Best Apps For Revision: 7 Powerful Study Tools To Learn Faster And Actually Remember Stuff – If you’re cramming for exams and tired of notes that don’t stick, these apps (especially Flashrecall) will seriously change how you revise.
Alright, here’s the deal: if you’re hunting for the best apps for revision, start with Flashrecall because it actually helps you remember stuff long-term.
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So, You’re Looking For The Best Apps For Revision?
Alright, here’s the deal: if you’re hunting for the best apps for revision, start with Flashrecall because it actually helps you remember stuff long-term instead of just cramming and forgetting. It turns your notes, photos, PDFs, YouTube links, and even audio into flashcards in seconds, then uses spaced repetition + active recall to drill it into your brain at the right time. Compared to most revision apps that just show you notes or quizzes, Flashrecall is built for memory, not just “studying”. You can grab it here on iPhone or iPad:
👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085
Let’s run through the best revision apps and how to actually use them without wasting time.
Why Apps Make Revision So Much Easier
You don’t really have a content problem. You have a memory + consistency problem:
- You forget what you studied last week
- You don’t know what to review each day
- You waste time rewriting notes instead of testing yourself
The best apps for revision fix exactly that. The top ones usually have:
- Active recall – making you answer instead of just reread
- Spaced repetition – showing you things just before you’re about to forget
- Quick content capture – so making notes/flashcards doesn’t take forever
- Reminders – because “I’ll study later” is a lie we all tell ourselves
Flashrecall basically combines all of that into one app.
1. Flashrecall – Best All‑Round App For Smart Revision
If you want one app that actually helps you remember stuff instead of just staring at notes, Flashrecall should be your main revision hub.
👉 Download it here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085
What Makes Flashrecall So Good For Revision?
You know what’s cool about Flashrecall? It cuts out all the boring parts of making flashcards:
- Instant flashcards from anything
- Photos of textbook pages or handouts
- Text you paste in
- PDFs
- YouTube links
- Audio
- Or just stuff you type
The app turns that into flashcards automatically, so you’re not wasting hours formatting cards.
- Built‑in spaced repetition
Flashrecall automatically schedules reviews for you. You don’t have to remember when to revise – it literally tells you “hey, time to review these cards before you forget them.”
- Active recall by default
Every card is designed to make you think before you see the answer. That’s what actually builds memory, not rereading.
- Study reminders
You can set reminders so you don’t fall off the wagon during exam season.
- Works offline
Stuck on a train, in a library with bad Wi‑Fi, or on a plane? You can still revise.
- Chat with your flashcards
This is underrated. If you’re unsure about a concept, you can chat with the flashcard to get explanations or extra examples, instead of Googling 20 different things.
- Free to start, fast, and simple
No overcomplicated interface. Just open the app and start revising.
- Great for literally anything
Languages, medicine, law, business, school exams, uni modules, random facts you want to remember – it doesn’t care, it just helps you remember.
How To Use Flashrecall For Effective Revision
Here’s a simple way to use it without overthinking:
1. After each class or study session
- Take photos of your notes or slides
- Or paste in the key text from your textbook / PDF
- Let Flashrecall auto‑generate flashcards
2. Every day
- Open the app and just do your due cards (the ones spaced repetition says you should review)
- This can be 10–20 minutes – super manageable
3. Before exams
- Filter by topic and hammer the flashcards for your upcoming test
- If something still feels fuzzy, use the chat feature to get deeper explanations
If you only pick one of the best apps for revision from this list, make it Flashrecall. It’s built exactly for this.
2. Quizlet – Great For Shared Sets, But Lacks Depth
Quizlet is super popular, especially in schools, mainly because:
- There are tons of public flashcard sets already made
- It has simple games and matching activities
- Easy to share sets with classmates
Flashrecall automatically keeps track and reminds you of the cards you don't remember well so you remember faster. Like this :
The downside:
- A lot of sets are low quality or outdated
- Spaced repetition isn’t really the main focus
- It’s easy to end up passively tapping through cards without really thinking
If you like premade sets, Quizlet is handy. But if you actually want proper spaced repetition, smarter card creation, and tools like chatting with your flashcards, Flashrecall is way better for serious revision.
3. Anki – Powerful But Clunky For Casual Revision
Anki is kind of the nerd classic. It’s insanely powerful but also… kind of painful if you just want to start revising fast.
- Very customizable
- Great spaced repetition algorithm
- Tons of shared decks (especially for medicine, languages, etc.)
- The interface is dated and confusing
- Syncing between devices can be annoying
- The iOS app is paid and not exactly modern-looking
If you’re super technical and love tweaking settings, Anki can be great. But if you want something fast, modern, and easy on iPhone/iPad, Flashrecall gives you the spaced repetition benefits without the headache.
4. Notion – Good For Notes, Not Built For Memory
Notion is awesome for organizing your life: notes, to‑do lists, dashboards, all that.
For revision, people use it to:
- Organize lecture notes
- Build study dashboards
- Track topics they’ve covered
But here’s the issue: Notion is not designed for spaced repetition or active recall. You’ll still need another app to actually test yourself and schedule reviews.
A good combo is:
- Notion for notes and planning
- Flashrecall for turning those notes into actual memory
You can copy key points from Notion into Flashrecall and let it handle the revision side.
5. Forest / Focus To‑Do – For Staying Off Your Phone
Sometimes the problem isn’t what you use to revise, it’s that TikTok mysteriously opens itself every 5 minutes.
Apps like Forest or Focus To‑Do help you:
- Use the Pomodoro technique (e.g., 25 minutes focus, 5 minutes break)
- Block distractions
- Gamify staying focused (growing trees, tracking streaks, etc.)
They don’t actually help you remember content, but they’re great paired with Flashrecall:
- Set a 25‑minute timer
- Open Flashrecall
- Smash through your due cards
- Break
- Repeat
Short, focused revision beats 3 hours of “studying” while scrolling.
6. Google Drive / OneDrive – For Storing Your Stuff
These aren’t revision apps in the memory sense, but they’re important for:
- Keeping all your PDFs, slides, and notes in one place
- Accessing files from your phone, tablet, and laptop
- Not losing everything when your laptop dies 3 days before exams
How this links with Flashrecall:
- Open your PDF or notes in Drive/OneDrive
- Pull out the key concepts
- Paste or upload into Flashrecall
- Turn them into flashcards and let spaced repetition handle the rest
7. GoodNotes / Notability – For Handwritten Note Lovers
If you’re on iPad and like writing by hand, GoodNotes or Notability are great:
- Handwritten notes that feel like real paper
- You can organize notebooks by subject
- Highlight, annotate slides, etc.
But again, same problem as with pure note-taking apps: notes don’t equal memory.
The move is:
1. Write your notes in GoodNotes / Notability
2. Take screenshots or exports of the important pages
3. Drop those into Flashrecall
4. Let the app generate flashcards from your handwritten notes
Now your pretty notes actually translate into things you remember.
How To Choose The Best Revision App Setup (Without Overcomplicating It)
You don’t need 10 different tools. You just need a simple setup that covers:
1. Notes / content storage – Notion, Google Drive, GoodNotes, etc.
2. Actual memory & revision – This is where Flashrecall shines
3. Focus / time management – Forest, Focus To‑Do, or just your phone timer
If you want a dead-simple combo:
- Use whatever you already use for notes
- Use Flashrecall as your main revision app
- Optional: use a focus app to keep yourself from doomscrolling
Why Flashrecall Deserves A Spot In Your Daily Routine
To wrap it up, if you’re comparing the best apps for revision, here’s what puts Flashrecall ahead of most:
- Turns any content (text, images, PDFs, audio, YouTube) into flashcards in seconds
- Built‑in spaced repetition so you review at the perfect time
- Active recall on every card to make your brain actually work
- Study reminders so you don’t fall behind
- Works offline, so you can revise anywhere
- You can chat with your flashcards when you’re confused
- Free to start, fast, and works on iPhone and iPad
If you’re serious about exams, languages, uni, or just not forgetting everything you learn, it’s honestly one of the easiest upgrades you can make to your study routine.
Give it a try here:
👉 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085
Set it up once, and let your revision basically run on autopilot.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Is there a free flashcard app?
Yes. Flashrecall is free and lets you create flashcards from images, text, prompts, audio, PDFs, and YouTube videos.
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 is active recall and how does it work?
Active recall is the process of actively retrieving information from memory rather than passively reviewing it. Flashrecall forces proper active recall by making you think before revealing answers, then uses spaced repetition to optimize your review schedule.
How can I study more effectively for this test?
Effective exam prep combines active recall, spaced repetition, and regular practice. Flashrecall helps by automatically generating flashcards from your study materials and using spaced repetition to ensure you remember everything when exam day arrives.
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- Apps To Study Online: 7 Powerful Tools To Learn Faster (Most Students Don’t Know #3) – If you want to actually remember what you study instead of rereading notes forever, these apps will change how you learn.
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Practice This With Free Flashcards
Try our web flashcards right now to test yourself on what you just read. You can click to flip cards, move between questions, and see how much you really remember.
Try Flashcards in Your BrowserInside the FlashRecall app you can also create your own decks from images, PDFs, YouTube, audio, and text, then use spaced repetition to save your progress and study like top students.
Research References
The information in this article is based on peer-reviewed research and established studies in cognitive psychology and learning science.
Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 354-380
Meta-analysis showing spaced repetition significantly improves long-term retention compared to massed practice
Carpenter, S. K., Cepeda, N. J., Rohrer, D., Kang, S. H., & Pashler, H. (2012). Using spacing to enhance diverse forms of learning: Review of recent research and implications for instruction. Educational Psychology Review, 24(3), 369-378
Review showing spacing effects work across different types of learning materials and contexts
Kang, S. H. (2016). Spaced repetition promotes efficient and effective learning: Policy implications for instruction. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 3(1), 12-19
Policy review advocating for spaced repetition in educational settings based on extensive research evidence
Karpicke, J. D., & Roediger, H. L. (2008). The critical importance of retrieval for learning. Science, 319(5865), 966-968
Research demonstrating that active recall (retrieval practice) is more effective than re-reading for long-term learning
Roediger, H. L., & Butler, A. C. (2011). The critical role of retrieval practice in long-term retention. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 15(1), 20-27
Review of research showing retrieval practice (active recall) as one of the most effective learning strategies
Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students' learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1), 4-58
Comprehensive review ranking learning techniques, with practice testing and distributed practice rated as highly effective

FlashRecall Team
FlashRecall Development Team
The FlashRecall Team is a group of working professionals and developers who are passionate about making effective study methods more accessible to students. We believe that evidence-based learning tec...
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- •Product Development
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