Comparison

Flashcards by NKO vs Study Surfers

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

Head to head
About

Flashcards by NKO

Create and share rich flashcards with images, or download millions from a vast library. Engage with study games and a Spaced Repetition System to enhance learning and track progress.

Highlights
  • Create rich text flashcards with images
  • Download millions of pre-made flashcards
  • Engaging study and testing games
  • Spaced Repetition System (SRS)
  • Class management tools for teachers
  • Share decks via folders, email, or iTunes
  • Offline text-to-speech support
Features
Read full description

Flashcards by NKO is an engaging educational solution for students and teachers worldwide. Looking for a powerful and easy-to-use flashcards app to help you study? This app allows you to create rich text formatted flashcards with pictures and download millions of flashcards on hundreds of subjects created by both experts and novices. Matching, True/False, Memory, Spelling, Q-Battle, Word Search, Flow, Flappy Dog, Dig It Up, 2048, Ninja, Bingo, Q-Battle LMP, Blocks, and Letters games add more fun to your studying. Don't be surprised to find yourself playing games, getting badges and beating highscores of your friends or classmates rather than simply flipping flash cards... :) Not enough? Loci will turn your cards into a 3D Memory Palace that exploits a memory technique of ancient Greeks and memory champions. Moreover you will immerse ing an augment reality realm in Defender game All tools and games are connected to a sophisticated Spaced Repetition System (SRS) that tracks your progress and keep you organized. - 2.5 millions downloads - used in classrooms and schools worldwide. FROM TEACHERS: "I saw a big improvement in the most recent test scores which, I believe, can be partially attributed to their use of the Flashcards app." "everything you ever wanted to do with flashcards and then some. Supports individualized and differentiated learning in the classroom." "I'm a high school English teacher who loves your app! I kept seeing my students using it, and I checked the app store a couple of times looking for it. I finally took a good look, and I realized they were creating fabulous decks beyond what I was seeing in the bare apps available. The features of your app are rich and so intuitive!" APP FEATURES - Create your own flash cards with rich text formatting and images - Download millions of flashcards made by other users - Organize your cards into folders - Share your decks with friends using shared (automatically synchronized) folders, email or iTunes. - Keep track of your progress for each deck and each card - Spaced Repetition System - Manual and Slide show modes - Linear/Adaptive/Shuffle mode to enhance retention - 5 tools (Review, Explore, Quiz, Listen, and Collage). - 16 studying/testing games (Matching, Memory, True/False, Spelling, Words, Q-Battle, Flow, Flappy, Dig It Up, Ninja, 2048, Bingo, Q-Battle MP, Blocks, Letters, Loci) - 6 built-in keyboards (rich text formatting, fast edit, maths symbols, chemistry symbols, Fonts, and Greek letters) and support of custom keyboards. - Combine or split decks - Sorting flashcards - Import decks in txt, csv, or tsv formats - a drawing tool - 36 built-in text-to-speech voices that work offline + 40+ additional voices from iSpeech. - color coding - no distracting ads FOR TEACHERS: - the only flashcard app with a full-fledged class management system - classes, leaderboards, a lot of games! - students' folders for personalized learning - teacher's messages - statistics in detail: who reviewed what, when, for how long, what tools and games are used. Printable reports. - multiplayer games --------------------- In addition to the life-time Individual Edition, Teacher Pro, and Educational Editions, the application also offers Individual Edition auto-renewal Subscriptions for 1 month ($1.99/month in the U.S. App Store) and 1 year ($9.99/year in the U.S. App Store). Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Auto-renewal Subscriptions automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. The account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. You can read about our Privacy Policy (http://nkoapps.com/privacy) and Terms of Use (https://nkoapps.com/terms_of_use) on our website.

About

Study Surfers

This app transforms study notes into an engaging endless runner game. Use AI to generate custom quizzes from any topic, test your knowledge to increase speed, and compete for high scores. Customize your character with earned in-game currency.

Highlights
  • AI-generated custom quizzes
  • Endless runner gameplay
  • Speed increases with correct answers
  • Character customization
  • High score competition
  • Unlockable outfits and accessories
Features
Read full description

STUDY SMARTER. RUN FASTER. Tired of boring flashcards? Introducing the revolutionary endless runner that turns your study notes into an adrenaline-fueled quiz! Just paste in your topic or study guide, and our powerful AI instantly generates a custom true/false track for you to conquer. AI-POWERED QUIZZES: Create infinite, unique levels from any subject imaginable—from history to biology to your favorite fantasy novel! HIGH-SPEED ACTION: The more you know, the faster you go! Answer questions correctly on the fly to build epic score streaks and boost your speed. CUSTOMIZE YOUR CHARACTER: Use the coins you earn to unlock awesome and unique outfits, shoes, and accessories in the store. COMPETE FOR THE TOP SPOT: Dodge challenging obstacles, master every subject, and crush your old high scores to prove you're the smartest runner around. Stop memorizing. Start sprinting. Download now and turn your study session into an epic adventure!

Screenshots

Flashcards by NKO4 screens
Study Surfers4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Flashcards by NKO at 94% against Study Surfers's 50%. Flashcards by NKO also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 9). Study Surfers's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 4 weeks) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Flashcards by NKO sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Study Surfers sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Flashcards by NKO holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Flashcards by NKO has 2.1K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 94% of Flashcards by NKO's written reviews are positive against 50% of Study Surfers's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Flashcards by NKO ships an update every 4 weeks, Study Surfers every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Flashcards by NKO versus Study Surfers: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFlashcards by NKOStudy Surfers
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (2.1K ratings) — better4.6 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews93.8% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2.1K — better9
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS1715.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB241 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNKO Ventures, LLCHenry Hinman Whittle

Customer experience

Flashcards by NKO

All ratings2,039 ratings
Positive96.7%
Neutral1.2%
Negative2.1%
Written reviews341 reviews
Positive93.8%
Neutral2.1%
Negative4.1%

Study Surfers

All ratings7 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Flashcards by NKO

Subscriptions2
  • Individual Edition1 Month trial$1.991 Month
  • Individual Edition$14.991 Year
One-time8
  • AbstractFree
  • CatsFree
  • SpringFree
Show 5 more
  • Winter$0.99
  • Vintage$2.99
  • Back to School$2.99
  • Individual Edition$99.99
  • Teacher Pro 100$99.99
1 purchases

Study Surfers

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$8.99

Questions

Is Flashcards by NKO free?
Flashcards by NKO is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Study Surfers free?
Study Surfers is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Flashcards by NKO or Study Surfers?
Flashcards by NKO is rated higher. Flashcards by NKO averages 4.9 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Study Surfers averages 4.6 from 9 ratings.
Do Flashcards by NKO or Study Surfers have ads?
Study Surfers shows ads; Flashcards by NKO does not.
Which is updated more often, Flashcards by NKO or Study Surfers?
Flashcards by NKO ships an update every 4 weeks, and Study Surfers every 3 days. Most recently, Flashcards by NKO was updated on November 1, 2026 and Study Surfers on October 30, 2026.

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