Seven apps, seven different profiles. We looked at how each one turns your notes into cards, how it schedules your reviews, what the free version really includes and what you pay after.
By Léo Floissac, developer of Flashcards Master · Updated September 29, 2026
Transparency: I make Flashcards Master, one of the apps in this list. This is not an absolute ranking: each app is recommended for what it does best, with its limits. Prices are US App Store prices, what you pay when you subscribe from your iPhone. They change over time and are sometimes cheaper on the publishers' websites.
Short answer: which one for what
Turn your PDFs into cards and actually review them: Flashcards Master (FSRS by default, and it can lock TikTok until you review).
Full control and shared decks: Anki.
Ready-made sets: Quizlet.
AI-generated cards without paying: Brainscape, whose free plan creates hundreds of cards.
A free Quizlet alternative: Knowt.
Staying motivated with games: Gizmo.
Notes and flashcards in one place: RemNote.
How we compared them
Flashcards only work when two conditions are met: you have good cards, and you review them at the right time. So we looked at five criteria: AI creation (from a PDF or a topic, free or not), review scheduling (a real spaced repetition algorithm or not), what the free version allows, the price on iPhone, and whether the app is designed primarily for mobile use.
The information comes from each app's App Store listing and official pricing and help pages, checked on September 29, 2026: links are under each app. This is not a lab test, I did not run the same PDF through every app. For Flashcards Master, I rely on what I know of the app, since I build it.
Comparison table
App
AI from a PDF
Review scheduling
Free version
Price on iPhone
Platforms
Flashcards Master
Yes (Premium)
FSRS by default
Manual cards, 100 reviews a day, app lock
$29.99/year or $5.99/month
iPhone, iPad
Anki (AnkiMobile)
No (desktop add-ons)
SM-2 by default, FSRS optional
Free on computer and Android
$24.99 one-time purchase
iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, web
Quizlet
Yes (Plus)
Spaced repetition on the web, not yet in the mobile app
Sets and basic study modes
Plus: $44.99/year or $9.99/month
iPhone, Android, web
Knowt
Yes, 1 AI summary a month free
Spaced repetition, free
All study modes
Student Ultra: $59.99 to $149.99/year
iPhone, Android, web
Gizmo
Yes
Spaced repetition, as quizzes
Limited by "hearts"
Gizmo Unlimited: $6.99 to $309.99
iPhone, web
RemNote
Yes, with monthly AI credits
Its own scheduler, FSRS in beta
Unlimited notes, 250 AI credits a month
Pro: $149.99/year or $14.99/month
iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, web
Brainscape
Yes (hundreds of cards free)
Confidence-based (1 to 5)
Unlimited cards, import, limited AI
Pro: $95.99/year or $19.99/month
iPhone, Android, web
US App Store prices, September 29, 2026.
The 7 apps in detail
To turn PDFs into cards and review them
Flashcards Master
An iPhone and iPad app that generates a deck from a PDF or a topic, then brings every card back right before you forget it. Its distinctive feature: it can lock apps like TikTok or Instagram until you've answered a few cards.
AI creation
From a PDF (scanned pages included) or a topic, 10 to 200 cards, 4 formats, up to 50 generations a month
Reviews
FSRS by default, nothing to configure
Price
Free, then $29.99/year (7-day trial) or $5.99/month
Strengths
From PDF to review in two minutes
App lock via Screen Time, even on the free version
A long-standing favorite among medical and language students. Extremely powerful and customizable, with thousands of shared decks to import, but no built-in AI generation.
AI creation
None built in; add-ons exist on the desktop version
Reviews
SM-2 by default, FSRS available once enabled
Price
Free on computer and Android, $24.99 one-time on iPhone
The best-known flashcard app, with millions of sets created by other students. Its AI (Magic Notes) turns notes or a PDF into a study set, practice tests and summaries.
AI creation
From notes, a PDF or an audio recording, with Quizlet Plus
Reviews
Learn mode; spaced repetition exists on the web but is not yet available in the mobile app
Presented as a free Quizlet alternative. Every study mode, spaced repetition included, is free, and the AI creates cards, notes and practice tests from PDFs, slides or recorded lectures.
AI creation
From a PDF, slides, photos or videos; 1 AI summary a month on the free plan
Reviews
Spaced repetition with four rating buttons
Price
Free, Student Ultra subscription $59.99 to $149.99/year depending on the offer shown, or from $14.99/month
You have lecture PDFs and little time: Flashcards Master, Brainscape or Gizmo generate a deck in minutes. Flashcards Master is the only one of the three that schedules reviews with FSRS by default.
Your phone distracts you: Flashcards Master, which locks the apps you choose until you've reviewed.
You're in medical school and want thousands of ready-made cards: Anki.
Your class already shares its sets: Quizlet, or Knowt to study them for free.
You take a lot of notes and want everything in one app: RemNote.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI flashcard app for iPhone?
It depends on how you study. Flashcards Master is the most direct way to turn a PDF into a deck and review it with FSRS, and it can lock distracting apps until you review. Anki is the most powerful if you want full control, Quizlet has one of the largest libraries of shared sets and Brainscape has the most generous free AI in this comparison.
Is there a free AI flashcard app?
Yes. Brainscape's free plan generates hundreds of AI cards. Knowt, RemNote and Gizmo also have free AI, but it is very limited: one summary a month on Knowt, 250 credits a month on RemNote. Quizlet's AI requires Plus. Flashcards Master is free for manual cards and 100 reviews a day, but AI generation requires Premium.
Can AI turn a PDF into flashcards?
Yes. Flashcards Master, Quizlet, Knowt, Gizmo, RemNote and Brainscape can all generate cards from a PDF. Anki cannot do it on its own, it needs a desktop add-on. Check the cards after generation: AI can produce vague or overly easy questions on dense material.
What is the best Anki alternative for iPhone?
If you like Anki's scheduling but not its setup, look for an app that uses FSRS by default and creates cards for you. Flashcards Master uses FSRS out of the box and generates decks from PDFs, and RemNote offers FSRS in beta alongside note-taking.
What is FSRS?
FSRS (Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler) is an open-source spaced repetition algorithm. It estimates how likely you are to remember each card and schedules the next review based on a target retention rate. Anki and RemNote offer it as an option, Flashcards Master uses it by default.
Try Flashcards Master for free
Import your first PDF and review your cards tonight.
Flashcards Master