AnkiMobile Flashcards vs Core Step Prep
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | AnkiMobile Flashcards | Core Step Prep |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (2.4K ratings) — better | 4.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 58.5% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.4K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #1 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.2 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 19 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Anki Software, LLC | Terry Trent |
Customer experience
AnkiMobile Flashcards
Core Step Prep
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 moreShow fewer
- Provide better onboarding and tutorials
Core Step Prep
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
AnkiMobile Flashcards
No in-app purchases
Core Step Prep
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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?
Is Core Step Prep free?
Which has better reviews, AnkiMobile Flashcards or Core Step Prep?
Do AnkiMobile Flashcards or Core Step Prep have ads?
Which is updated more often, AnkiMobile Flashcards or Core Step Prep?
Other comparisons















