Memrise Anki: Honest Comparison, 7 Key Differences, And The Flashcard App Most People Miss

Memrise vs Anki vs Flashrecall: What Actually Works Best?

Alright, let's talk about memrise anki in simple terms: Memrise is a more gamified language-learning app with pre-made courses, while Anki is a super flexible flashcard program built around spaced repetition that you mostly build yourself. Both help you remember stuff better by showing you cards over time instead of cramming once. Memrise feels more like a course you follow; Anki feels like a tool you customize. And then you’ve got Flashrecall, which kind of mixes the best parts of both: smart spaced repetition, easy card creation, and a modern, fast interface.

Flashrecall on the App Store)

Quick Overview: Memrise, Anki, And Where Flashrecall Fits In

Before we go deep, here’s the basic vibe of each:

• Memrise
• App + website focused mostly on languages
• Lots of pre-made courses
• Feels like a game: streaks, leaderboards, videos
• Less control over the actual flashcard system
• Anki
• Very powerful spaced repetition flashcard program
• You can customize almost everything
• Steep learning curve, old-school interface
• Amazing for med school, exams, vocab, anything—if you set it up right
• Flashrecall
• Modern flashcard + spaced repetition app for iPhone and iPad
• Super fast to create cards from images, PDFs, YouTube, text, audio, or manual input
• Built-in active recall and spaced repetition with auto reminders
• Feels simple like Memrise, but flexible like Anki
• Free to start: Download Flashrecall here)

If you like the idea of Memrise’s simplicity but want Anki-level control without the headache, Flashrecall sits right in that sweet spot.

1. Learning Style: Courses vs Custom Decks

Memrise: Follow The Path

Memrise is basically:

• Pick a course (e.g. “Spanish 1”, “JLPT N4”, “French vocab”)
• Go through levels with words, phrases, and some videos
• The app decides what you see and when

Good if:

• You want something structured
• You don’t want to build your own material

Not so great if:

• You’re studying non-language stuff like medicine, law, anatomy, coding
• You want to control exactly what’s in your deck

Anki: Build Everything Yourself

Anki is more like a blank canvas:

• You create decks and cards (or download shared decks)
• You decide what’s on the front/back, what fields to use, what formats
• The spaced repetition algorithm is super strong, but you manage a lot yourself

Great for:

• Serious studying: med school, exams, languages, long-term knowledge
• People who like customization and control

But:

• It can feel overwhelming at first
• The interface is… let’s say “functional,” not pretty

Flashrecall: Structured Enough, But Still Flexible

Flashrecall kind of bridges that gap:

• You can make your own decks for anything: languages, exams, school, business
• But you don’t have to overthink settings—spaced repetition just works automatically
• You can instantly create cards from:
• Images (e.g. lecture slides, textbook pages)
• PDFs
• YouTube links
• Typed prompts or pasted text
• Audio

So you get Anki-like flexibility, but with a Memrise-level “this is actually easy to use” feeling.

2. Spaced Repetition: How Smart Is The Review System?

This is where Anki shines and where Memrise is more basic.

Memrise

• Uses a kind of spaced repetition, but it’s more hidden and simplified
• You don’t really see or control the intervals
• It’s fine for casual learning, but not ideal if you’re trying to master huge amounts of info

Anki

• Classic spaced repetition algorithm with:
• Custom intervals
• “Again / Hard / Good / Easy” buttons
• Detailed stats
• Fantastic for long-term retention, but:
• You need to understand the settings or you’ll mess up your schedule
• Can feel like you’re managing a system instead of just learning

Flashrecall

Flashrecall keeps the good part (smart spacing) and removes the nerdy config headache:

• Automatic spaced repetition built-in
• You just rate how well you remembered; it handles the timing
• Study reminders so you don’t forget to review
• You don’t need to tweak a million settings—just open the app and review what’s due

If you like what makes Anki powerful but hate fiddling with options, Flashrecall is way more chill.

3. Card Creation: How Fast Can You Go From “I Need This” To “It’s In My Deck”?

Memrise

• Mostly pre-made content
• You can make your own stuff, but that’s not the main focus
• Not ideal if you’re constantly pulling content from lectures, PDFs, or videos

Anki

• Extremely flexible card types
• You can make cloze deletions, image occlusion, custom templates
• But:
• Desktop setup is usually required for more advanced stuff
• Mobile can feel slower or clunkier for card creation

Flashrecall

This is where Flashrecall really feels like a modern app:

• Instant card generation from:
• Images (snap a pic of your notes or textbook)
• PDFs (import and turn key points into cards)
• YouTube links (pull concepts from videos)
• Plain text or typed prompts
• Audio
• You can still make cards manually if you like total control
• Works offline, so you can create and review on the go

Plus, if you’re stuck on a card, you can chat with the flashcard to get more explanation. That’s something Memrise and Anki just don’t have natively.

Download it here if you want to try it:

👉 Flashrecall on iOS)

4. Use Cases: What Each App Is Actually Best For

Memrise Is Best For:

• Casual language learners
• People who want ready-made courses
• Short daily practice with minimal setup

Anki Is Best For:

• Med students, law students, engineering, serious exams
• People learning huge vocab lists in multiple languages
• Anyone okay with a bit of complexity for maximum control

Flashrecall Is Best For:

• Students at school or university
• People studying medicine, law, business, coding, languages—anything
• Learners who like Anki’s spaced repetition idea but want:
• A fast, modern, easy-to-use interface
• Automatic reminders and spaced repetition
• Easy card creation from real-world materials

If you’ve ever thought “I love the idea of Anki but I just can’t be bothered with the setup,” Flashrecall is literally made for you.

5. Interface And Experience: Old-School vs Modern

• Memrise: Colorful, fun, feels like a game
• Anki: Looks like software from another decade, but gets the job done
• Flashrecall: Clean, modern, and actually feels like an app built for 2025

Flashrecall is designed so you can:

• Open the app
• See what’s due
• Review quickly
• Close it and move on with your life

No wrestling with confusing menus or settings.

6. Extra Features That Actually Matter

Here’s how the three stack up on useful extras:

Memrise

• Native videos from real speakers (for some languages)
• Streaks and gamification
• Mostly language-focused

Anki

• Add-ons and plugins (on desktop)
• Sync across devices (with some setup)
• Tons of shared decks

Flashrecall

• Works offline on iPhone and iPad
• Study reminders so you don’t break your streak
• Chat with the flashcard when you’re unsure and want more explanation
• Great for:
• Languages (vocab, phrases, grammar)
• Exams (MCQs, definitions, formulas)
• School subjects (history dates, bio terms, physics concepts)
• University (anatomy, pharmacology, law cases, etc.)
• Business (frameworks, pitches, product knowledge)

And again, it’s free to start, so you can just test it without committing:

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/flashrecall-study-flashcards/id6746757085

7. So… Memrise, Anki, Or Flashrecall?

If you’re stuck on the “memrise anki” decision, here’s the simple breakdown:

• Pick Memrise if:
• You just want a guided language course
• You don’t care much about deep customization
• You’re more casual about studying
• Pick Anki if:
• You’re ready to learn a slightly complex tool
• You need maximum control for heavy study
• You’re okay with a dated interface in exchange for raw power
• Try Flashrecall if:
• You like the idea of Anki but want something faster and easier
• You want to turn images, PDFs, YouTube links, and notes into flashcards in seconds
• You want built-in spaced repetition + active recall + reminders with no setup
• You want a modern app that just works on your iPhone or iPad

Final Thoughts

Memrise and Anki are both solid, just aimed at different types of learners: Memrise for guided language courses, Anki for hardcore customizable studying.

But if you want something that:

• Feels modern
• Is quick to set up
• Uses real spaced repetition
• Works for any subject, not just languages
• And doesn’t make you fight with the interface

Then it’s worth giving Flashrecall a shot.

You can grab it here and see how it fits your study routine:

👉 Flashrecall – Study Flashcards on iOS)

Try it side by side with Memrise and Anki for a week—you’ll feel pretty quickly which one actually makes you want to keep studying.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Anki good for studying?

Anki is powerful but requires manual card creation and has a steep learning curve. Flashrecall offers AI-powered card generation from your notes, images, PDFs, and videos, making it faster and easier to create effective flashcards.

What's the fastest way to create flashcards?

Manually typing cards works but takes time. Many students now use AI generators that turn notes into flashcards instantly. Flashrecall does this automatically from text, images, or PDFs.

How do I start spaced repetition?

You can manually schedule your reviews, but most people use apps that automate this. Flashrecall uses built-in spaced repetition so you review cards at the perfect time.

What's the best way to learn vocabulary?

Research shows that combining flashcards with spaced repetition and active recall is highly effective. Flashrecall automates this process, generating cards from your study materials and scheduling reviews at optimal intervals.

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