# Deck vs Cogni

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Deck at 100% against Cogni's 36%. Cogni's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Deck sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 3 months and Cogni sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Cogni holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cogni has 1.7K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 100% of Deck's written reviews are positive against 36% of Cogni's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Deck ships an update every 3 months, Cogni weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Deck | Cogni |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/deck-flashcard-app/id1545176753/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cogni-ai-flashcards-and-notes/id6737768905/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **1.7K** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 35.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 28 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Haaris Iqubal](https://appshunter.io/developer/1545176755) | [COGNIFLY LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1808620132) |

## What reviewers say

### Deck

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/deck-flashcard-app/id1545176753)

Learn intuitively with a flashcard app that rebuilds remembering habits using a smart algorithm. Add text, equations, photos, GIFs, or sketches to cards and manage them with tags and reminders. Track progress and utilize practice or test modes.

**Highlights:** Add text, equations, photos, GIFs, sketches, Create and manage decks with tags, Intuitive suggestion-based learning, Progress tracking and test modes, Import decks from cloud services, iCloud sync across Apple devices, Dark mode and adjustable text size

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscribe - 3 Month Family | $1.99 | per 3 months |
| Subscribe - Yearly Family | $6.49 | per year |
| Buy - Lifetime | $24.99 | one-time |


### Cogni

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cogni-ai-flashcards-and-notes/id6737768905)

This app uses AI to generate flashcards from various sources like PDFs, notes, and lecture recordings. It employs spaced repetition with the FSRS algorithm to optimize memorization and allows for Anki deck import. Study notes can be generated alongside cards, and a library of pre-made decks is available.

**Highlights:** AI flashcard generation, FSRS spaced repetition, Anki deck import, Integrated study notes, Offline study mode, Library of pre-made decks

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $7.99 | per month |
| Premium Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Premium Annual | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual | $24.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual | $29.99 | per year |
| Premium Annual | $49.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium | $69.99 | one-time |
| Premium Lifetime | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great app for memorizing and growing recall skills
- 🚀 Lifesaver for challenging, memory-heavy subjects like med school
- 👍 Sleek and user-friendly interface, no distractions

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Locked up referring to an upgrade page, couldn't continue using the app
- 🐛 Not easy to use, inaccurate for Spanish language
- 🐛 Desktop flashcards deck won't sync with mobile, forcing duplicate work

**Reported bugs**

- App no longer available after paying for annual subscription
- Occasional crashes

**Requested features**

- Integrate ChatGPT or Claude for automatic card creation
- Add sub-decks for larger decks that need more review
- Improve algorithm for hard/again ratings to better target struggling cards
- Add subsections for decks to study different sections separately


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Deck free?

Deck is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Cogni free?

Cogni is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Deck or Cogni?

Cogni is rated higher. Deck averages 4.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Cogni averages 4.7 from 1.7K ratings.

### Do Deck or Cogni have ads?

Neither Deck nor Cogni shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Deck or Cogni?

Deck ships an update every 3 months, and Cogni weekly. Most recently, Deck was updated on November 7, 2026 and Cogni on November 8, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*