Memrise vs Anki
Updated 17 September 2026 · Written by the Reji team, who make one of the apps below.
This is not really a like-for-like comparison. Memrise used to let anyone build courses and was a real Anki rival; today it is a guided language course with native-speaker videos and its own review schedule, and you cannot add your own words in the app. Anki is still the do-it-yourself flashcard tool it always was. The question is whether you want to be taught or to build.
| Memrise | Anki | Reji | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free with limits and ads; $24.99 per month, $61.99 per year, $329.99 lifetime (often discounted) | Free on desktop and Android; AnkiMobile for iOS is $24.99 one-time | Free, no subscription |
| What is free | A limited slice of each course, with ads | Everything on desktop, Android and web | Everything |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | iOS, iPadOS |
| Spaced repetition | Yes, inside its own courses | Yes, FSRS or SM-2, fully configurable | Yes, per-card scheduling |
| Audio | Native-speaker video clips | Only what you add yourself or via add-ons | Native pronunciation on every card |
| Fills in cards for you | Not applicable: you learn Memrise's words, not your own | No, unless you install add-ons | Translation, example sentence, transcription and image added when you type a word |
| Import | No custom cards in the app | CSV, .apkg, thousands of shared decks | CSV, shared decks, public decks |
| Ads | Yes on the free plan | None | None |
| Sync | Account | AnkiWeb, free | iCloud |
| Offline | Paid only | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Beginners who want a guided course rather than their own cards | Power users, medical students, anyone who wants total control | Vocabulary you meet while reading, watching or talking |
What Memrise gives you
Structured beginner courses in the major languages, each word introduced with short clips of native speakers, then reviewed on a spaced schedule inside the app. Speaking practice and video are the reasons to pay. The free tier shows a limited slice of each course with ads; subscriptions are $24.99 a month, $61.99 a year or $329.99 lifetime, usually discounted.
What Anki gives you
A blank deck, the best scheduling algorithm in the category, and a library of shared decks for almost every language, including frequency lists and textbook companions. It is free on desktop and Android and $24.99 once on iPhone. Audio and example sentences are yours to add, or come with the shared deck you pick.
The part both miss
Neither is built for the words you meet outside the app. Memrise cannot store them. Anki can, but each card is several minutes of lookup and pasting. Reji, which we make, sits in that gap on iPhone: type the word, get translation, example and audio, review with spaced repetition, free.
Verdict
A beginner who wants to be led through a language should pick Memrise and pay for a year. Anyone with their own material, a textbook or a frequency list should pick Anki. For the vocabulary you collect while living the language, Reji on iPhone does the card-making for you.
Questions people ask
- Can I add my own words to Memrise?
- Not in the current app. Memrise removed user-created courses from the app; the official courses are what you learn.
- Is Anki good for learning a language?
- Yes, it is the standard choice for serious learners. Pick a well-made shared deck with audio to avoid building cards from scratch.
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.