Language Flash vs Anki

We are not going to pretend Anki is bad. It is the most capable spaced repetition tool ever built, it is free, and it will outlive us. Here is the honest split.

Both apps run SM-2 spaced repetition, so the scheduling is comparable. Anki is a general-purpose memory tool with unlimited customisation, community decks and add-ons — and it expects you to build or find your own material. Language Flash only does languages, and generates the cards for you. Pick Anki if you want control; pick Language Flash if the deck-building is what has stopped you before.

Side by side

Language FlashAnki
Scheduling algorithmSM-2SM-2 and FSRS
Where cards come fromGenerated for your language and themeYou write them, or download a shared deck
Time to first reviewAbout thirty secondsAnywhere from an hour to an afternoon
Subjects coveredLanguages only, 13 of themAnything at all
Conjugation practiceMarked sentence drills in 9 languagesA deck, unmarked
Writing feedbackCorrections on your own sentencesNot something a deck can do
Deck sharingNot yetThousands of shared decks — its greatest strength
Add-ons and customisationNoneExtensive, with a plugin ecosystem
Custom note types and templatesNoYes, arbitrarily complex
Offline useMobile app onlyFull offline on every platform
PriceFree to 250 cards, then $4.99/moFree; iOS app is a paid one-off
Open sourceNoYes

Choose Anki if…

  • You study more than languages
  • You want FSRS or fine-grained scheduler control
  • A shared deck already covers your exact syllabus
  • You want your data local, open and yours forever
  • You enjoy building and tuning your own cards
  • You need full offline access on desktop

Choose Language Flash if…

  • You have bounced off Anki’s setup before
  • You want cards without writing or hunting for them
  • You want conjugation and grammar marked, not just shown
  • You want feedback on sentences you wrote yourself
  • You want it to work on day one without configuration
  • You are learning one of our 13 languages

The real difference is where cards come from

Anki is a scheduling engine with a card editor attached. It makes no assumptions about what you are learning, which is exactly why it works for medical students, pilots and language learners alike. The cost of that generality is that an empty Anki install does nothing until you fill it.

For many people that is fine — shared decks exist, and a good one is a gift. For others it is the point where the project quietly dies: the deck you downloaded is ordered wrong, or full of words you do not need, or missing the ones you do, and editing three thousand cards is not how anyone wants to spend a Saturday.

Language Flash takes the opposite trade. It only knows how to teach languages, and in exchange it can produce cards on demand — name a theme, get vocabulary in your target language with glosses in yours, keep what you want. The scheduler underneath behaves the same way Anki’s does.

What Anki does that we do not

Worth stating plainly, because you will hit these if you switch:

  • No .apkg import — you cannot bring an existing deck across yet.
  • No FSRS. Our scheduling is SM-2 only.
  • No custom note types, card templates or styling.
  • No add-ons, and no scripting.
  • No shared or community decks.
  • Nothing outside our 13 supported languages.

Frequently asked questions

Is Language Flash a replacement for Anki?
For language vocabulary, it covers the same ground with far less setup. For anything else — medical school, law, chemistry, your own custom note types — Anki is the better tool and it is not close. Language Flash only does languages.
Does Language Flash use the same algorithm as Anki?
It uses SM-2, the scheduler Anki shipped for most of its history and still supports: ease starting at 2.50, adjustments of −0.20, −0.15 and +0.15, and a 1.30 floor. Recent Anki versions also offer FSRS, a newer scheduler that fits parameters to your review history. Language Flash does not have FSRS yet.
Can I import my Anki deck into Language Flash?
Not yet. Importing .apkg files is the most requested feature and is on the list, but today you would start a fresh deck.
Is Anki free?
Anki is free on desktop, Android and the web. The iOS app, AnkiMobile, is a paid one-off purchase that funds the project. Language Flash is free up to 250 cards, then subscription-based.
Which is better for learning Japanese kanji?
Anki, if you want a structured curriculum — the community decks for kanji, especially those built around a specific ordering, are excellent and have decades of refinement behind them. Language Flash generates kanji in context from themes you name, which suits vocabulary acquisition more than systematic character study.