Comparison

Brainscape vs Hivemind

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

Head to head
About

Brainscape

This app uses AI and spaced repetition to help you learn faster and remember longer. Create your own multimedia flashcards or access a vast marketplace of expert-curated content for various subjects and exams. It's designed for serious learners who want to optimize their study time.

Highlights
  • AI-powered flashcard maker
  • Spaced repetition algorithm
  • Expert-curated flashcard marketplace
  • Create multimedia flashcards
  • Collaborative content creation
  • Active recall and self-assessment
Features
Read full description

Learn faster and remember longer with Brainscape, the AI flashcard app that combines scientifically proven spaced repetition and active recall. Create flashcards instantly from notes, PDFs, images, and text, or study millions of expert-created flashcards for exams, languages, certifications, and more. Whether you're switching from Anki or another flashcard app, Brainscape helps you study more efficiently. Brainscape’s intelligent study system is designed around proven cognitive science principles that help you learn faster and remember longer. By combining active recall, metacognition, and spaced repetition, Brainscape helps serious learners spend less time studying and retain more of what they learn. How Brainscape works. Study any subject using smart flashcards designed to maximize retention: - Actively recall answers instead of passively rereading notes - Rate your confidence from 1–5 after each card - Let Brainscape automatically optimize review timing using spaced repetition - Focus more time on difficult concepts and less on material you've already mastered This unique combination of active recall, self-assessment (metacognition), and spaced repetition is designed to help you learn more efficiently. Where do all of Brainscape’s awesome flashcards come from? Three places: 1. Exper-created flashcards: Study professionally designed collections covering: - Foreign languages - MBE (Bar Exam) - NCLEX - MCAT - AP courses - Series 7 - GRE - And many more 2. Community-created flashcards: Search millions of flashcards created by students, teachers, professionals, and organizations around the world. 3. Create your own flashcards: Instantly create multimedia flashcards from: - Notes - PDFs - Images - Documents - Text input Add images, audio, and collaborate with classmates or colleagues. Why learners all over the world use Brainscape - AI-powered flashcard creation - Scientifically designed spaced repetition - Active recall learning techniques - Progress tracking and study insights - Millions of existing flashcards ready to study - Available across web and mobile devices How much does it cost? Creating and sharing great text flashcards is FREE. (Woohoo! And sorry, we do have to charge for image creation for security reasons.) And for unlimited access to ALL of Brainscape's user-generated and premium, expert-curated content, as well as optional features, like bookmarks and card reversibility--or to me your content private, you can upgrade to Pro for $19.99 (monthly), $59.99 (every 6 months), or $95.99 (annually). Alternatively, you can unlock a LIFETIME of learning with Brainscape for a one-time cost of only $199.99 American dolla billz. The fine print: The 3 recurring subscriptions (monthly, semiannual, and annual) will renew automatically within 24 hours before the end of the current period, unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the period. You can cancel auto-renewal any time by going to Account Settings, and the cancellation will apply after the active subscription period is complete. Go ahead and learn more about our Terms and Privacy Policy at brainscape.com/terms. What’s on the horizon? It’s our vision to empower everyone, everywhere to rise to the challenge of personalized forever-learning. And for this reason, we love hearing from our user community: it’s through your feedback that we can continue to innovate our platform to be more convenient, efficient, and even fun and social to use!

About

Hivemind

This AI-powered study app transforms your learning experience by integrating educational content into a familiar social media feed format. It offers personalized feeds, interactive exercises, and unique learning modes to help you master any subject quickly and effectively.

Highlights
  • AI Study Feeds
  • Podcast to Posts Summaries
  • PDF & Web Content Import
  • Blended Topic Feed
  • Interactive Exercises
  • Feynman Mode
Read full description

Stop doomscrolling - start learning 10× faster. Hivemind is the first AI-powered study app that feels like your favorite social feed. Forget boring flashcards and instead let your existing habits turn you into an academic weapon: Memes, micro-lessons, quizzes, and instant explanations keep you locked in and leveling up. This is the fastest way to learn anything. Why Hivemind? AI Study Feeds – Type a topic (“organic chemistry”, “SwiftUI”, “K-pop history”) and get a personalized AI feed packed with memes, exercises, examples and quick takes. Podcast → Posts – Drop any podcast link; we transcribe, summarise, and turn it a full-fledged social feed. Perfect for commuters with no time to listen. PDF & Web Import – Share research papers, slide decks, or articles straight into the app. Coming soon: video import. Main Feed - Blend all topics into one addictive scroll that makes you smarter at lightspeed. Interactive Exercises – Spaced-repetition flashcards and mini-tests lock knowledge into long-term memory. Feynman Mode – Teach the AI to truly master a subject and comprehend what you just scrolled through. It was never easier to become a genius and master any topic as fast as possible. Please reach out to us, if you have any questions or ideas for improvements. We want to hear from you! Please be aware that this is a subscription-based app. We currently don't have a free tier but we are working on it. We answer any email fast, so please check your Spam folder if you haven't gotten an answer after two days. Support: https://gethivemind.app/support Privacy Policy: https://gethivemind.app/privacy Terms of Service: https://gethivemind.app/terms EULA: https://gethivemind.app/eula

Screenshots

Brainscape4 screens
Hivemind4 screens

Verdict

The call

Brainscape and Hivemind both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 82% of Brainscape's written reviews are positive against 30% of Hivemind's. Brainscape also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). Hivemind's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Brainscape sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and Hivemind sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Brainscape against 4.7 for Hivemind. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Brainscape has 21K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 82% of Brainscape's written reviews are positive against 30% of Hivemind's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Brainscape ships an update every 3 weeks, Hivemind weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Brainscape versus Hivemind: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrainscapeHivemind
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (21K ratings) — better4.7 (12 ratings)
Positive reviews82.1% of reviews — better30.2% of reviews
Number of ratings21K — better12
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.4
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB94 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperBrainscapeAether Technologies UG (haftungsbeschränkt)

Customer experience

Brainscape

All ratings21,383 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.0%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews926 reviews
Positive82.1%
Neutral4.9%
Negative13.1%

Hivemind

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews179 reviews
Positive30.2%
Neutral11.7%
Negative58.1%

User reviews

Brainscape

From 21K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Amazing flashcard app
  • 👍 Great for studying and learning
  • 👍 Helpful for passing exams and tests
  • 👍 Convenient to use on mobile devices
  • 👍 Effective spaced repetition algorithm

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🐛 Buggy app with crashes and syncing issues
  • 🔒 Limited functionality in free version
  • 👎 Difficult to edit and organize cards
  • 👎 Inaccuracies in some pre-made decks

Hivemind

From 12 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Highly effective for learning
  • 👍 Engaging and efficient format
  • 🚀 Reduces time spent on social media
  • 👍 Diverse topics covered
  • 🚀 Improves studying experience

Room to improve

  • 🔒 Paywall blocks access to app
  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes prevent progress
  • 🔒 No free trial or demo available
  • 🔒 Confusing subscription options
  • 🐛 Inconsistent performance

Bugs and requests

Brainscape

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes when switching between cards
  • Syncing issues causing data loss
  • Difficulty importing and organizing custom cards
  • Inconsistent performance on different devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Allow more customization of cards (e.g., adding images, audio)
  • Improve search and browsing functionality
  • Provide more detailed progress tracking and statistics
  • Offer family/group subscription plans
  • Add support for more languages

Hivemind

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Progress bar not updating correctly
  • Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • Onboarding process issues
  • Compatibility problems with older devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add video format support
  • Implement dark mode
  • Allow saving of favorite posts/comments
  • Improve chat/discussion functionality
  • Provide iPad version

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Brainscape

Subscriptions3
  • Brainscape Pro$19.991 Month
  • Brainscape Pro$59.996 Months
  • Brainscape Pro$95.991 Year
One-time1
  • Brainscape Pro Lifetime$199.99
10 purchases

Hivemind

Subscriptions9
  • Starter Weekly$3.997 Days
  • Starter Plan Monthly$8.991 Month
  • Pro Plan Monthly3 Days trial$13.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Premium Plan Monthly$21.991 Month
  • Pro Plan 3 Months3 Days trial$29.993 Months
  • Pro Plan Yearly3 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Starter Plan Yearly$59.991 Year
  • Welcome Offer3 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Premium Plan Yearly$179.991 Year
One-time1
  • 100 Credits$9.99

Questions

Is Brainscape free?
Brainscape is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hivemind free?
Hivemind is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Brainscape or Hivemind?
Brainscape is rated higher. Brainscape averages 4.8 out of 5 from 21K ratings, while Hivemind averages 4.7 from 12 ratings.
Do Brainscape or Hivemind have ads?
Hivemind shows ads; Brainscape does not.
Which is updated more often, Brainscape or Hivemind?
Brainscape ships an update every 3 weeks, and Hivemind weekly. Most recently, Brainscape was updated on September 25, 2026 and Hivemind on September 23, 2026.

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