Anki vs RemNote: which is better for flashcards and notes?
Anki is a free flashcard engine with a deep scheduler and a huge add-on and shared-deck community. RemNote is a note-taking app that turns what you write into flashcards, so notes and cards live in one place. Pick Anki to drill big decks, RemNote if you take notes and want cards from them, and StudyPDF if your source is lecture PDFs you do not want to retype.
Both use spaced repetition, so the real question is where your cards come from. In Anki you make cards in a separate editor or download a shared deck. In RemNote you write notes in an outline and mark the lines that should become cards, so the notes and the cards stay linked.
Anki is the more powerful reviewer: it has FSRS and the older SM-2 scheduler, thousands of add-ons, and image occlusion built in. It also has a steeper learning curve and a plain interface. RemNote looks like a modern notes app and adds PDF annotation, an exam scheduler and AI tools on paid plans, but its free plan caps several of them and its add-on world is smaller.
The cost differs too. Anki is free on computer and Android, with the iPhone app a one-time purchase. RemNote has a free plan and paid plans billed monthly or yearly.
Side by side
| Tool | Best for | Free tier | Price (October 2026) | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anki | Drilling large decks with a deep scheduler and add-ons | Free on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android, free AnkiWeb sync | iPhone app: one-time $24.99, check the price | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone, web |
| RemNote | Taking notes and getting flashcards from the same outline | Free plan: no cap on notes and cards, limited AI and PDFs | Pro $8 a month, Pro with AI $18 a month | Desktop, iPhone, Android |
| StudyPDFThat's us | Studying your own course files with cited answers | About 4 materials a week, 2 courses, no credit card | Pro and Ultra add a bigger weekly pool | Web, iPhone, iPad, Android |
Prices as of October 2026. Check the vendor's site for the current price.
Tool by tool
Anki
Best for: Drilling large decks with a deep scheduler and add-ons
Anki is a free, open-source flashcard app built around a spaced-repetition scheduler. You make the cards or import a shared deck, and Anki decides when each one comes back.
Strengths
- Deep scheduling with FSRS and a very large add-on and shared-deck community
- Free and open source on desktop and Android, and it works offline
- Built-in image occlusion and full control over card layout
Limits
- Steeper learning curve and a plain interface
- You write cards by hand or import decks, so building a deck takes time
RemNote
Best for: Taking notes and getting flashcards from the same outline
RemNote is a note-taking and knowledge-base app with spaced repetition built in. You write notes in an outline and turn lines into flashcards, so the notes and the cards stay linked.
Strengths
- Notes and flashcards in one place, linked to each other
- PDF annotation, image occlusion cards and an exam scheduler
- AI tools for cards, quizzes and summaries on paid plans
Limits
- Free plan caps annotated PDFs at 3 and AI credits at 250 a month
- Smaller add-on and shared-deck community than Anki
StudyPDF
That's usBest for: Studying your own course files with cited answers
StudyPDF builds flashcards, quizzes, practice exams and study guides from the files you upload. Bo, the tutor, answers from your material and cites the page.
Strengths
- Works from your own slides, PDFs and notes
- Tracks mastery per concept and shows what to drill next
- PDF export on every plan, Word and Anki (.apkg) on Pro and up
Limits
- Weekly caps on every plan
- Not a public library of ready-made decks
- Review timing is less deep than Anki's scheduler and add-ons
Who should pick which
- Anki: Pick it if you drill large decks, want the deepest scheduling and add-ons, or study from a shared deck such as a medical one.
- RemNote: Pick it if you take lecture notes in an outline and want the cards to come from them, with notes and cards linked.
- StudyPDF: Pick it if your source is lecture PDFs and slides you do not want to retype, and you want cards plus quizzes and exams from them. It exports to Anki.