The best Quizlet alternatives in 2026, free or close to it

Quizlet is still widely used, rated 4.8 out of 5 on 1.1 million ratings on the US App Store. Its free version shows ads, and Quizlet Plus is offered at 9.99 USD and 44.99 USD as an in-app purchase (Quizlet (US), 2026). Students who look elsewhere usually want one of three things, a broader free plan, stronger spaced repetition, or a different way of studying than sets.

We make Lumi, and we placed it in this list with the others. Every fact about the other apps comes from their official page or their App Store listing, read on 6 November 2026, with US prices in dollars. The table gives the key facts, and the sections below say what each app does well.

Anki is free on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, with free syncing through AnkiWeb (Anki, 2026). On iPhone, AnkiMobile costs 24.99 USD once, with no subscription, and offers the SM-2 and FSRS schedulers (AnkiMobile (US), 2026). You can import decks shared by other students, which are plentiful in medicine and languages.

Anki needs more setup than Quizlet and its interface is rougher. In return, you control every interval and can keep tens of thousands of cards. If you move from Quizlet to Anki, start with the default settings and a single deck, then adjust once you are used to it. The page Anki vs Quizlet, which one to study with in 2026, and where Lumi fits compares the two in detail.

Knowt follows Quizlet’s model, card sets, a Learn mode and tests. Its App Store listing highlights a free Learn mode with unlimited rounds, spaced repetition, and AI cards made from notes, PDFs or lecture videos. The app is rated 4.7 out of 5 on 11,000 ratings in the US, with paid Student Ultra plans (Knowt (US), 2026).

It is the easiest option if you like Quizlet and mostly want more free features. As with any card written by AI, read what it generates, because a mistake learned by heart is hard to undo later. Knowt’s content is aimed first at US students, with free study guides for AP exams.

RemNote mixes note taking and cards. You write your notes, turn lines into cards, and spaced repetition takes care of the rest. The free plan gives unlimited notes and cards, Pro costs 8 USD a month or 96 USD a year on its website (RemNote, 2026). The app is rated 4.8 out of 5 on 1,700 ratings in the US (RemNote (US), 2026). It suits people who take their notes on a computer.

Brainscape asks you to rate your confidence from 1 to 5 after each card, and uses it to set the pace of reviews. The app is free to download, with Brainscape Pro at 19.99 USD a month or 95.99 USD a year, and is rated 4.8 out of 5 on 22,000 ratings in the US (Brainscape (US), 2026). It appeals to people who like to judge for themselves what they know.

Lumi does not ask you to build a set. You teach it your notes from a photo, text, a PDF or dictation, and it writes its questions. It forgets a little each day, then comes back to quiz you in the evening, right before you forget, with at most one reminder a day. The night before an exam, the Mist rises over your sky, and every right answer pushes it back.

This rests on active recall and spacing, the two techniques rated best by Dunlosky and colleagues (Dunlosky et al., 2013). The free plan gives 3 cards a week with no ads, Lumi Pro costs 4.99 EUR a month or 29.99 EUR a year with a 7 day trial. Lumi is coming soon to iPhone. To see why explaining helps you remember, read Does learning by teaching work? What research says about the protégé effect.