Best spaced repetition app
Updated 17 September 2026 · Written by the Reji team, who make one of the apps below.
Spaced repetition only counts if the app keeps a schedule for every card and brings it back just before you would forget it. Plenty of apps say "spaced repetition" and mean "we shuffle the cards you got wrong". The five below do the real thing. We make one of them, Reji, and it is only the right choice for language vocabulary on iPhone.
| Anki | Reji | Mochi | RemNote | Brainscape | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free on desktop and Android; AnkiMobile for iOS is $24.99 one-time | Free, no subscription | Free on one device; Pro $5 per month, cheaper yearly | Free; Pro $8 per month or $96 per year; Pro with AI $18 per month | Free basic; Pro $7.99 per month billed annually |
| What is free | Everything on desktop, Android and web | Everything | Unlimited cards on one device, no account needed | Unlimited flashcards, 5 image occlusions, 3 PDFs | Unlimited cards, importing and studying of user-made content |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | iOS, iPadOS | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Spaced repetition | Yes, FSRS or SM-2, fully configurable | Yes, per-card scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes, based on your 1–5 confidence rating |
| Audio | Only what you add yourself or via add-ons | Native pronunciation on every card | Text-to-speech | No | Text-to-speech on Pro |
| Fills in cards for you | No, unless you install add-ons | Translation, example sentence, transcription and image added when you type a word | AI card generation on Pro | AI card generation from notes (credits) | No |
| Import | CSV, .apkg, thousands of shared decks | CSV, shared decks, public decks | Anki, CSV, Markdown | Markdown, Anki, CSV | CSV and spreadsheets |
| Ads | None | None | None | None | None |
| Sync | AnkiWeb, free | iCloud | Pro only | Account | Account |
| Offline | Yes | Yes | Yes | Desktop and mobile apps | Yes |
| Best for | Power users, medical students, anyone who wants total control | Vocabulary you meet while reading, watching or talking | People who liked Anki's idea but not its interface | Students who take notes first and want cards from them | Certified decks for exams like the MCAT or bar |
1. Anki: the reference
Free and open source, with FSRS, the most studied scheduling algorithm in the category, and a decade of review history behind it. Runs on everything; the iPhone app is $24.99 once. The interface and setup are the price you pay.
2. Reji: spaced repetition for vocabulary, with no card-making
Reji's schedule is the same idea, applied to language cards it fills in for you: translation, example, audio, transcription. Free on iPhone and iPad, no ads. If you memorise anything other than words, skip it.
3. Mochi: the nicest interface
Markdown cards, a clean daily review, every platform, Anki import. Free on one device; $5 a month for sync.
4. RemNote: cards from your notes
A notes app whose lines become scheduled flashcards, so review shows the context. Free with unlimited cards; Pro $8 a month.
5. Brainscape: confidence-based scheduling
Rate each card 1 to 5 and Brainscape spaces it accordingly. Free for your own cards; $7.99 a month billed annually for its certified exam decks.
Verdict
Anki if you want the strongest algorithm and can live with the app. Mochi if you want the same method in a nicer package. Reji if what you are learning is a language and you are on an iPhone. RemNote if your cards should come from notes.
Questions people ask
- Does Quizlet have spaced repetition?
- Not in the sense used here. Quizlet's Learn mode adapts within a study session but does not keep a long-term schedule per card, which is why it is not on this list.
- What is the best free spaced repetition app?
- Anki on desktop, Android and web. Reji on iPhone for language vocabulary. Mochi and RemNote have generous free plans with sync or extras paid.
- How often do I need to review?
- Daily, ideally. Spaced repetition works by showing a card just before you forget it; skip a week and the queue builds up, which is the main reason people quit.
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.