60 million students across the world use Quizlet—a company that provides tools for studying and learning. But recently, many of the features that used to be free now come with a charge. Tools like “learn” mode, which includes flash-card-like questions that repeat until students have mastered the set, and “test” mode are no longer unlimited. Instead, they are part of the new Quizlet Plus plan, which costs $7.99 a month or $35.99 a year. Are these features worth paying for? Especially with other alternatives out there?

One alternative to Quizlet is AnkiApp. AnkiApp is a “cross-platform mobile and desktop flashcard app.” A key difference between AnkiApp and Quizlet is that AnkiApp does not offer a website, but instead a desktop app. This is one way in which Quizlet is more practical for students because it can be easily accessed on the internet.

While AnkiApp does not have a website, the mobile app is extremely useful and well-designed. The app design lacks color and is very simple, but that fits its function and purpose—to study. The first step in making a study deck is creating a folder. Folders can be created according to the user’s own preference, such as by class, unit, or month. Once a folder is created, a deck can be created. A deck is created by clicking the “Create” button in the middle of the toolbar and then selecting “New Deck.” After one has selected to create a new deck, they can select the type of deck they want to make. The options are “standard,” “enhanced,” “specialty language” and “math and programming.” After selecting a deck type, then one is able to add information to the front and back of flashcards. The standard deck type is perfect for learning vocabulary and other forms of terminology. The enhanced deck type allows one to add photos, which could be helpful when studying biology or chemistry—really anything with diagrams. The specialty language and math and programming decks allow users to include symbols applicable to what they are studying. For instance, the math and programming deck type lets users include math symbols and equations.

One confusing step in the process is that one cannot create a deck within a folder, but instead one has to create a deck and then add it to the folder. This is an area of improvement.

Once a folder is created and decks have been added to it, the real fun begins—studying! Unlike Quizlet, AnkiApp does not offer several different ways of studying, such as the “learn” or “test” mode. Instead, there is only one method, but it is extremely similar to the “learn” feature of Quizlet that its users loved so much. While there is only one way to study flashcards with AnkiApp, it is super efficient. This is thanks to the AnkiApp Advanced Spaced Repetition™ (SRS) technology. After selecting a deck, click the “Review” button at the bottom of the screen to start studying. After the deck has been opened and “Review” is selected, a flashcard will be displayed. At the bottom of the screen is a “Flip” button. After the card has been flipped to the back, there are four options at the bottom of the screen to assess how well one knows the information. The four options are “Fail,” “Hard,” “Good” and “Easy.” There are 10 cards displayed in one “review” session and after the 10 flashcards have been displayed, a recap will be shown on the user’s performance. There is an option at the bottom of the screen to “Continue”, which will repeat the 10 flashcard increment. Based on one’s assessment of how well they knew the answer, the algorithm will determine which cards to display and how often.
Another helpful feature of AnkiApp is the “Stats” section. This section tells users how many times they reviewed their different decks in a day, the average number of reviews a day, the total number of reviews, and any streaks they may have. Additionally, under the “Search” section, users can search public decks.

While the AnkiApp basic plan is quite extensive, the AnkiApp unlimited plan offers even more: unlimited sync on all devices, unlimited reviews, automatic cloud backup, access to AnkiApp web, and unlimited data storage. The unlimited AnkiApp plan costs customers a one-time purchase of $25. With the availability of the unlimited plan comes the risk that the basic plan phases out, similar to Quizlet. Currently, the free version of AnkiApp does not include advertisements, unlike the free version of Quizlet.

Overall, AnkiApp is a good option for students looking to review flashcards on their mobile devices or cell phones. While the AnkiApp Advanced Spaced Repetition algorithm makes learning flashcards very efficient, a similar method could be tried with traditional paper flashcards by flipping to the back of the flashcard and sorting them into piles based on how well one knows the information and studying the resulting “Fail” piles more and the “Easy” piles less.