Official Anki App: Is It Really The Best Choice On iOS? 7 Things Most Students Don’t Know – Before You Commit, Read This Honest Comparison With A Faster Alternative

So, you’re trying to figure out if the official Anki app is the best way to do flashcards on your phone? Here’s the thing: if you’re on iOS and want something modern, fast, and way easier to use, Flashrecall is usually the better choice over the official Anki app. It gives you AI-made flashcards from images, PDFs, YouTube, and text, has built-in spaced repetition, and feels like a 2025 app instead of something from 2012. Plus, it’s free to start and works on both iPhone and iPad, so you can try it right now:

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

Official Anki App vs Modern Alternatives: What’s The Deal?

Alright, let’s talk honestly.

The official Anki app (AnkiMobile on iOS) is super popular with med students, language learners, and people who love tweaking everything. It’s powerful, but it also:

• Looks pretty outdated
• Has a steeper learning curve
• Isn’t exactly “tap-and-go” friendly for beginners

If you just want to start studying fast without spending hours learning how to use the app itself, that’s where Flashrecall feels way nicer.

• Has automatic spaced repetition built in
• Lets you generate flashcards instantly from:
• Images (take a photo of your notes or textbook)
• Text you paste in
• PDFs
• Audio
• YouTube links
• Or just type them manually if you prefer
• Sends study reminders so you don’t forget to review
• Works offline, so you can study anywhere
• Has a chat with your flashcards feature so you can ask questions when you’re stuck

If you’re not deeply invested in the Anki ecosystem yet, it honestly makes more sense to just start with something smoother like Flashrecall.

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

1. What The Official Anki App Actually Does (And Why People Still Like It)

To be fair, the official Anki app is popular for good reasons:

• It uses spaced repetition (like Flashrecall) so you review cards right before you forget them.
• It supports huge decks and very advanced customisation.
• There are tons of shared decks, especially for:
• Medicine (USMLE, MCAT, etc.)
• Languages
• Exams like JLPT, CFA, etc.

If you’re super technical and love tweaking settings, importing custom decks, and building your own system from scratch, the official Anki app gives you that level of control.

But that’s also the problem for a lot of people:

You have to fight the interface before you actually start learning.

2. The Biggest Problem With The Official Anki App On iOS

You’ve probably noticed this already if you’ve tried it:

• The UI is clunky and old-school
• There’s a learning curve just to understand how to add cards properly
• Syncing with desktop Anki can be confusing for new users
• It’s not really designed for:
• Snapping a picture of your notes and turning them into cards
• Handling PDFs or YouTube links easily
• Chatting with your content when you’re stuck

If you’re busy with school, work, or exams, you probably don’t want to spend your limited brain energy figuring out the app itself.

That’s where Flashrecall feels like a breath of fresh air.

3. Why Flashrecall Is A Better Everyday Study App For Most People

You know what’s cool about Flashrecall? It’s built for how people actually study now.

Instead of manually typing every single thing, you can:

• Take a photo of a textbook page → Flashrecall turns it into flashcards
• Upload a PDF (lecture slides, notes, study guide) → instant flashcards
• Paste a YouTube link from a lecture → generate flashcards from the content
• Paste text or type a quick prompt → AI generates cards for you
• Or create manual flashcards if you like full control

All of that is inside one clean, modern app that:

• Has automatic spaced repetition (you don’t have to configure it)
• Sends review reminders so you actually keep up
• Works offline, so you can study on the train, on a plane, wherever
• Runs on iPhone and iPad, synced

You basically skip the “set up” phase and go straight to learning.

👉 Download it here and see the difference:

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

4. Spaced Repetition: Anki vs Flashrecall

Both the official Anki app and Flashrecall use spaced repetition, which is the main reason people use these apps at all.

• You can tweak everything: intervals, ease factors, custom steps, etc.
• But you kind of need to know what you’re doing to get the best out of it.
• It’s powerful, but also easy to mess up if you’re new.

• Spaced repetition is built-in and automatic.
• You just study, tap how well you remembered, and it schedules the next review.
• You don’t have to think about settings or algorithms at all.

If you’re the type who loves reading long Reddit threads about “optimal Anki settings”, the official app is fine.

If you just want to remember your stuff without overthinking it, Flashrecall is nicer.

5. Creating Cards: Manual vs AI-Powered

This is where Flashrecall absolutely destroys the official Anki app for convenience.

In the official Anki app:

• You usually type cards manually
• You can import decks, but building your own from real-world material is slower
• Turning notes, slides, or screenshots into cards takes time

In Flashrecall:

You can create cards from almost anything:

• Images
• Take a photo of your handwritten notes or textbook
• Flashrecall reads the text and turns key points into flashcards
• Text
• Paste a paragraph or your notes
• Ask it: “Make flashcards for key definitions and formulas”
• Done in seconds
• PDFs
• Upload lecture slides or study guides
• Flashrecall pulls out important info and builds cards for you
• YouTube
• Paste the link to a lecture or explainer video
• Get flashcards from the content instead of rewatching the whole thing
• Audio
• Great for language learners or recorded lectures

And if you like doing things the old-school way, you can still make cards manually too.

This is perfect for:

• Med students with endless PDFs and slides
• Language learners using videos and audio
• Uni students with lecture notes piling up
• Professionals studying for certifications

6. “Chat With Your Flashcards” – Something Anki Just Doesn’t Have

One of the coolest Flashrecall features is that you can chat with your flashcards.

Say you’re reviewing a card about some tricky concept in medicine, business, or physics and you think:

> “Okay but… why though?”

In Flashrecall, you can literally tap and ask follow-up questions like:

• “Explain this like I’m 12”
• “Give me another example”
• “Compare this to X”
• “When would this not apply?”

This turns your deck into more than just Q&A. It becomes a little tutor sitting in your pocket.

The official Anki app?

It shows you the card. That’s it. No explanations unless you already wrote them in.

7. Offline, Reminders, And Real-Life Use

Both apps work offline, which is nice.

But Flashrecall leans more into actually helping you keep up with your studying:

• Study reminders: It nudges you to review so you don’t fall behind
• Automatic spaced repetition: No settings to babysit
• Fast, modern interface: You’re not fighting the app

You can use it for:

• Languages (vocab, phrases, grammar)
• Exams (med school, law, engineering, whatever)
• School subjects (math, history, biology, etc.)
• Business or professional skills (finance terms, frameworks, interview prep)

Basically anything you don’t want to forget.

8. So… Who Should Use The Official Anki App, And Who Should Use Flashrecall?

The official Anki app might be for you if:

• You’re already deep in the Anki ecosystem with tons of existing decks
• You love tweaking every tiny setting
• You don’t mind the dated interface
• You mainly use desktop Anki and just want a mobile companion

Flashrecall is probably better if:

• You’re starting fresh and want something easy and modern
• You want to generate cards automatically from real-world content
• You like the idea of chatting with your flashcards when you’re stuck
• You want built-in spaced repetition + reminders without config headaches
• You want something that just works on iPhone and iPad with a clean UI

If your main goal is simply:

> “I want to remember more in less time without making this a whole hobby”

…then Flashrecall is honestly the smoother choice.

9. How To Switch Or Start With Flashrecall

If you’re curious, you don’t have to fully “break up” with Anki. You can:

• Keep your existing Anki setup if you already have it
• Start using Flashrecall for new subjects or topics
• Gradually move more of your studying into Flashrecall as you get used to it

Or, if you haven’t committed to anything yet, just start with Flashrecall and save yourself the headache.

👉 Grab it here (free to start):

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

Final Thoughts

If you’re searching for the official Anki app, you’ve already figured out that spaced repetition is the way to go. That’s the hard part.

Now it’s just about picking the app that actually fits your life.

• If you want maximum control and don’t mind an old-school interface → the official Anki app works.
• If you want something fast, modern, AI-powered, and easy to use every day → Flashrecall is just better for most people.

You can literally download Flashrecall in seconds and start turning your notes, PDFs, and videos into flashcards today:

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

Try it for one subject and see how much faster studying feels.

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.

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