Best Study Apps 2020: 7 Powerful Tools To Learn Faster (And The One Most Students Miss) – If you want to actually remember what you study instead of rereading notes forever, this list is for you.

So, you’re hunting for the best study apps 2020 and just want something that actually helps you remember stuff, not just look organized. Honestly, your best bet is to use a smart flashcard app like Flashrecall because it combines AI-made flashcards, spaced repetition, and reminders so you don’t forget what you studied three days later. You can turn photos, PDFs, YouTube links, audio, or plain text into flashcards instantly, and it works offline on iPhone and iPad, which is perfect if you study on the go. Compared to most “productivity” apps that just make you feel busy, Flashrecall is built to actually boost memory and recall, not just make pretty notes. You can grab it here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085 and start for free right now.

The Real Problem With Most “Best Study Apps 2020” Lists

A lot of “best study apps 2020” lists just throw a bunch of apps at you:

• Note apps
• To-do lists
• Random timers

Cool… but none of that matters if you don’t remember what you’re studying.

If you want better grades, faster learning, or to pass some brutal exam, you mainly need:

1. A way to turn content into questions (active recall)

2. A way to review at the right time (spaced repetition)

3. A setup that’s fast and simple enough that you’ll actually use it daily

That’s where Flashrecall stands out compared to most other study apps from 2020 and beyond.

Why Flashrecall Should Be Your Main Study App

Let’s start with the one app that can basically sit at the center of your study system: Flashrecall.

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

What Flashrecall Does (In Normal Human Language)

You know how you should make flashcards but it takes forever? Flashrecall fixes that. It lets you:

• Create flashcards instantly from almost anything
• Photos of textbook pages or handwritten notes
• PDFs (lecture slides, handouts, study guides)
• YouTube links (perfect for lectures and tutorials)
• Audio or voice notes
• Or just type/paste text
• Use AI to turn content into questions

Instead of manually writing 100 cards, you can feed in your notes and let Flashrecall generate flashcards automatically. You can still edit them, but the heavy lifting is done for you.

• Built-in active recall

The app is literally built around “question → answer” studying. No passive reading, no fake productivity. You see a prompt, you try to recall, then you check yourself.

• Spaced repetition with auto reminders

Flashrecall automatically schedules reviews for you. You don’t have to remember when to review; the app reminds you exactly when your brain is about to forget.

• Works offline

Study on the bus, on a plane, in a dead Wi-Fi classroom—no problem.

• Chat with your flashcards

Stuck on a concept? You can actually chat with the card to get more explanation and context, instead of just staring at a definition that doesn’t click.

• Good for literally any subject

Languages, med school, law, business, school exams, uni courses, certifications—if it has information, Flashrecall can turn it into flashcards.

• Free to start, fast, and modern

No clunky 2010 interface. It’s smooth, quick, and built for iPhone and iPad.

If you’re scrolling through a bunch of “best study apps 2020” lists and feeling overwhelmed, honestly, starting with just Flashrecall is already a massive upgrade.

How Flashrecall Compares To Other Popular Study Apps

Let’s put Flashrecall in context with the types of apps people loved in 2020 and still use now.

1. Versus Note-Taking Apps (Notion, OneNote, Evernote, Apple Notes)

Note apps are great for:

• Organizing content
• Storing lecture notes
• Writing summaries

But they don’t make you remember. Reading notes over and over is one of the least efficient ways to study.

• Takes those notes and turns them into questions and answers
• Uses spaced repetition so you see the hardest stuff more often
• Forces your brain to retrieve, not just re-read

Use your note app to store info. Use Flashrecall to learn it.

2. Versus Traditional Flashcard Apps (Like Anki-Style Tools)

Old-school flashcard apps in 2020 were powerful but often:

• Ugly
• Hard to set up
• Manual to the point of pain

You had to:

• Type every single card
• Manually format everything
• Deal with confusing settings

• AI creates cards from images, PDFs, audio, YouTube, and text
• Clean, modern design that doesn’t feel like homework
• Works seamlessly on iPhone and iPad without weird syncing drama
• You can still make cards manually if you like full control

So if you like the idea of flashcards but hate the grind of building decks, Flashrecall is basically the upgraded version you were hoping someone would build.

3. Versus To-Do & Planner Apps (Todoist, TickTick, Google Tasks)

These are nice for:

• Planning what to study
• Breaking tasks into chunks

But they don’t help you actually learn the content.

• Not just “Study biology for 30 mins”
• It gives you a structured session with spaced repetition, so every minute counts
• Built-in study reminders so you don’t forget to review

You can still use a planner, but Flashrecall is where the real learning happens.

4. Versus Pomodoro Timer Apps

Pomodoro timers (25 mins on, 5 mins off) can help you start studying, which is great.

But if you’re just:

• Re-reading notes
• Highlighting randomly
• Watching lectures passively

…you’re still not learning efficiently.

• Every session is active recall + spaced repetition
• You’re constantly quizzing yourself, which is what actually cements memory

You can even combine them: use a Pomodoro timer, and during each focus block, open Flashrecall and crush a set of cards.

How To Use Flashrecall As Your Main Study App

Here’s a simple way to set it up so it becomes your go-to study system.

Step 1: Capture Your Material

After each class or study session:

• Snap photos of your notes or textbook pages
• Import your PDFs (slides, handouts, ebooks)
• Drop in YouTube lecture links
• Paste any key text you want to remember

Flashrecall will help you turn all of that into flashcards, fast.

Step 2: Let AI Build Your First Deck

Instead of manually writing 100 cards:

• Feed the content into Flashrecall
• Let it auto-generate flashcards
• Skim, edit, or delete anything you don’t like

You go from “ugh, I should make cards” to “wow, I already have a full deck” in minutes.

Step 3: Study With Spaced Repetition

Each day:

• Open Flashrecall
• Do your due cards (the ones scheduled for review)
• Rate how well you remembered each one

The app then:

• Shows you hard cards more often
• Pushes easy cards further into the future
• Keeps your total review load manageable

You don’t have to think about timing. Just show up, tap through cards, and your memory improves.

Step 4: Use Chat When You’re Confused

If you see a card and think:

> “I still don’t really get this…”

You can chat with the flashcard:

• Ask it to explain the concept again
• Get more examples
• Get a simpler explanation

This is super helpful for tricky topics in medicine, law, physics, or languages where definitions alone aren’t enough.

Step 5: Build A Daily Habit

To make Flashrecall actually change your grades:

• Turn on study reminders
• Set a small daily target (e.g., 10–20 minutes)
• Attach it to a habit you already have (after breakfast, before bed, on the bus)

Because it works offline, you can sneak in reviews whenever:

• Waiting in line
• Sitting on the train
• Killing time between classes

Those tiny pockets of time add up fast.

Other Study Apps Worth Pairing With Flashrecall

If you still want a full “best study apps 2020” style stack, here’s a simple combo that actually makes sense:

• Flashrecall – for learning and remembering (core memory engine)
• A note app (Notion/Apple Notes/OneNote) – for storing and organizing raw info
• A task app – for planning what to study and when
• A Pomodoro timer – for getting yourself to start studying

But if you only pick one app to improve how effectively you study, make it the one that hits active recall + spaced repetition: that’s Flashrecall.

Who Flashrecall Is Especially Good For

Flashrecall is particularly strong if you’re:

• A student with tons of content

Medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, law, engineering, CS, finance—anything with huge amounts of facts and concepts.

• Learning a language

Vocabulary, grammar patterns, phrases, example sentences—perfect flashcard material.

• Preparing for big exams

SAT, MCAT, USMLE, LSAT, CFA, bar exam, board exams, certifications—you name it.

• Busy and easily overwhelmed

If you don’t have time to design some fancy study system, you just load your material, let Flashrecall make cards, and show up for reviews.

So, Which Is The Best Study App From 2020 You Should Still Use Now?

If we’re being honest, a lot of best study apps 2020 lists are outdated or focused on apps that look nice but don’t move the needle on your grades.

If your goal is:

• Learn faster
• Remember longer
• Waste less time rereading

Then your main app should be the one that:

• Turns your material into flashcards quickly
• Uses spaced repetition automatically
• Keeps you in active recall mode the whole time

That’s exactly what Flashrecall does.

You can grab it here and start building your decks in a few minutes:

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

Set it up once, stick with it for a couple of weeks, and you’ll feel the difference every time you sit an exam or try to recall something you studied weeks ago.

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.

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