Obsidian Anki: How To Connect Notes And Flashcards For Faster Learning (Plus A Better Alternative Most People Miss)

What Is “Obsidian Anki” And Why Do People Care?

Alright, let’s talk about obsidian anki because it’s actually pretty simple: it’s basically the idea of taking your notes in Obsidian and turning them into Anki-style flashcards so you can use spaced repetition to remember stuff long-term. People like this because Obsidian is amazing for writing and organizing notes, and Anki is amazing for drilling those notes into your brain. So the whole “Obsidian Anki” thing is about connecting those two worlds—good notes + good flashcards—without doing double work. And if you don’t want to mess around with plugins and syncing, an app like Flashrecall) basically gives you the Anki benefits with way less setup.

Quick Breakdown: Obsidian vs Anki vs Flashrecall

Before we get into how to connect Obsidian and Anki, here’s what each thing is doing:

• Obsidian – A markdown note-taking app with backlinks, graph view, plugins, and all that nerdy goodness. Great for thinking and organizing.
• Anki – A spaced repetition flashcard app. Great for memorizing facts, vocab, formulas, exam content.
• Flashrecall – A modern flashcard app that feels like Anki but easier, faster, and built for iPhone/iPad with automatic spaced repetition, reminders, and even AI chat with your cards:

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

The “obsidian anki” combo is usually:

1. Take notes in Obsidian

2. Mark certain lines as questions/answers

3. Use a plugin or export to send those to Anki

Or…

Skip the whole export circus and just turn your PDFs, screenshots, notes, and prompts straight into cards with Flashrecall.

How People Usually Connect Obsidian And Anki

There are a few common ways people do the obsidian anki workflow:

1. Using an Obsidian → Anki Plugin

Most folks use a community plugin (like Obsidian_to_Anki-style tools). The usual idea:

• You write notes in Obsidian in markdown
• You format cards like:

```text

Q:: What is the capital of France?

A:: Paris

```

• Then you run a command to export those into Anki

• Your “source of truth” stays in Obsidian
• Cards are generated from real notes, not random separate decks
• You can version-control your learning content (Git, etc.)

• Setup can be annoying (plugins, AnkiConnect, local server, etc.)
• Formatting is picky — one wrong tag and the card doesn’t work
• You’re stuck on desktop for a lot of the setup
• Syncing across devices can be fragile

This is powerful, but it’s also the kind of thing that’s fun for like 3 days and then you just want something that works.

2. Manually Copying From Obsidian To Anki

Some people skip plugins and just:

• Read notes in Obsidian
• Manually copy/paste questions into Anki
• Build decks from there

• No plugin drama
• You fully control what becomes a card

• Super slow
• Easy to get behind on card creation
• You end up with a pile of notes that never become flashcards

This is usually what makes people search for “obsidian anki” in the first place—they’re tired of this manual grind.

3. Using Flashrecall Instead Of Classic Anki

Here’s where Flashrecall comes in as a smoother alternative to the whole Obsidian → Anki pipeline.

Instead of wrestling with exports and plugins, you can:

• Keep your deep thinking and long-form writing in Obsidian
• Use Flashrecall as your actual memory engine on your phone/iPad

Flashrecall lets you:

• Make flashcards instantly from:
• Text you paste in
• Images (screenshots of your Obsidian notes, textbook pages, slides)
• PDFs
• YouTube links
• Typed prompts (e.g. “make cards about photosynthesis from this paragraph”)
• Or just create cards manually if you like control

So the workflow becomes:

1. Take notes in Obsidian like usual

2. When you decide “this is test-worthy”, either:

• Screenshot the note and import into Flashrecall
• Copy/paste key parts and let Flashrecall help generate cards

3. Flashrecall handles:

• Spaced repetition
• Active recall
• Study reminders
• Offline access

No plugins. No AnkiConnect. No weird markdown card syntax.

Grab it here if you want to try it:

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

Why People Love The Obsidian + Flashcards Combo

The whole obsidian anki thing is popular because it solves a real problem: notes don’t equal memory.

You can have the prettiest Obsidian vault in the world and still bomb an exam because you never actually tested yourself.

Flashcards fix that by forcing active recall:

• You see a prompt
• You try to remember the answer without looking
• You get instant feedback

And spaced repetition makes sure you see hard stuff more often, and easy stuff less often, so you’re not wasting time.

Flashrecall bakes both of those in automatically:

• Every card is structured for active recall
• The app schedules reviews for you with spaced repetition
• You get auto reminders so you don’t forget to study

So Obsidian is where you understand things.

Flashrecall (or Anki) is where you remember them.

How To Build A Simple Obsidian → Flashcard Workflow

If you like the obsidian anki idea but want it simpler, here’s a clean setup:

Step 1: Take Notes Normally In Obsidian

• Use headings, bullet points, and short sentences
• Highlight or tag the stuff that feels “flashcard-worthy”
• Definitions
• Formulas
• Dates
• Vocabulary
• Key concepts

You don’t need to format them as cards in Obsidian. Just mark what matters.

Step 2: Extract The Important Bits

When you’re done with a topic or lecture:

• Either:
• Copy the key points into a new note called “Flashcards – [Topic]”
• Or just review the note and decide what to turn into cards on the fly

Step 3: Send Them To Flashrecall

Now open Flashrecall) on your iPhone or iPad and:

• Paste the text into the app and turn it into cards
• Or screenshot your Obsidian note and let Flashrecall create cards from the image
• Or type your own Q/A cards manually if you like full control

Flashrecall supports:

• Manual card creation for total precision
• Automatic card creation from text for speed
• Cards from images, PDFs, and YouTube links when you’re lazy or rushed

Step 4: Let Spaced Repetition Do Its Thing

Once your cards are in Flashrecall:

• The app automatically schedules reviews using spaced repetition
• You get study reminders so you don’t fall behind
• It works offline, so you can review on the bus, in a boring lecture, wherever

And if you’re unsure about a concept on a card, you can chat with the flashcard to get more explanation. That’s something classic Anki + Obsidian just doesn’t do.

Obsidian + Anki vs Obsidian + Flashrecall

If you’re deciding between traditional obsidian anki setups and using Flashrecall, here’s a quick comparison.

Setup & Maintenance

• Obsidian + Anki
• Requires plugins or manual exports
• Can be fragile after updates
• Takes time to format notes as cards
• Obsidian + Flashrecall
• No plugins
• Just copy/paste or screenshot
• Works instantly on iPhone/iPad

User Experience

• Anki
• Powerful but kind of clunky UI
• Feels old-school
• Great if you love tweaking settings
• Flashrecall
• Fast, modern, clean interface
• Built for mobile from the start
• Easy to use even if you’re tired and stressed

Features For Learning

Both Anki and Flashrecall give you spaced repetition and active recall, but Flashrecall adds:

• Automatic flashcards from:
• Text
• Images
• PDFs
• YouTube
• Prompts
• AI chat with your flashcards when you’re confused
• Study reminders built in
• Works great for:
• Languages
• School subjects
• Uni
• Medicine
• Business
• Pretty much any topic

And it’s free to start, so you can test it alongside your current Obsidian/Anki setup without committing.

Example: Using Obsidian + Flashrecall For A Real Class

Let’s say you’re studying anatomy.

1. In Obsidian

• You take detailed notes on “Muscles of the Upper Limb”
• You add headings like `## Rotator Cuff Muscles`
• You list each muscle with origin, insertion, innervation, action

2. You Decide What Needs Memorizing

• Names of muscles
• Nerve supply
• Key actions

3. In Flashrecall

• You screenshot your Obsidian note (or copy the text)
• Import it into Flashrecall
• Let the app help you generate flashcards like:
• “Which muscles make up the rotator cuff?”
• “What is the innervation of the supraspinatus muscle?”
• You review them daily with spaced repetition

End result:

Obsidian holds your full understanding.

Flashrecall makes sure you never forget the details you’ll be tested on.

So… Do You Actually Need Anki If You Use Obsidian?

You can do the full obsidian anki setup if you like tinkering and want everything super integrated.

But if your main goal is:

• “I want to remember my notes”
• “I don’t want to spend hours setting things up”
• “I want this to work smoothly on my phone and iPad”

Then Obsidian + Flashrecall is honestly easier:

• Take notes in Obsidian
• Turn the important stuff into flashcards in Flashrecall
• Let the app handle spaced repetition, reminders, and reviews

You still get the core benefit people chase with obsidian anki—notes → flashcards → long-term memory—but with way less friction.

If you want to try that setup, you can grab Flashrecall here:

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

Use Obsidian for thinking.

Use Flashrecall for remembering.

That’s the combo that actually sticks long-term.

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.

Related Articles

• Anki Docs: The Complete Beginner-Friendly Guide (And a Simpler Alternative Most People Miss) – Confused by Anki documentation? Here’s the easy version, plus a faster way to start using flashcards today.
• Brainscape To Anki: The Complete Guide To Switching Flashcard Apps (And The Smarter Alternative Most People Miss) – Learn a faster way to move your decks and upgrade your whole study workflow.
• Anki Notes: The Complete Guide To Smarter Flashcards (And A Better Alternative Most Students Don’t Know) – Discover how to fix the annoying parts of Anki and upgrade your notes into powerful flashcards that actually stick.