Quizlet vs Anki: which one should you use?
Short answer: use Anki if you need to remember a lot for a long time, such as a language, med school or a cumulative final. Use Quizlet if you want something quick and friendly for this week's test. Here's how they compare.
Side by side
| Quizlet | Anki | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free plan with limits; Plus $7.99/month or $35.99/year | Free on desktop, web and Android; iPhone app $24.99 once |
| Spaced repetition | Learn mode adapts to what you miss, but it isn't a full spaced-repetition scheduler | Built around spaced repetition, with the FSRS algorithm available since Anki 23.10 |
| Ease of use | Clean, simple, works in the browser in seconds | Steeper learning curve; many settings |
| Study modes | Flashcards, Learn, Test, Match and other games | Flashcard review, with lots of options through add-ons |
| Ready-made decks | Huge library of public sets | Shared decks on AnkiWeb, especially strong for medicine and languages |
| Customization | Limited | Card templates, images, audio, cloze deletions and add-ons |
| Ads | On the free plan | None |
Pick Anki if…
- you're studying for months: languages, medicine, law, a cumulative exam;
- you're willing to spend an hour learning the app to save many hours later;
- you want images, audio or cloze cards (fill-in-the-blank inside a sentence).
Pick Quizlet if…
- your test is in a few days and you just need to drill a set of terms;
- a teacher shares sets with your class, or you play Quizlet Live in class;
- you want a ready-made set someone else already made for your textbook.
The part both apps leave to you: making the cards
Neither app writes your flashcards from your notes. If you have lecture notes or a chapter PDF and no cards yet, Cramsmith's flashcard maker turns them into a deck in under a minute, and the export works with both apps: import it into Anki with File → Import, or paste it into Quizlet's import box.
Still deciding? See our wider comparison of Quizlet alternatives, or read what Quizlet's free plan includes.
Questions
Is Anki better than Quizlet?
For remembering a large amount of material for months or years, yes: Anki's spaced repetition schedules each card at the moment you're about to forget it. For quick review before a test, or when you want games and a simple interface, Quizlet is easier.
Is Anki really free?
Anki desktop, AnkiWeb and AnkiDroid on Android are free. Only the official iPhone and iPad app, AnkiMobile, costs money: a one-time $24.99, which funds Anki's development.
How do I move my Quizlet sets to Anki?
Export a set you created from Quizlet as text with tabs between term and definition, save it as a .txt file, then in Anki choose File → Import. Anki reads each line as a card.
Do medical students use Anki or Quizlet?
Anki is far more common in medical school, because the volume of facts is huge and spaced repetition keeps them in memory through board exams. Popular shared decks are built for Anki.