Comparison

Retain Cards vs Etchd.ai

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

Head to head
About

Retain Cards

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
Read full description

Welcome to Retain – the AI-powered flashcard app that turns your personal learning materials into effective study tools. Whether you're in school, university, or pursuing self-learning, Retain helps you study faster, retain more, and stay on track. How it works: 1. Upload your study material (PDF/image/video) 2. Verify the AI-generated flashcards 3. Select desired grade and exam date 4. Follow your personalized learning plan What you can do with Retain: → Automatically generate flashcards from PDFs, slides, and handwritten notes. → Convert YouTube videos and online lectures into flashcards. → Set your exam date and goal and receive a personalized flashcard learning plan. → Track your daily study goals and visualize your progress. → Import Anki decks and sync learning progress across devices. → Use spaced repetition and active recall to improve long-term memory. → Share flashcard decks with friends or study groups. Retain is based on the latest findings in learning science and artificial intelligence, using proven methods like spaced repetition and active recall. This gives you a focused, efficient learning experience tailored to your progress. For anyone who wants to cut their study time in half: Whether you're preparing for your next exam or learning a new topic – Retain helps you make the most of your study time. Just follow the daily assigned flashcard reviews to achieve your desired grade on exam day. Terms of Service: https://app.retain.cards/terms Privacy Policy: https://app.retain.cards/privacy

About

Etchd.ai

Transform any content into effective study aids like flashcards and quizzes using AI. Optimize your learning with spaced repetition and track your progress with visual tools. Collaborate with others and compete on leaderboards.

Highlights
  • AI-generated flashcards, quizzes, notes, and mind maps
  • Upload PDFs, images, audio, URLs, or text
  • Spaced repetition for smart review
  • Daily streak tracking and study charts
  • Study group creation and sharing
  • Leaderboards for competitive learning
Features
Read full description

Turn anything into study materials - instantly. Upload a PDF, snap a photo of your notes, paste a URL, or record a lecture. Etchd.ai's AI reads your content and generates complete study sets in seconds: flashcards, multiple-choice quizzes, structured notes, and visual mind maps. Then study smarter, not harder. Our spaced repetition engine tracks what you know and what you don't, surfacing the right cards at the right time so nothing slips through the cracks. AI-POWERED STUDY MATERIALS - Upload PDFs, images, audio, URLs, or plain text - AI-generated flashcards with hints - Multiple-choice quizzes with explanations - Structured notes with key terms and takeaways - Visual mind maps for big-picture understanding SMART REVIEW - Spaced repetition that adapts to your memory - Daily streak tracking to build consistency - Activity heatmap and weekly study charts - Set daily goals and hit them STUDY TOGETHER - Create or join study groups - Share decks with classmates - Compete on weekly, monthly, and all-time leaderboards BUILT FOR EVERY LEARNER - Language learners — French, Spanish, Japanese, and beyond - STEM students — Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, Physics - Pre-law, pre-med, and exam prep (SAT, MCAT, GRE, LSAT, Bar) - Professionals picking up new skills - Anyone who reads and wants to remember Download Etchd.ai and turn your next hour of studying into the most productive one yet. Privacy policy: https://etchd-ai-web.vercel.app/privacy-policy Terms & Conditions: https://etchd-ai-web.vercel.app/terms-of-service

Screenshots

Retain Cards4 screens
Etchd.ai4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Etchd.ai at 5.0 against Retain Cards's 4.2. Etchd.ai also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). Retain Cards's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (422 vs 1). 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. Retain Cards sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and Etchd.ai sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Etchd.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 422 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retain Cards ships an update every 3 weeks, Etchd.ai every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Retain Cards versus Etchd.ai: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetain CardsEtchd.ai
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (422 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings422 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRetain Labs GmbHHuseyin Alper Teoman

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Retain Cards

Subscriptions10
  • Retain Ultra (monthly)$12.991 Month
  • Retain Ultra (monthly)$14.991 Month
  • Retain Ultra (monthly)$19.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Retain Ultra (yearly)$59.901 Year
  • Retain Ultra (yearly)$71.901 Year
  • Retain Ultra (yearly)$83.901 Year
  • Retain Ultra (yearly)3 Days trial$83.901 Year
  • Retain Ultra (yearly)14 Days trial$83.901 Year
  • Retain Ultra (yearly)3 Days trial$95.901 Year
  • Retain Ultra (yearly)3 Days trial$119.991 Year
3 purchases

Etchd.ai

Subscriptions3
  • Etchd Pro3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Etchd Pro$9.991 Month
  • Etchd Premium$19.991 Month

Questions

Is Retain Cards free?
Retain Cards is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Etchd.ai free?
Etchd.ai is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Retain Cards or Etchd.ai?
Etchd.ai is rated higher. Retain Cards averages 4.2 out of 5 from 422 ratings, while Etchd.ai averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Retain Cards or Etchd.ai have ads?
Etchd.ai shows ads; Retain Cards does not.
Which is updated more often, Retain Cards or Etchd.ai?
Retain Cards ships an update every 3 weeks, and Etchd.ai every 4 days. Most recently, Retain Cards was updated on November 8, 2026 and Etchd.ai on October 31, 2026.

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