We make Misu, so it’s first on this list. Every other app is described from its own website, help pages and app store listings, checked in October 2026.
What to look for
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A modern scheduler
FSRS predicts how likely you are to remember each flashcard. In its open benchmark of about 10,000 learners, FSRS-6 predicted recall better than SM-2, the older standard, for 99.5% of them.
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Audio on every flashcard
You need to hear a word to say it, and to recognise it in a show.
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Decks for your language
The most common words, already made, save you weeks of building flashcards.
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A quick way to add words
The words you meet in shows and books are the ones worth keeping, so adding one should take seconds.
At a glance
| App | Scheduler | Audio | Ready-made decks | Adding your own |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Misu | FSRS-6 | Natural voices on every flashcard | Courses in 10 languages | One tap, from any word |
| Anki | SM-2, or FSRS if you turn it on | Text-to-speech, recordings, files | Shared decks | By hand, or by import |
| Quizlet | Not disclosed | Text-to-speech | Other users’ sets | By hand, or with AI |
| Migaku | Its own | From the video, or text-to-speech | Courses in Japanese, Mandarin, Korean | One click from videos and pages |
| Memrise | Not disclosed | Native speakers on video | Official courses | Word lists |
| Clozemaster | Fixed gaps | Text-to-speech | Sentences in 50+ languages | Collections, with Pro |
| Brainscape | Confidence ratings, 1 to 5 | Recordings, with Pro | Expert decks, with Pro | By hand, or with AI |
The seven apps
Misu
Made by usBeautiful flashcards, made in one tap. Type a word in any of 76 languages and Misu makes the flashcard, with a picture, an example and audio, and you can change anything in its drag-and-drop editor. Or start with a ready-made deck, and let FSRS, tuned to your memory every month, plan your reviews.
Best forAnyone learning words in a new language who’d rather study flashcards than build them.
- Scheduler
- FSRS-6, fitted to you every month
- Platforms
- iPhone, Android, Chrome
- Free
- Free to start, with Misu Plus for more
- Languages
- 10 courses; your own flashcards in any language
Good at
- Beautiful flashcards in one tap: pictures, examples, audio
- A drag-and-drop editor for any design you like
- Ready-made decks for beginners and beyond
- Reviews tuned to your memory every month, with a garden and a monthly receipt to show for them
Falls short on
- Words, not lessons: no speaking practice
- Reviews happen in the phone app
Anki
Free, open-source flashcards that can do almost anything: your own note types, thousands of shared decks, add-ons, and FSRS if you turn it on.
Best forLearners who want full control and don’t mind building their own flashcards.
- Scheduler
- SM-2 by default; FSRS optional
- Platforms
- Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone, web
- Free
- Yes, apart from the iPhone app, a one-off purchase
- Ready-made decks
- Free shared decks
Good at
- Free on computers and Android
- FSRS, once you turn it on
- The biggest library of decks and add-ons
Falls short on
- You build every flashcard yourself
- Dated and complex, reviewers say
- The iPhone app is paid
Quizlet
Flashcard sets for any subject, made by you or by other users, with AI that turns notes and files into flashcards.
Best forQuick sets for a class, and studying sets other people have made.
- Scheduler
- Not disclosed; spaced repetition on the website only
- Platforms
- Web, iPhone, Android
- Free
- Flashcards free; Learn and Test are paid
- Ready-made decks
- Sets by other users
Good at
- A huge library of sets
- AI makes flashcards from your notes
- Easy to start
Falls short on
- Spaced repetition only on the website
- Learn, Test and offline need Plus
- Ads in the free plan
Migaku
A Chrome extension and app that turn shows and web pages into flashcards, with the sentence, audio and a screenshot from the scene.
Best forMining sentences from Japanese, Chinese or Korean shows on a computer.
- Scheduler
- Its own; Migaku doesn’t name it
- Platforms
- Chrome, iPhone, Android, web
- Free
- No: a subscription or a lifetime plan
- Languages
- 11
Good at
- One-click flashcards from what you watch
- Tracks the words you know
- Imports Anki decks
Falls short on
- Paid only
- Courses only for Japanese, Mandarin and Korean
Memrise
Courses built on short videos of native speakers, with reviews of what you’ve learned and AI conversation practice.
Best forHearing everyday phrases from real people.
- Scheduler
- Not disclosed
- Platforms
- iPhone, Android, web
- Free
- Limited lessons, with ads
- Ready-made decks
- Official courses
Good at
- Native speakers on video
- AI chats to practise speaking
- A polished app
Falls short on
- Much of it needs Pro
- Less control over reviews since its 2024 redesign, reviewers say
Clozemaster
Fill-in-the-blank sentences: you pick the missing word in thousands of real sentences in each language.
Best forIntermediate learners who want every word in context.
- Scheduler
- Fixed gaps: 1, 10, 30 and 180 days
- Platforms
- Web, iPhone, Android
- Free
- 30 sentences a day
- Languages
- 50+
Good at
- Every word in a sentence
- More than 50 languages
- Quick, game-like rounds
Falls short on
- Some sentences have mistakes, reviewers say
- Fixed gaps rather than FSRS
Brainscape
Flashcards you rate from 1 to 5 by how well you knew them, with decks made by experts, languages among them.
Best forStudents who want ready-made decks for school subjects and exams.
- Scheduler
- Confidence ratings, 1 to 5
- Platforms
- Web, iPhone, Android
- Free
- Your own flashcards; expert decks need Pro
- Audio
- Recordings with Pro; no text-to-speech yet
Good at
- Decks made by experts
- Simple confidence ratings
- No ads in the free plan
Falls short on
- No text-to-speech yet
- Ready-made decks need Pro
- Built for every subject, not languages first
Which one should you pick?
For a new language, start with the most common words, with audio, in an app that plans your reviews with FSRS, then add the words you meet in what you watch and read. If you’d rather build everything yourself, Anki is free and does it all. If you mine sentences from shows on a computer, look at Migaku. And if you’re studying for a class, Quizlet’s sets are hard to beat.