Comparison

Very Simple Flashcards vs Retrieve

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

Head to head
About

Very Simple Flashcards

Capture and organize quotes, definitions, and ideas easily to enhance memory and retention. Access your learning materials across devices and keep key information visible with widgets. Create flashcards hands-free using Siri or directly from other apps.

Highlights
  • Sync across devices with iCloud
  • Lock screen and home screen widgets
  • Create flashcards by sharing text
  • Siri Shortcuts for hands-free creation
  • Control Center integration for quick adds
Read full description

Rediscover the power of simple learning. Capture quotes, definitions, and ideas effortlessly, and keep them at your fingertips throughout the day. Enhance your memory and boost your retention of key ideas. FEATURES Sync Across Devices with iCloud: Access your flashcards seamlessly on all your devices. (Requires iCloud to be enabled on your devices) Lock Screen & Home Screen Widgets: Keep important ideas in sight with rotating flashcards on your lock screen and home screen. Create Flashcards from Anywhere: Instantly create flashcards by highlighting text in any app, tapping "Share" from the menu and selecting the Flashcards app. (Known issue: This is not supported in Apple Books at this time.) Siri Shortcuts: Use Siri to create flashcards hands-free, anytime. You can also build custom Siri Shortcuts and customize how you create your flashcards to your specific needs. Create from Control Center: Quickly add new flashcards from your control center or as a lock screen control. Make learning a natural part of your day! Cheers!

About

Retrieve

Features
Read full description

Retrieve is a flashcard app that tells you what to study each day. It schedules every card so you see it right before you'd forget it, which is the fastest way to actually remember things. Pay once. No subscription, no ads, no account. HOW IT WORKS Make a deck and add cards. Each day, Retrieve shows you the cards that are due. Flip a card, tap how well you knew it (Again, Hard, Good or Easy), and Retrieve picks the next date for it. There's nothing to set up. GET YOUR CARDS IN • Type cards one at a time, including fill-in-the-blank cards • Paste a list of terms and definitions. Retrieve works out the format. • Import a CSV or TSV spreadsheet • Import .apkg deck files, with their images and tags • Turn a photo of a diagram, map or textbook page into cards that each hide one label STUDY WITHOUT GETTING BURIED • New cards are capped at 20 per deck per day (you can change it), so a big deck doesn't flood you • Each deck shows how many cards are due today • The grade buttons show when you'll see the card again • Cards you miss come back later in the same session • Optional daily reminder at a time you pick • Study by tag, or review ahead when you want extra practice FIND AND TRACK • Search every card in every deck from the main screen • See your day streak, total reviews and cards learned YOUR CARDS STAY WITH YOU No account, no sign-in, no analytics. Export any deck as a CSV whenever you want. PRICE Free for one deck of up to 150 cards. A one-time $9.99 purchase gives you unlimited decks and cards. No subscription.

Screenshots

Very Simple Flashcards4 screens
Retrieve4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Very Simple Flashcards at none against Retrieve's 1. Retrieve's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Retrieve sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Very Simple Flashcards asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Very Simple Flashcards ships an update every 6 months, Retrieve every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Very Simple Flashcards versus Retrieve: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVery Simple FlashcardsRetrieve
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.0 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTravis ChapmanBlackhook Group LLC

In-app purchases

None

Very Simple Flashcards

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Retrieve

One-time1
  • Unlock Retrieve$9.99

Questions

Is Very Simple Flashcards free?
Very Simple Flashcards is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Retrieve free?
Retrieve is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Very Simple Flashcards or Retrieve have ads?
Neither Very Simple Flashcards nor Retrieve shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Very Simple Flashcards or Retrieve?
Very Simple Flashcards ships an update every 6 months, and Retrieve every 2 days. Most recently, Very Simple Flashcards was updated on October 9, 2026 and Retrieve on October 18, 2026.

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