Quizlet, Memrise, Drops and AnkiMobile compared for spaced repetition, ready-made decks, languages and exam memorisation.
Rereading notes is among the least efficient ways to memorise anything, and the research on that has been settled for decades. What works is retrieval practice, testing yourself at the moment you are about to forget, and spaced repetition algorithms schedule exactly that by stretching the gap after each correct answer. The apps differ in who does the work. One offers a vast library of ready-made sets behind a friendly interface. One pairs cards with videos of native speakers. One turns vocabulary into a five-minute visual game. And one is the powerful, unpolished gold standard for serious students. The 3 apps reviewed here cover ease and languages; the FAQs cover the serious-study benchmark and its iPhone version.
Quizlet is the approachable flashcard app, with millions of ready-made sets, quizzes and games, built for anyone who does not want to wrestle with Anki.
You create sets or download them from a huge public library that already covers most school subjects and official exams, then study through several modes, from classic card review to quizzes and games. The interface is modern and friendly where the power tools are not, which removes the setup friction that stops many people starting. The trade-off has grown over time: features have migrated steadily to the paid plan, the spaced-repetition mode now costs money, and the quality of community-uploaded material is uneven, so any downloaded set deserves a quick accuracy check.
Memrise combines spaced-repetition cards with videos of real native speakers, for vocabulary learned alongside authentic pronunciation.
Its distinctive material is video of ordinary native speakers rather than synthetic audio, so vocabulary is acquired in the context of how the language is genuinely spoken, including expressions and accents that phrasebook apps ignore. A strong spaced-repetition engine schedules review under the vocabulary, and training your ear on real voices is a side benefit pure flashcard apps cannot offer. Full access requires a subscription, grammar is taught less systematically than in course-style apps such as Babbel or Busuu, and writing practice takes a back seat to recognition. Best as a vocabulary and listening layer.
Drops turns vocabulary into five-minute visual games with illustrations instead of translations, a fast way to load words before a trip.
It does one job deliberately: a drag-the-word game and illustrations memorise terms in five-minute daily sessions across more than thirty languages, including Japanese and Korean, with no typing or grammar drills involved. As a tool for acquiring a thousand useful words fast, it is among the most effective and least boring options available, and the time cap itself helps the habit survive. Its limits are the design. It teaches neither grammar nor sentence construction, it will not make anyone conversational, the free plan enforces the five-minute cap, and it cannot be the only resource for serious learning.
Download price only. In-app purchases and subscriptions may cost extra.
Questions & answers
What is spaced repetition and why does it work?
The algorithm shows each card just before you are likely to forget it, widening the interval whenever you answer correctly. It builds on the forgetting curve described by Ebbinghaus: one review timed at the edge of memory fixes the item far better than repeating it many times in a row. In practice that means fewer hours studying and longer retention, because effort is spent on cards actually about to slip away rather than on material already known.
Should I use Anki or Quizlet?
The Anki system is more powerful and its algorithm is the benchmark, with a completely free desktop and Android version, but the interface is unattractive and configuring it well takes time. Quizlet is far nicer to use and rich in ready-made material, though features, including spaced repetition, have shifted behind its paywall. Students committing years to serious exams tend to choose Anki; anyone wanting to start today with no setup chooses Quizlet.
Better to make my own cards or download decks?
Making your own is usually more effective, because the act of writing the question is itself retrieval practice and the cards match exactly what you need. Downloaded decks save substantial time and make sense for standardised material such as language vocabulary, anatomy or kanji, where the content barely differs between learners. A strong hybrid starts from a public deck and edits it, deleting the irrelevant and rewording the rest in your own words.
Is there an iPhone version of Anki?
AnkiDroid is Android-only. On iPhone the equivalent is AnkiMobile, a paid app developed by Anki's own creator, and that purchase is what funds the project's ongoing development. Both apps sync with the same free AnkiWeb account, so cards, reviews and scheduling move between an iPhone, an Android device and the browser, meaning you are never locked to one platform.
More related apps
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