Best flashcard app for language learning
Updated 17 September 2026 · Written by the Reji team, who make one of the apps below.
A language flashcard needs four things a history flashcard does not: the pronunciation, an example sentence, the word's form and gender, and a way to add the word the moment you meet it, before you forget you met it. Most flashcard apps give you a blank front and back and leave the rest to you.
We make Reji, which is first on this list, and we have tried to earn that spot rather than assume it. Where another app is the better pick, it says so.
| Reji | Anki | Mochi | Quizlet | Memrise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, no subscription | Free on desktop and Android; AnkiMobile for iOS is $24.99 one-time | Free on one device; Pro $5 per month, cheaper yearly | Free with ads; Quizlet Plus $9.99 per month or $44.99 per year | Free with limits and ads; $24.99 per month, $61.99 per year, $329.99 lifetime (often discounted) |
| What is free | Everything | Everything on desktop, Android and web | Unlimited cards on one device, no account needed | Create sets, flashcards, basic Learn and Test; ads | A limited slice of each course, with ads |
| Platforms | iOS, iPadOS | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Spaced repetition | Yes, per-card scheduling | Yes, FSRS or SM-2, fully configurable | Yes | Partly: Learn mode adapts within a session, no long-term per-card schedule | Yes, inside its own courses |
| Audio | Native pronunciation on every card | Only what you add yourself or via add-ons | Text-to-speech | Text-to-speech | Native-speaker video clips |
| Fills in cards for you | Translation, example sentence, transcription and image added when you type a word | No, unless you install add-ons | AI card generation on Pro | Suggested definitions for some terms | Not applicable: you learn Memrise's words, not your own |
| Import | CSV, shared decks, public decks | CSV, .apkg, thousands of shared decks | Anki, CSV, Markdown | Paste text or CSV, copy any public set | No custom cards in the app |
| Ads | None | None | None | Yes on the free plan | Yes on the free plan |
| Sync | iCloud | AnkiWeb, free | Pro only | Account | Account |
| Offline | Yes | Yes | Yes | Plus only | Paid only |
| Best for | Vocabulary you meet while reading, watching or talking | Power users, medical students, anyone who wants total control | People who liked Anki's idea but not its interface | School and exam sets that someone has already made | Beginners who want a guided course rather than their own cards |
1. Reji: the card makes itself
Type a word and Reji adds the translation, an example sentence, phonetic transcription or transliteration, native pronunciation and, if you want, an image or GIF. Cards go into colour-coded decks and come back on a spaced-repetition schedule with typed, multiple-choice and picture quizzes. Free, no ads, no subscription, synced through iCloud. The catch: iPhone and iPad only, and it is not for non-language subjects.
2. Anki: the most powerful, the most work
Anki will schedule ten thousand words for years and never lose one. It also gives you nothing for free on a card: audio, examples and images are yours to add, or come from a shared deck. Pick a good shared deck with audio and Anki is hard to beat. Free on desktop and Android, $24.99 once on iPhone. Best for: learners on Android or desktop, and anyone following a frequency list.
3. Mochi: the pleasant middle
Mochi is spaced-repetition flashcards on every platform with a clean interface, text-to-speech and Anki import. It does not fill in a language card for you, but it makes writing one quick. Free on one device, $5 a month for sync. Best for: people who want Anki's method without Anki's look.
4. Quizlet: easy, shared, shallow
Enormous library of vocabulary sets for every textbook, text-to-speech audio, a nice app. But no long-term per-card schedule, ads on the free plan and $9.99 a month for full Learn mode. Best for: a class vocabulary test next week.
5. Memrise: a course, not your cards
Native-speaker video for every word is genuinely useful for pronunciation, and the review loop is solid. But you learn Memrise's list, not yours, and the good parts are paid. Best for: beginners who want structure and do not yet have words of their own to save.
Verdict
On an iPhone, Reji: it removes the card-making chore that makes most people quit. On Android or desktop, Anki with a shared deck that has audio, or Mochi if you want it to feel nicer. Quizlet and Memrise are fine for a class or a first month, less so for the long haul.
Questions people ask
- Do I need audio on language flashcards?
- Yes, unless you only need to read the language. Hearing the word each review is what makes it recognisable in speech, and the apps that generate audio automatically are the ones people keep using.
- What is the best free flashcard app for languages?
- Reji on iPhone, without ads or limits. Anki on desktop and Android. Both use spaced repetition.
- Should I use a shared deck or make my own cards?
- Both. A frequency deck covers the common words fast; your own cards hold the words you actually meet, which are the ones you remember best.
Reji is free, has no ads and fills in translation, audio and an example for every word you save. Or try the public decks first.