Pros

• Very easy to use
• Tons of pre-made sets
• Good for quick cramming or sharing with classmates

Cons Compared To Flashrecall

• Spaced repetition isn’t the main focus
• Active recall isn’t enforced as strongly
• Less automation from your own content (no “turn this PDF into cards in seconds” type magic like Flashrecall)

Quizlet is fine if you just want basic flashcards, but if you’re specifically chasing that Anki-style long-term retention with SRS, Flashrecall is a closer match.

RemNote, Memrise, And Other Anki-Like Tools

There are a bunch of other apps in the “anki like apps” space—here’s how they roughly compare.

RemNote

• Great for: People who like note-taking + flashcards in one
• Strengths: Knowledge graph, backlinks, integrated SRS
• Downsides: Can feel complex; heavier “all-in-one” tool

Memrise

• Great for: Language learners who like gamified courses
• Strengths: Short videos, pre-built courses
• Downsides: Less flexible for custom content; not ideal for exams or niche subjects

How Flashrecall Fits In

Flashrecall is more focused than RemNote, and more flexible than Memrise:

• You can use any content: your lecture slides, textbook screenshots, PDF notes, YouTube videos, audio, or typed prompts.
• It stays focused on flashcards + spaced repetition, not a full-blown note-taking system.
• Perfect if you want something more serious than basic flashcards but less heavy than an all-in-one PKM app.

Manual vs AI-Generated Flashcards: Why Both Matter

One big difference between Anki and newer tools like Flashrecall is how cards are created.

With Anki

• Mostly manual
• You type everything
• Great control, but time-consuming

With Flashrecall

You get both options:

1. AI-generated cards from your content

• Take a photo of a textbook page
• Upload a PDF handout
• Paste a long article
• Drop in a YouTube link

Flashrecall scans it and creates flashcards automatically.

2. Manual card creation (when you want precision)

If you’re picky about wording or want very specific cards, you can still build them by hand—just like Anki, but in a cleaner interface.

This combo is super useful: you can let AI do 80% of the work, then tweak or add the really important cards manually.

How Flashrecall’s Spaced Repetition Actually Feels In Practice

If you’ve used Anki before, you know the drill: you review cards, hit “Again / Good / Easy,” and the algorithm schedules the next review.

Flashrecall gives you that same core SRS experience, but:

• You don’t have to worry about settings or custom intervals
• You get automatic reminders so you don’t miss review days
• The whole thing feels lighter and more modern on iPhone/iPad

You open the app, it shows “Here’s what you need to review today,” and you’re off. No fiddling with decks or plugins.

Real-World Use Cases: Where Anki-Like Apps Shine

No matter which app you choose, this is where spaced repetition absolutely crushes normal studying:

Languages

• Vocabulary, phrases, verb conjugations
• Example: Snap a picture of a vocab list in Flashrecall → instant cards → review with SRS → words actually stick.

Medicine & Nursing

• Drug names, side effects, mechanisms
• Guidelines, diagnostic criteria
• Flashrecall is especially good here because you can turn lecture PDFs and slides into cards in minutes.

Exams & Certifications

• MCAT, USMLE, LSAT, bar, CFA, PMP, you name it
• Turn dense notes into bite-sized questions instead of rereading the same PDF 20 times.

School & University

• History dates, formulas, definitions, theories
• You can take pictures of whiteboards or textbook pages and let Flashrecall build the deck.

Work & Business

• Product knowledge, frameworks, sales scripts, coding concepts
• Great for onboarding or learning new fields quickly.

So, Which “Anki Like App” Should You Actually Use?

Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Use classic Anki if…
• You love full control and customization
• You don’t mind a dated UI
• You’re okay spending time manually building decks
• Use Quizlet if…
• You just want simple flashcards
• You care more about pre-made sets than SRS depth
• Use Flashrecall if…
• You want Anki-level learning without the setup pain
• You like the idea of AI making cards from your notes, PDFs, images, and YouTube links
• You want built-in spaced repetition, active recall, and reminders that just work
• You’re on iPhone or iPad and want something fast, modern, and easy to use

If you’re still unsure, honestly, just try Flashrecall for a week alongside whatever you’re using now and see which one you actually open more.

👉 Download Flashrecall here (free to start):

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

Set up one deck from your class notes or a PDF, let the AI generate cards, and run through a few sessions. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by Anki but loved the idea, this will feel like a breath of fresh air.

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.

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