The best Anki alternatives in 2026
The best Anki alternative depends on what bothers you. RemNote keeps spaced repetition and adds notes and PDFs. Mochi is the lightest, with Markdown cards. Brainscape drills by confidence. Quizlet and Knowt are the easiest to start with. StudyPDF builds the cards from your own slides and exports them to Anki (.apkg) on Pro. Prices are as of October 2026.
Anki is free and powerful, but people who look for something else usually name the same three reasons. The interface feels dated, every card has to be typed by hand, and the iPhone and iPad app is a paid purchase (about $25 as of October 2026, check the App Store).
None of the tools below is a clone of Anki. Some keep a spaced repetition scheduler, others trade it for speed or a nicer interface. Each one is listed with its real free tier, so you can try it before you move a deck. Keep your Anki decks either way: you can export them from Anki at any time.
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Free tier | Price (October 2026) | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RemNote | Notes, PDFs and spaced repetition in one workspace | No cap on notes and flashcards, 3 annotated PDFs, 250 AI credits a month | Pro from $8 a month ($96 a year) | Desktop, iOS, Android |
| Mochi | Markdown cards in a clean, local-first app | Free app that works offline, used without an account | Pro $5 a month (adds sync) | Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, web |
| Brainscape | Confidence-based drilling and certified decks | No cap on cards and import, spaced repetition, some AI features | Pro $7.99 a month (yearly) | Web, iOS, Android |
| Quizlet | A quick start and a huge library of shared study sets | Free plan with the core study modes, some tools are capped | Plus is paid, check the current price | Web, iOS, Android |
| Knowt | A free, Quizlet-style app with AI cards from your notes | Free Basic plan with flashcards, notes and practice tests | Ultra $24.99 a month or $149.99 a year | Web, iOS, Android |
| StudyPDFThat's us | Cards made from your own slides and PDFs, then exported to Anki | About 4 materials a week, 2 courses, no card | Free, Pro and Ultra on the pricing page | Web, iPhone, iPad, Android |
Prices as of October 2026. Check the vendor's site for the current price.
The options
RemNote
Best for: Notes, PDFs and spaced repetition in one workspace
RemNote is a note-taking app with flashcards built in. You write notes, mark what to remember and the cards follow. It also annotates PDFs and has an exam scheduler.
Strengths
- Notes and cards live in the same place, so there is less copying
- Spaced repetition is built in, with annotated PDFs and image occlusion
- The free plan has no cap on notes and flashcards or on synced devices
Limits
- More to learn than a plain card app, because it is a full note-taking tool
- More annotated PDFs and most AI features need a paid plan (Pro with AI is $18 a month)
Mochi
Best for: Markdown cards in a clean, local-first app
Mochi is a spaced repetition app where you write notes and cards in Markdown. Your data stays on your device first and syncs when you are online.
Strengths
- Markdown makes cards quick to write and easy to read
- Local-first: it works offline and your data sits on your device
- Dictionaries, text-to-speech and auto-translate help language learners
Limits
- Sync across devices needs the Pro plan
- Writing cards is still mostly manual, and AI integration is part of Pro
Brainscape
Best for: Confidence-based drilling and certified decks
Brainscape is a cloud flashcard app built on spaced repetition. You rate how well you knew each card, and the weak ones come back sooner.
Strengths
- Free accounts can create and import as many flashcards as they like
- Share decks with classmates and set study reminders
- Expert-certified decks are available on the paid plan
Limits
- AI card creation without a cap and certified content need the paid plan
- Cloud-based, so you study with an account instead of local files
Quizlet
Best for: A quick start and a huge library of shared study sets
Quizlet is the best known flashcard site. You can search millions of study sets made by other students, or build your own and practice with modes like Learn, Test and Match.
Strengths
- Millions of ready-made sets for common courses
- Simple modes like Learn, Test and Match, with almost no setup
- Most classmates already know it, so sets are easy to share
Limits
- Adaptive study modes, not an Anki-style scheduler with deck options
- Some test and AI features are capped on the free plan
Knowt
Best for: A free, Quizlet-style app with AI cards from your notes
Knowt is a free Quizlet alternative with flashcards, notes and practice tests. It can turn notes, PDFs and videos into study material with AI, and it imports Quizlet sets.
Strengths
- A generous free plan for flashcards and notes
- One-click import of your existing Quizlet sets
- A big public library of community notes and flashcards
Limits
- Ultra costs $24.99 a month, more than most tools on this list
- Community sets vary in quality, so check them before you trust them
StudyPDF
That's usBest for: Cards made from your own slides and PDFs, then exported to Anki
StudyPDF reads the files you upload and builds flashcards, quizzes, practice exams and study guides from them. Bo, the tutor, answers from your material and cites the page. Pro and up export flashcards to Anki (.apkg).
Strengths
- You do not type the cards: they come from your slides, scripts and notes
- Diagram decks export to Anki's native Image Occlusion note type
- Mastery per concept shows what to study next
Limits
- Weekly caps on every plan, and Anki export needs Pro or Ultra
- Not a public library of ready-made decks
- Review follows concept mastery, not Anki's scheduler settings and add-ons
How to choose
- Want real spaced repetition but dislike how Anki looks? Start with RemNote or Mochi. Both schedule your reviews and both have a free plan.
- Tired of typing every card? Pick a tool that makes them for you: Knowt, Brainscape's AI features, RemNote's AI plan or StudyPDF, which builds cards from your own files.
- Need ready-made decks for a common course? Quizlet and Knowt have the biggest libraries. Brainscape adds certified decks on its paid plan.
- Studying on an iPhone and not keen to pay for AnkiMobile? Try the free plans of Mochi, Brainscape, Knowt and RemNote on your phone first.
- Not ready to leave? Keep Anki as the review engine and let another tool make the cards. StudyPDF exports flashcards to Anki (.apkg) on Pro and up.