Switching from Anki?

An Anki alternative with AI cards and linked notes

Anki is the gold standard of spaced repetition — battle-tested, free, endlessly customisable. StudyTab exists for everything around the cards: making them, grounding them in your sources, and seeing what they add up to. Same proven algorithms, far less manual labour.

Import your decks free
  • Free forever plan
  • No credit card
  • Phone, tablet or laptop
Anki

Review the cards you make

  • Cards you write by hand
  • FSRS or SM-2 scheduling
  • Add-ons for everything else
StudyTab

Make them, review them, see the gaps

  • Cards drafted from your PDFs, videos and notes
  • The same FSRS or SM-2, per deck
  • Notes, sources and gaps in one place
Side by side

Side by side, honestly

Compared onAnkiStudyTab
PriceFree and open-source (iOS app paid)Free plan with the full core · optional Pro
Making cardsManual, or community add-onsAI makes them from PDFs, videos, web pages and notes
Spaced repetitionFSRS or SM-2, battle-testedThe same FSRS or SM-2, set per deck
Notes & sourcesSeparate apps; cards live aloneLinked notes, PDF and video viewers, cards that cite their page
Card typesBasic and cloze; more via add-ons8 types, incl. multiple choice, picture quiz, ordering, audio
AINone built-inCard generation, a tutor that cites your pages, explainer, translation
Knowledge graph—Concepts pulled out automatically, with mastery and gaps
PlatformsDesktop-first + AnkiWeb + mobile appsAny modern browser, or install it as an app with offline review
Moving decks.apkg export.apkg import that keeps due dates and intervals; export to PDF
Honest answer

When Anki is still the better choice

  • You want zero cost, forever

    Anki's desktop and Android apps are completely free. If budget is the constraint and you enjoy making cards by hand, Anki is unbeatable value.

  • You live in plugins

    Anki's add-on ecosystem is unmatched — custom schedulers, heatmaps, image occlusion variants. If your workflow depends on specific add-ons, stay where they live.

  • You want desktop-first, fully offline

    StudyTab is a web app (installable PWA with offline review for downloaded decks), but Anki's native desktop app remains the stronger fully-offline experience.

If that's not you — if cards take too long to make, your notes live in three other apps, and you want to see what you actually know — that's the gap StudyTab was built for.

FAQ

Switching questions, answered

Still unsure? Write to us. A person reads every message.

Does importing my Anki decks keep the scheduling?
Yes, if you tick “Import scheduling data”. Each card keeps its due date, interval and ease, so due cards show up on time instead of every interval resetting. The per-review log stays in Anki, so FSRS learns your memory afresh from your StudyTab reviews.
Can I go back to Anki later?
Yes — importing copies your decks, so the originals stay untouched in Anki. StudyTab doesn’t export back to .apkg yet, so keep Anki as your backup while you try it.
Is the spaced repetition really the same?
Yes. StudyTab schedules with FSRS, the same modern algorithm Anki offers, or classic SM-2 if you prefer. You set it per deck, with retention presets and a forecast of upcoming reviews.
Why not just use Anki plus ChatGPT?
You can, and many do — but you become the integration: copy text to ChatGPT, fix formatting, paste into Anki, repeat per chapter, and your sources stay disconnected from your cards. StudyTab keeps material, notes, cards and the AI in one place, with answers cited back to your own pages.
What does StudyTab cost compared to Anki?
Anki is free (the iOS app is a one-time purchase). Yes. The free plan gives you notes, all 8 card types and spaced-repetition reviews, with no time limit and no card needed. Pro is optional: it maps your whole syllabus with the gaps marked, turns handwritten notes into cards and gives you ten times the daily AI help. See the pricing page for details.

Bring your decks. Keep your schedule.

.apkg import keeps every card’s due date and interval — and your originals stay safe in Anki.

  • Free forever plan
  • No credit card
  • Phone, tablet or laptop
Start studying free

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