Comparison

AnkiMobile Flashcards vs Core Step Prep

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

AnkiMobile Flashcards

This flashcard app offers a powerful spaced repetition system for efficient learning and memorization. Sync your decks across all your devices, including desktop and web, for seamless study anywhere. Supports large collections, custom card creation, and detailed progress tracking.

Highlights
  • Spaced repetition scheduling (SM-2 and FSRS)
  • Free sync with AnkiWeb across devices
  • Support for large card collections (100,000+)
  • Offline study with local media storage
  • Flexible interface for efficient study
  • Detailed progress graphs and statistics
  • MathJax and LaTeX rendering
Features
Read full description

Your decks, wherever you go! AnkiMobile is the official Anki app for iPhone and iPad, the flashcard app that more than 15 million learners worldwide have loved and trusted for over 20 years, made by the team behind Anki and AnkiWeb. Your purchase directly supports the open-source project that keeps Anki desktop free for everyone. Sync is included at no extra cost: no subscription, no sync fees. What you get: - Free sync with AnkiWeb. Keep your decks and study progress in sync across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows, Linux, and the web. Add cards on your computer, study them on your phone. - The same SM-2 and FSRS scheduling as desktop Anki, so you review material right as you're about to forget it. - A flexible interface designed for smooth and efficient study. - Detailed graphs and statistics about your progress. - Support for large collections, including 100,000+ cards. - Offline study. Media (images and audio) is stored on your device. - Powerful search for building filtered decks, e.g. "tagged high priority, answered in the last ten days, and not containing these words". - MathJax equations and LaTeX rendering. - Apple Pencil support for adding hand-drawn images to cards. Good to know: AnkiMobile works alongside the desktop version of Anki. Some tasks might require the desktop version, and add-ons are not supported on mobile yet. Sync is optional. You can also import and export data over USB or AirDrop. Buy once and use AnkiMobile on all your devices with the same Apple ID. Family Sharing is also supported. Educational institutions can find bulk discounts information through Apple's Volume Purchase Program. Need help? The manual and support resources are at https://docs.ankiweb.net/ankimobile/support. If you have questions or want to report an issue, contact us through our support site.

About

Core Step Prep

This platform offers a high-yield question bank and study tools designed for USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 CK preparation. It focuses on recurring exam concepts with expert-crafted questions, actionable analytics, and realistic practice interfaces. Enhance your board prep with targeted study blocks and detailed explanations.

Highlights
  • High-yield USMLE-style questions
  • Step 1 + Step 2 CK coverage
  • Expert-crafted questions
  • Actionable analytics
  • Customizable quizzes
  • Realistic exam interface
  • Detailed explanations
  • Flashcards with spaced repetition
Features
Read full description

CoreStepPrep brings your USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 study workflow to iPhone, iPad, and native Mac. Build focused question blocks, study detailed explanations, and connect practice with notes, flashcards, reference documents, and progress insights. Your eligible access and study activity stay connected with the CoreStepPrep website. PRACTICE WITH PURPOSE • Create Tutor or Exam blocks by bank, system, discipline, difficulty, and question status • Use Smart blocks, saved presets, question IDs, and assigned curriculum blocks • Keep notes, bookmarks, highlights, scratch paper, calculator, and reference labs close to your questions • Continue already-loaded sessions when your connection is interrupted, with visible save and recovery status • Review correct, incorrect, and unanswered questions, then build focused remediation practice BUILD YOUR STUDY LIBRARY • Search and organize notes with folders and tags; export CSV, Markdown, or PDF • Review and manage flashcards, and export eligible personal or premium Anki decks • Read high-yield documents with contents, search, zoom, favorites, and saved reading progress • Search Core Concepts and move between questions and related explanations UNDERSTAND YOUR PROGRESS • Resume your work from Today and follow recent activity • Explore system and discipline results, accuracy, usage, and available peer comparisons • Use native USMLE, Shelf/CMS, and osteopathic prediction tools • Browse session history and revisit completed reviews MADE FOR APPLE DEVICES • A compact iPhone workspace and adaptive iPad and Mac sidebars • Native touch, pointer, and keyboard controls • Handoff, shortcuts, and links that return to your study context • Widgets and Live Activities on supported iPhone and iPad devices • Question of the Day, Live Quiz, and contextual support Some content and features require eligible CoreStepPrep access. Step 1 and Step 2 access may be purchased separately. Subscription availability and terms are shown before purchase. Internet access is required to load new content and synchronize changes; offline continuation applies to sessions already loaded on that device. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://corestepprep.com/#/privacy

Screenshots

AnkiMobile Flashcards4 screens
Core Step Prep3 screens

Verdict

The call

AnkiMobile Flashcards and Core Step Prep both sit at 4.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 59% of AnkiMobile Flashcards's written reviews are positive against 0% of Core Step Prep's. AnkiMobile Flashcards also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ratings volume (2.4K vs 2). Core Step Prep's advantage is price (Free vs $24.99) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 6 weeks). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Core Step Prep is free to download; AnkiMobile Flashcards costs $24.99 up front. Core Step Prep sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per 7 days. AnkiMobile Flashcards asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for AnkiMobile Flashcards against 4.0 for Core Step Prep. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AnkiMobile Flashcards has 2.4K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of AnkiMobile Flashcards's written reviews are positive against 0% of Core Step Prep's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AnkiMobile Flashcards ships an update every 6 weeks, Core Step Prep every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
AnkiMobile Flashcards versus Core Step Prep: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAnkiMobile FlashcardsCore Step Prep
Price$24.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (2.4K ratings) — better4.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews58.5% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2.4K — better2
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#1 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.2 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB19 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAnki Software, LLCTerry Trent

Customer experience

AnkiMobile Flashcards

All ratings2,375 ratings
Positive73.8%
Neutral5.1%
Negative21.1%
Written reviews1,589 reviews
Positive58.5%
Neutral12.9%
Negative28.6%

Core Step Prep

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

AnkiMobile Flashcards

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Cards disappearing after updates
  • Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps
  • Inability to delete decks on mobile
  • Sync issues causing data loss
  • Compatibility problems with older iOS versions

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve card browsing and management features
  • Integrate with Apple Pencil for better note-taking
  • Add support for more file formats (e.g., Opus audio)
  • Enhance mobile-specific features and UI
Show 1 more
  • Provide better onboarding and tutorials

Core Step Prep

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

AnkiMobile Flashcards

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Core Step Prep

Subscriptions6
  • USMLE Step 1 Qbank - 1 wk access$9.997 Days
  • USMLE Step 2 CK Qbank - 1 wk access$9.997 Days
  • USMLE Step 1 Qbank - 1 mo. access$29.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • USMLE Step 2 CK Qbank - 1 mo access$29.991 Month
  • USMLE Step 2 CK Qbank - 6 mo access$99.996 Months
  • USMLE Step 1 Qbank - 6 mo access$99.996 Months

Questions

Is AnkiMobile Flashcards free?
AnkiMobile Flashcards costs $24.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Core Step Prep free?
Core Step Prep is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, AnkiMobile Flashcards or Core Step Prep?
AnkiMobile Flashcards is rated higher. AnkiMobile Flashcards averages 4.0 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while Core Step Prep averages 4.0 from 2 ratings.
Do AnkiMobile Flashcards or Core Step Prep have ads?
Neither AnkiMobile Flashcards nor Core Step Prep shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AnkiMobile Flashcards or Core Step Prep?
AnkiMobile Flashcards ships an update every 6 weeks, and Core Step Prep every 6 days. Most recently, AnkiMobile Flashcards was updated on November 4, 2026 and Core Step Prep on October 30, 2026.

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