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.

Checked October 2026

Pick by what you need

RemNoteNotes, PDFs and spaced repetition in one workspace
MochiMarkdown cards in a clean, local-first app
BrainscapeConfidence-based drilling and certified decks

StudyPDFThat's us

Cards made from your own slides and PDFs, then exported to Anki

At a glance

Tool	Free tier	Price (October 2026)	Platforms
RemNote	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	Free app that works offline, used without an account	Pro $5 a month (adds sync)	Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, web
Brainscape	No cap on cards and import, spaced repetition, some AI features	Pro $7.99 a month (yearly)	Web, iOS, Android
Quizlet	Free plan with the core study modes, some tools are capped	Plus is paid, check the current price	Web, iOS, Android
Knowt	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	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

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 billed yearly)

Official site

Mochi

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

Official site

Brainscape

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

Official site

Quizlet

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

Official site

Knowt

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

Official site

StudyPDF

That's us

Cards made from your own slides and PDFs, then exported to Anki

If your cards come from lecture slides, scripts and textbook PDFs, StudyPDF can write them for you. Upload the files, press New material and pick flashcards. Bo, the tutor, answers from your files and cites the page. Pro exports the deck to Anki (.apkg), diagram image occlusion included, so Anki can stay your review engine. The free plan needs an account, no card.

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

Get started free

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.

More on this

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.

More alternatives

Questions and answers

Is Anki really 25 dollars?

Only on iPhone and iPad. AnkiMobile is a paid app there (about $25 as of October 2026, check the App Store). Anki on Windows, Mac and Linux is free, AnkiDroid on Android is free, and so is syncing with AnkiWeb.

Is there a free Anki alternative?

Yes. Mochi, Brainscape, Knowt, RemNote, Quizlet and StudyPDF all have a free plan with limits. Mochi's free app works offline, RemNote's free plan has no cap on notes and flashcards, and StudyPDF's gives you about 4 materials a week.

What is the easiest Anki alternative?

Quizlet and Knowt are the easiest to start with: you type or paste, then study. Mochi is the simplest if you still want spaced repetition. For cards made from your own files without typing, try StudyPDF.

Can I move my Anki decks to another app?

Anki exports decks as .apkg files. Whether another app imports them depends on the app, so check its import options first. Keep your Anki copy until you have studied a few sessions in the new app.

Does StudyPDF replace Anki?

Not for everyone. If you want a mature scheduler, add-ons and a deck you keep for years, Anki is hard to beat. StudyPDF is for making cards from your own files and studying with a tutor. On Pro you can export to .apkg and use both.

Study from your own material

Turn your slides and PDFs into flashcards, quizzes and practice exams.

Get started free

The best Anki alternatives in 2026

Checked October 2026

RemNote

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

Free app that works offline, used without an account

Pro $5 a month (adds sync)

Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, web

Brainscape

No cap on cards and import, spaced repetition, some AI features

Pro $7.99 a month (yearly)

Web, iOS, Android

Quizlet

Free plan with the core study modes, some tools are capped

Plus is paid, check the current price

Web, iOS, Android

Knowt

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

About 4 materials a week, 2 courses, no card

Free, Pro and Ultra on the pricing page

Web, iPhone, iPad, Android

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.

Is Anki really 25 dollars?

Is there a free Anki alternative?

What is the easiest Anki alternative?

Can I move my Anki decks to another app?

Anki exports decks as .apkg files. Whether another app imports them depends on the app, so check its import options first. Keep your Anki copy until you have studied a few sessions in the new app.