Anki is a dedicated flashcard app: free on desktop, extremely customisable, with a large ecosystem of shared decks and add-ons. RemNote combines note-taking and flashcards, so cards are made inside your notes and stay linked to them. Choose Anki if you want the most control over reviews and access to shared decks; choose RemNote if you want your notes and cards in one place and are happy to accept free-plan limits.
How do Anki and RemNote compare?
| Anki | RemNote | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Flashcard app | Notes and flashcards in one |
| Scheduler | Built-in FSRS option, or the older SM-2 style scheduler | Spaced repetition with SM-2 and FSRS options |
| Making cards | You write them, or import shared decks | Made inline from your notes, plus AI options |
| PDFs | Not built in | PDF annotation, limited on the free plan |
| Price | Free on desktop, web and Android; paid iOS app | Free plan with limits; paid Pro plans |
Who should pick Anki?
- Medical students who want to use well-known shared decks for licensing exams.
- Language learners with large vocabulary lists.
- Anyone who wants full control: card templates, review limits, add-ons and statistics.
The trade-off is setup. Anki looks dated, has a learning curve, and does nothing to help you understand the material: it assumes you already know what belongs on each card.
Who should pick RemNote?
- Students who take structured notes and want cards to come out of them automatically.
- Researchers or students reading PDFs who want highlights to become cards.
- People who prefer one modern app over a notes app plus Anki.
The trade-off is that some features are capped on the free plan, and moving away later is harder because your notes and cards live together in RemNote's format.
What do both get right?
Both are built on the two best-supported study techniques: retrieval practice and spacing. Cepeda and colleagues' 2006 review of distributed practice found that spreading reviews out improves long-term retention compared with massing them together. Any spaced repetition app done daily will beat rereading notes the week before an exam.
What do both leave to you?
Neither app teaches you the material. You still have to read, understand and decide what matters before a card is any use. For a long course book, that first step is often the hardest part.
Which is better for medical students?
Anki remains the more common choice in medicine, largely because of community decks built around popular review resources and the add-ons that support them. If you plan to use a shared deck for a licensing exam, Anki is the straightforward option. RemNote suits medical students who would rather build their own notes from lectures and generate cards from them, and who value seeing each card in the context of the note it came from.
Which is better for language learners?
Anki has a long history with language learners: flexible card templates make it easy to show a word, its reading, audio and an example sentence, and to create reverse cards so you practise production as well as recognition. RemNote handles vocabulary too, but its strength is connected notes, which matters less for word lists than for concepts.
Which is better for university courses and research?
For courses built on readings and lectures, RemNote's mix of notes, PDF highlights and cards in one place saves switching between apps. Researchers who annotate papers may find that workflow natural. Anki works for any course, but you will write cards in a separate step, usually from notes kept elsewhere.
Pricing model in plain words
- Anki: free and open source on desktop, free on the web through AnkiWeb and on Android through AnkiDroid; the official iOS app is a one-time purchase that supports development.
- RemNote: a free plan with caps on some features such as PDF annotation and AI credits, then paid Pro plans billed monthly or yearly, and a one-time lifetime option listed in its help centre.
- Prices vary by region and change over time, so check the official pages before paying.
What makes a good card in either app?
The app matters less than the cards. Keep each card to one idea, phrase the front as a real question, and make sure you understand the answer before you start memorising it. Cards that ask for long lists or vague definitions are the ones you will keep failing; split them into smaller cards. Delete cards you no longer need: a smaller deck you review every day beats a large one you avoid.
Switching from Anki to RemNote, or back
- From Anki to RemNote: export your decks from Anki and use RemNote's Anki import. Check cards with images, cloze deletions and custom templates, which may not come across exactly.
- Expect review history and scheduling to behave differently after a move; give the new scheduler a few weeks before judging it.
- From RemNote back to Anki: export your flashcards and import them as a deck. Notes that were not cards stay behind, so export those separately as text or Markdown.
- Move one course at a time and keep the old app until the new one has a full review cycle behind it.
Where Type to Study fits
Type to Study covers that first step. Upload a course book or notes, or type a topic, and it builds lessons that follow your material, with key terms highlighted. You read and type each lesson, recall the hidden key terms, and every key term becomes a flashcard on a Leitner schedule. It cannot export cards to Anki today. It suits students who want the course built for them rather than full control over every card.
Quick answers
Is Anki free?
Anki is free on desktop, on the web through AnkiWeb and on Android. The official iOS app is a one-time paid purchase.
Does RemNote use FSRS?
RemNote says it supports both the older SM-2 algorithm and FSRS for scheduling. Check its help pages for the current options.
Which is easier for beginners?
RemNote usually feels easier at first because cards are made inside notes. Anki takes longer to set up but rewards the effort with control.
How many new cards a day should I add?
Only as many as you can review tomorrow and next week. New cards create future reviews, so start small, such as 10 to 20 a day, and adjust.