For free flashcards, Anki is the best free flashcard software: no cost on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android, with full control if you don't mind typing cards. Quizlet and Knowt are the easy online flash card creators when you want sets other students already made. RemNote fits if you also take notes in it, and Brainscape is a simple option for quick reviews. StudyPDF is the one to try if you want flashcards made from your own notes, slides and videos, each card cited to its page. All six have a free plan, and the table shows where each one stops.
Last updated: October 2026. Prices were read on each app's own site. Where a site would not show us its price, we say "check current price".
Verdict at a glance
We make StudyPDF, so read its place in this ranking with that in mind.
The six apps at a glance
| App | Best for | Free plan | Paid plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| StudyPDF | Cards made from your own PDFs, slides, photos and videos | Free account, no credit card, no time limit. About 4 materials a week | Pro (about 35 a week) and Ultra (more). See the pricing page |
| Anki | Full control and spaced repetition | Free on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android | iPhone and iPad app: $24.99 (App Store listing) |
| Quizlet | Finding sets other students made | Free plan with limits | Plus plans, check current price |
| RemNote | Notes and flashcards in one place | Free, $0, with caps on AI and uploads | Pro $8 a month or $96 a year. Pro with AI $18 a month or $216 a year |
| Knowt | A free Quizlet alternative | Basic plan, free | Ultra $24.99 a month or $149.99 a year |
| Brainscape | Short confidence-based reviews | Basic plan, free | Pro from $7.99 a month on the yearly plan |
1. StudyPDF: free flashcards from your own material
Best for: students who study from lecture PDFs, slides, scanned notes or a YouTube lecture and don't want to type every card.
We make StudyPDF, so read this entry with that in mind. You upload your material, press the New material button, pick flashcards and choose your sources. The deck is built from what you uploaded, and each card cites the page, second or source it came from. You rate every card Again, Hard, Good or Easy, and the ratings feed a per-concept mastery view. A labeled diagram can become an image-occlusion deck.
Free plan: a free account is needed, no credit card, no time limit. Free gives you about 4 materials a week, 2 courses and 3 files per upload. Every plan has a weekly cap, so it is not endless. Pro gives about 35 materials a week and Ultra more.
Export: PDF on every plan, including a fold-over print sheet. Word and Anki (.apkg) on Pro and up.
Where it falls short: it is not a library of ready-made decks. If your course has no material to upload, Quizlet or Knowt will get you started faster. Apps for iPhone, iPad and Android, plus the web.
To generate flashcards from your own material, start with the AI flashcard generator, or read how to use AI to make flashcards. Side by side: StudyPDF vs Anki, vs Quizlet, vs Knowt.
2. Anki: the best free flashcard app for control
Best for: medical and language students who review daily and want to tune everything.
Free plan: free on Windows, Mac and Linux, and AnkiDroid is free on Android. Syncing through AnkiWeb is free. The iPhone and iPad app, AnkiMobile, costs $24.99 on the App Store (October 2026).
Strengths: a strong spaced-repetition scheduler, cards you can shape with templates, many add-ons and a large pool of shared decks.
Where it falls short: you make the cards yourself or import them, and the interface takes time to learn.
3. Quizlet: the biggest pool of shared sets
Best for: popular classes where someone has probably already made the set.
Free plan: Quizlet has a free plan and paid Plus plans. Some study tools, such as practice tests, are capped on free. Quizlet changes its plans and prices often, so check current price on Quizlet's own pricing page.
Strengths: polished apps, simple sharing and plenty of study modes.
Where it falls short: set quality varies because anyone can publish one, so check a set before you trust it. See StudyPDF vs Quizlet.
4. RemNote: notes and flashcards together
Best for: students who already write notes and want cards to come out of them.
Free plan: $0, with notes and flashcards included. Free has caps on AI actions, file uploads and a few features. Pro is $8 a month or $96 billed yearly. Pro with AI is $18 a month or $216 billed yearly (RemNote pricing page, October 2026).
Where it falls short: there is more to learn than in a plain flashcard app, and you will want a paid plan for heavy AI use.
5. Knowt: a free Quizlet alternative
Best for: students leaving Quizlet who want flashcards and practice tests for free.
Free plan: the Basic plan is free. Knowt's own site says flashcards come with a free learn mode. Ultra is the paid plan at $24.99 a month or $149.99 billed yearly, and it adds ad-free studying and extra AI tools such as summaries of PDFs and videos (Knowt plans page, October 2026).
Where it falls short: the paid plan costs more than most apps here. See StudyPDF vs Knowt.
6. Brainscape: quick confidence-based reviews
Best for: short sessions where you rate how well you knew each card.
Free plan: Basic is free. Pro is shown at $7.99 a month on the yearly plan. Pro adds AI-made cards, images and sounds on cards, and more (Brainscape pricing page, October 2026).
Where it falls short: much of the extra content and the AI cards sit behind Pro.
Free flashcard websites with ready-made decks
If you would rather not make cards at all, a few free flashcard websites let you search decks other people already made.
- Quizlet: the largest pool of shared sets, searchable by course and textbook. Free to browse and study, with some modes capped.
- Knowt: free shared sets and practice tests, and it can import Quizlet sets.
- AnkiWeb shared decks: free decks for Anki, strong for medicine and languages. You download them into the Anki app.
- Brainscape: a public library of decks. Some are free on the Basic plan, and much of the premium content needs Pro.
Check any shared deck before you trust it. Anyone can publish one, and a deck made for another course can skip what your exam asks.
Free flashcard software for your computer
Want a flashcard program you install instead of a website? Anki is the standard free download for Windows, Mac and Linux, and it works offline. Mnemosyne is another free, open-source desktop option with spaced repetition and fewer settings to learn. Both make you write or import the cards yourself.
How to pick a flashcard app in 3 steps
- Look at where your cards will come from. Your own PDFs and slides point to StudyPDF. Notes you type point to RemNote or Anki. A common class points to Quizlet or Knowt.
- Check the device. Anki's iPhone app is paid. Knowt and Brainscape are free to start. StudyPDF has apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.
- Start on the free plan and make one real deck from this week's material. Keep the app only if you actually study from it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best flashcard app?
There is no single best app. Anki is the strongest free pick if you want control. Quizlet and Knowt are the quickest if you want shared sets. StudyPDF is the one for cards cited to your own material. Pick by where your cards come from.
What is the best free flashcard app?
Anki costs nothing on desktop and Android. Knowt and Brainscape have free Basic plans. StudyPDF is free with a free account, no credit card and no time limit, but capped at about 4 materials a week.
Where can I get free flashcards that are already made?
Quizlet, Knowt and Brainscape let you search shared decks for free, and AnkiWeb has free shared decks for Anki. Check a shared deck against your own notes before you rely on it.
Is there free flashcard software for Windows or Mac?
Yes. Anki is free for Windows, Mac and Linux and works offline. Mnemosyne is another free desktop program.
Is Anki really free?
Yes on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. The iPhone and iPad app costs $24.99.
Is Quizlet still free?
There is a free plan, with limits. Paid Plus plans lift them. Check Quizlet's pricing page for the current price.
Why do medical students use Anki?
Its spaced-repetition scheduler and shared decks suit a huge, fixed amount of facts. The cost is time spent making or finding cards.
Can I make free flashcards from a PDF?
Yes. Upload the PDF to StudyPDF, press New material and pick flashcards. Each card cites the page it came from. The AI flashcard generator page shows how it works.
