Verdict
The serious spaced-repetition system, and the one medical students actually use. Buying it funds the free desktop version rather than unlocking anything.
Best for
Someone already using Anki on a computer who needs the same decks on a phone.
Dealbreaker
Sixteen of the last two hundred reviews describe syncing destroying their decks, ten call it overpriced and nine call the interface baffling. It is the dearest app here by five times and the lowest rated.
The facts.
Pulled from the App Store, not written by hand.
Price
$24.99 once
In-app purchases
Unknown
Ads
Unknown
Platforms
iPhone, iPad
Rating
4.0★ (2,332)
Version
25.09
Last updated
Sep 8, 2025
Released
May 27, 2010
Attributes
Native appOne-time purchaseNo subscription
Category
Education, Productivity
What reviews consistently say.
Themes grouped from 200 App Store reviews. Source feed ›
Praised for
Sync and multi-device13 reviews
Value for money10 reviews
Subscription pricing and paywalls5 reviews
Ease of use and design5 reviews
Import and export3 reviews
Battery and performance2 reviews
Complained about
Sync and multi-device16 reviews
Too expensive10 reviews
Confusing interface9 reviews
Crashes and stability5 reviews
Import and export4 reviews
Timer and session length2 reviews
Where this comes from
16 of 200 recent reviews raised: Sync and multi-device (negative)App Store reviews ›
13 of 200 recent reviews raised: Sync and multi-device (positive)App Store reviews ›
10 of 200 recent reviews raised: Value for money (positive)App Store reviews ›
10 of 200 recent reviews raised: Too expensive (negative)App Store reviews ›
9 of 200 recent reviews raised: Confusing interface (negative)App Store reviews ›
5 of 200 recent reviews raised: Crashes and stability (negative)App Store reviews ›
4 of 200 recent reviews raised: Import and export (negative)App Store reviews ›
3 of 200 recent reviews raised: Import and export (positive)App Store reviews ›
A companion to the free desktop Anki, sold to fund its developmentApp Store listing ›
Where we recommend it
Flashcard apps you buy once ›Spaced-repetition and flashcard apps that charge a single price, with the catch on each.
Alternatives with the same rule.
Every app here is a single purchase. None of them can start charging you monthly for what you already bought. Also with a catch.
$4.99 once · 4.8★ (883) · Updated Aug 27, 2025
Verdict. Keeps track of which facts you already have and spends your time on the ones you do not. Forty-two of the last two hundred reviews are about it syncing and staying out of the way.
Best for. Someone revising for something real and wanting the app to decide what to show next.
Dealbreaker. Getting cards in is the weak point — there is no CSV import, and reviewers who bought the Windows companion found decks would not move between the two.
$4.99 once · 4.6★ (1,101) · Updated Jan 26, 2021
Verdict. The plain one, and the one people say is quickest to actually use. Thirty of the last two hundred reviews are about how little it gets in the way.
Best for. Someone making a deck tonight for a test tomorrow.
Dealbreaker. No spaced repetition. It shows you cards, you say whether you knew them, and that is the extent of the intelligence — fine for cramming, weak for learning something over months.
$4.99 once · 4.5★ (335) · Updated Aug 13, 2026
Verdict. Ten years old and still maintained, with the best import story here: spreadsheets, Quizlet decks, text-to-speech for language cards.
Best for. Anyone bringing decks from somewhere else, particularly language learners who want the cards spoken.
Dealbreaker. The interface is genuinely confusing and six of the last two hundred reviews say so, and CSV files do not always come in cleanly despite import being the main reason to pick it.