Retain vs Hesse Cards
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Retain
This minimalist flashcard app uses AI to help you create and study. Its intelligent spaced repetition algorithm optimizes review intervals for efficient learning and rapid progress. Choose from different card layouts to keep your study sessions engaging.
- AI-generated flashcards
- Customizable card layouts
- Spaced repetition algorithm
- Minimalist design
- Progress tracking
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A beautifully minimalist flashcard app designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind. Create your own flashcards, or let AI generate them for you. Choose between two different card layouts that keep your learning fresh and engaging. And with our intelligent spaced repetition algorithm, you'll review your cards at optimal intervals, ensuring maximum retention and rapid progress.
Hesse Cards
Transform lecture notes into interactive flashcards and quizzes quickly and efficiently. This app focuses on streamlined automation for effective learning, offering a simple and fast way to study your notes.
- Automated flashcard creation
- Quiz generation
- Note transformation
- Efficient learning tools
- Simple interface
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Imagine being able to transform your lecture notes into interactive flashcards and quizzes in seconds – with Hesse Cards, that's a reality! Our app stands out with focused automation that prioritizes quality and efficiency. We believe that less is more: no unnecessary features, no complicated settings. Just two clicks and in 30 seconds, you're ready to learn your notes in an entirely new way. Hesse Cards focuses on the essentials – efficient learning of information. Experience learning as it should be: simple, fast, and effective. Please note that using Hesse Cards requires a paid subscription. https://hesse.ai/agb
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: Retain at freemium against Hesse Cards's subscription. Retain also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 52%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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
Both are free to download. Retain sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Hesse Cards sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Retain against 5.0 for Hesse Cards. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 89% of Retain's written reviews are positive against 52% of Hesse Cards's.
Retain ships an update every 3 weeks, Hesse Cards every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 5, 2026 and June 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Retain | Hesse Cards |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 88.9% of reviews — better | 52.4% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 4 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Paul Evans | Hesse Al GmbH |
Customer experience
Retain
Hesse Cards
In-app purchases
Retain
- Premium Monthly$4.991 Month
- Premium Yearly$29.991 Year
Hesse Cards
- Pro$12.991 Month
