Anki alternative: an honest comparison
Anki is the most powerful flashcard program – and that’s exactly why many give up after a week. When Anki is the right choice, when an alternative fits better, and how to take your decks with you.
Free · no account · your files stay with you.
Compared
| Anki | UniApp24 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | desktop and Android free, iPhone app paid | free |
| Installation | program or app needed | runs in the browser, installable |
| Account | for syncing (AnkiWeb) | none; optional sync via your Google Drive |
| Making cards | by hand or shared decks | from your slides with ChatGPT/Claude, or by hand |
| Scheduling | SM-2 or FSRS | FSRS, planned up to your exam date |
| Besides cards | add-ons | explanations, calculation and programming exercises in the same unit |
| Shared decks | huge collection | share by link, Anki import |
As of October 2026 – providers change their offers; if in doubt, check their current page.
What an exercise feels like
A real exercise from a unit – try it.
Warm-up question· from the unit “Exponential growth”
A patch of water lilies doubles in size every day and covers the whole pond after 30 days. When was the pond half covered?
When Anki is the better choice
Stick with Anki if you:
- study with large ready-made decks (e.g. medical decks with tens of thousands of cards)
- rely heavily on add-ons and custom card templates
- have been at it for months and your routine works
When an alternative fits better
Anki was built for memorising individual facts. At university you often have to understand and apply – calculate, program, solve cases. And most of the time goes into making cards, not studying them.
That’s where UniApp24 comes in: your lecture slides become a unit with explanations, practice exercises and flashcards via ChatGPT or Claude. You review the cards like in Anki – with FSRS, but planned towards your exam date.
Take your Anki decks with you
Export your deck in Anki as .apkg (File → Export, “include scheduling information”) and drop the file into UniApp24. Images, formatting and each card’s review history come along – you continue where you left off. More in the guide flashcards with spaced repetition.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Anki and UniApp24 side by side?
Yes. Many keep large ready-made decks in Anki and study their lectures in UniApp24.
Is anything lost in the import?
Cards, images and review history come along. Very special card templates are shown in a simplified way.
Is there an iPhone app?
UniApp24 runs in the browser and can be added to the home screen on iPhone, iPad and Android like an app – for free.
Is FSRS the same as in Anki?
It’s the same method (Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler); UniApp24 additionally aligns the intervals with your exam date.
UniApp24 – free, no account
Your material becomes a study unit with exercises and flashcards, with reviews planned until the exam. Everything stays in your browser.
Try with sample slidesRead on
Updated: October 2026