# Retain Cards vs StudyNotes AI

The clearest difference is rating: StudyNotes AI at 5.0 against Retain Cards's 4.2. Retain Cards's advantage is ratings volume (421 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Retain Cards sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and StudyNotes AI sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

StudyNotes AI holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Retain Cards has 421 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Retain Cards ships an update every 3 weeks, StudyNotes AI every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Retain Cards | StudyNotes AI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (421 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retain-cards-ai-flashcards/id6745344282/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/studynotes-ai/id6755971857/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **421** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 50.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 10 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [Retain Labs GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1811857833) | [Aleksander Hamre Evensen](https://appshunter.io/developer/1850688702) |

## What reviewers say

### Retain Cards

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retain-cards-ai-flashcards/id6745344282)

This AI-powered flashcard app transforms your learning materials into effective study tools. Upload documents, videos, or notes to automatically generate flashcards and receive a personalized study plan based on your exam dates and goals. Optimize your learning with spaced repetition and active recall.

**Highlights:** AI-generated flashcards from various sources, Personalized study plans based on exam dates, Spaced repetition and active recall, Progress tracking and visualization, Import Anki decks, Share flashcard decks

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Retain Ultra (monthly) | $12.99 | per month |
| Retain Ultra (monthly) | $14.99 | per month |
| Retain Ultra (monthly) | $19.99 | per month |
| Retain Ultra (yearly) | $47.90 | per year |
| Retain Ultra (yearly) | $59.90 | per year |
| Retain Ultra (yearly) | $71.90 | per year |
| Retain Ultra (yearly) | $83.90 | per year |
| Retain Ultra (yearly) | $83.90 | per year |
| Retain Ultra (yearly) | $83.90 | per year |
| Retain Ultra (yearly) | $95.90 | per year |
| Retain Ultra (yearly) | $119.99 | per year |
| Retain Ultra (yearly) | $119.99 | per year |
| Retain Pro (yearly) | $999.99 | per year |
| Retain Pro (monthly) | $999.99 | per month |


### StudyNotes AI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/studynotes-ai/id6755971857)

Transform your notes into interactive study tools with AI. Scan documents, record lectures, and generate summaries, quizzes, flashcards, and mind maps to learn faster. Organize all your study materials by subject for efficient revision.

**Highlights:** AI-powered note summaries, Interactive AI Tutor, Automated quizzes and flashcards, Visual mind map generation, Smart note capture (camera, PDF, voice), Organized study projects

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Subscription | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Subscription | $5.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $39.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Retain Cards free?

Retain Cards is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is StudyNotes AI free?

StudyNotes AI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Retain Cards or StudyNotes AI?

StudyNotes AI is rated higher. Retain Cards averages 4.2 out of 5 from 421 ratings, while StudyNotes AI averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Retain Cards or StudyNotes AI have ads?

Neither Retain Cards nor StudyNotes AI shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Retain Cards or StudyNotes AI?

Retain Cards ships an update every 3 weeks, and StudyNotes AI every 5 weeks. Most recently, Retain Cards was updated on October 28, 2026 and StudyNotes AI on October 24, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*