AnkiMobile Flashcards vs Guru
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AnkiMobile Flashcards
This app is a powerful and intelligent flashcard companion for a popular desktop program. It offers smart scheduling algorithms, flexible study interfaces, and comprehensive statistics to aid learning. Sync your progress across devices and study offline with media-rich cards.
- Cloud synchronization across devices
- SM2 and FSRS scheduling algorithms
- Flexible and efficient study interface
- Comprehensive study graphs and statistics
- Support for large card decks
- Offline study with media
- Advanced card search functionality
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AnkiMobile is a mobile companion to Anki®, a powerful, intelligent flashcard program that is free, multi-platform, and open-source. Sales of this app support the development of both the computer and mobile version, which is why the app is priced as a computer application. AnkiMobile was written by the lead developer of Anki and AnkiWeb, and it has been around since 2010. Beware other apps using "Anki" in their name that have sprung up recently - they are not compatible with the rest of the Anki ecosystem, and they offer far fewer features, despite charging expensive subscriptions. Some of AnkiMobile's features include: - A free cloud synchronization service that lets you keep your card content synchronized across multiple mobile and computer devices. This makes it easy to add content on a computer and then study it on your mobile, easily keep your study progress current between an iPhone and iPad, and so on. - The same SM2 and FSRS scheduling algorithms that the computer version of Anki uses, which remind you of material as you're about to forget it. - A flexible interface designed for smooth and efficient study. You can set up AnkiMobile to perform different actions when you tap or swipe on various parts of the screen, and control which actions appear on the tool buttons. - Comprehensive graphs and statistics about your studies. - Support for large card decks - even 100,000+ cards. - If your cards use images or audio clips, the media is stored on your device, so you can study without an internet connection. - A powerful search facility that allows you to find cards that match criteria such as 'tagged high priority, answered in the last ten days and not containing the following words', and automatically place them into a deck to study. - Support for displaying mathematical equations with MathJax, and rendering LaTeX created with the computer version. - Support for adding images drawn with the Apple Pencil to your cards. Please note that AnkiMobile is currently intended as a companion to the computer version of Anki, rather than a complete replacement for it. While AnkiMobile is able to display and schedule your cards in the same way the computer version does, certain changes like modifying note types need to be done with the computer software. Add-ons are not supported, so while you can study image occlusion cards created with the computer version, they can not be created within AnkiMobile. For this reason, please start with the computer version of Anki before you think about buying this app. The cloud synchronization service is optional, and data can also be imported/exported from the app via a USB cable or AirDrop. Like all apps, AnkiMobile can be purchased once and then used on multiple devices in a household using the same Apple ID. Family sharing is also supported (apart from in India). For information on bulk discounts for educational institutions, please see Apple's Volume Purchase Program. For more information on AnkiMobile, including a link to the online manual, please have a look at the support page: https://docs.ankimobile.net/support.html. If you have any questions or want to report an issue, please let us know on our support site and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Guru
This app helps students import existing flashcard decks, review them using an AI-powered spaced repetition system, and even generate new cards from PDFs and notes. It includes a study lock feature to minimize distractions during review sessions.
- Import existing flashcard decks
- AI-powered spaced repetition (FSRS)
- Generate flashcards from PDFs and notes
- Study Lock to block distracting apps
- Controller support for reviews
- Organized deck management
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Guru imports your Anki decks (.apkg and .colpkg) with cards, media, sub-decks and scheduling state intact, then reviews them on iPhone and iPad with the FSRS scheduler, online or offline. Open a deck straight from Files, AirDrop, Safari downloads or the share sheet. Importing and daily review are free for up to 5 decks. Pro unlocks card editing, cross-device sync, Study Lock and unlimited decks: US$4.99/month after a 3-day free trial, US$39.99/year, or US$24.99 once for Lifetime (includes 5,000 AI credits). Requires iOS 17 or later. ■ Import your decks ・.apkg and .colpkg packages, including large shared decks with tens of thousands of cards ・Cards, cloze deletions, images, audio, sub-decks and scheduling state come through ・Browse the deck tree before you start reviewing ■ Review with FSRS ・Study cards when they are due, with Again, Hard, Good and Easy ratings ・One card per note per day, so cloze siblings don't stack up ・Cram Mode before exams without rebuilding your deck ■ Turn material into cards ・Create draft cards from PDFs, notes and lectures with AI credits ・Review and edit generated cards before studying ・Image occlusion cards for diagrams and anatomy ■ Stay focused ・Study Lock (optional) shields selected distracting apps until today's review is done ・Review with touch, gestures, or a paired game controller ・Built for fast daily sessions on iPhone and iPad ■ Export and sync ・Every deck exports back to a standard .apkg ・Pro syncs decks, cards and review progress with the GuruOwl web app ■ Pro access Choose a monthly or yearly subscription, or the one-time Lifetime unlock. AI card generation uses credits. Subscriptions can be cancelled any time in App Store settings. Guru is an independent app and is not affiliated with Anki, AnkiMobile or AnkiWeb. ■ Legal Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://guruowl.com/app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Guru at Free against AnkiMobile Flashcards's $24.99. Guru also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks). AnkiMobile Flashcards's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and ratings volume (2.4K vs 3). On 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
Guru is free to download; AnkiMobile Flashcards costs $24.99 up front. Guru sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. AnkiMobile Flashcards asks for nothing beyond the download.
Guru holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AnkiMobile Flashcards has 2.4K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.
AnkiMobile Flashcards ships an update every 6 weeks, Guru every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | AnkiMobile Flashcards | Guru |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (2.4K ratings) | 4.7 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 58.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.4K — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Freemium — better |
| Best chart rank | #1 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.2 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 46 MB | 113 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Anki Software, LLC | 剑 肖 |
Customer experience
AnkiMobile Flashcards
Guru
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
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- Provide better onboarding and tutorials
Guru
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
AnkiMobile Flashcards
No in-app purchases
Guru
- Flashcard Guru Pro Weekly3 Days trial$2.997 Days
- Flashcard Guru Pro Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Flashcard Guru Pro Yearly$39.991 Year
- 500 AI Credits$4.99
- Lifetime Pro$24.99









