Comparison

Genius 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

Genius Flashcards

Features
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Genius Flashcards: Pass Your Next Exam Studying for TOEIC, TOEFL, IELTS, JLPT, HSK, the SAT, or USMLE? Stop re-reading your notes for the 47th time. Genius Flashcards pairs AI with spaced-repetition science so you actually remember what you study — and walk into test day ready. AI-GENERATED FLASHCARDS Tell the AI what you're studying — "TOEIC Part 5 verb + preposition pairs," "IELTS academic vocabulary," "JLPT N3 kanji" — and get a polished flashcard set in seconds. No formatting, no typing. IMPORT FROM ANKI, EXCEL & CSV Coming from another app? Bring your decks with you. Import cards from Anki (.apkg), Excel (.xlsx), or CSV, pick which columns go to the front and back, and you're in — up to 5,000 cards at a time. IMPORT FROM PHOTOS & PDFS Turn your handwritten notes, lecture slides, or a textbook chapter into a clean, focused set. Snap a photo or drop a PDF — the AI reads it and builds the cards for you. PASTE A LIST Drop in a list from anywhere — notes, a spreadsheet, ChatGPT — and instantly turn it into flashcards. Just paste, and it's ready to study. SPACED REPETITION The app tracks what you know and schedules each review at the right time. Focus on weak spots, skip what you've already learned. Study less, remember more. STREAKS & DAILY GOALS Build a real habit in the run-up to test day. Daily goals and smart reminders keep you consistent — and rest days don't break your streak. Track progress across iPhone, iPad, and web, with a home screen widget so you stay on top of it. STUDY GROUPS WITH LEADERBOARDS Create a group for your class, prep cohort, or study circle. Share flashcard sets and track everyone's progress on the leaderboard. Friendly competition keeps everyone showing up. FRIENDS KEEP YOU ACCOUNTABLE See your friends' streaks and study activity at a glance. When no one's studied today, you'll get a nudge. Subtle social pressure that turns into real consistency. HUNDREDS OF READY-MADE SETS Browse community sets for the big exams — TOEIC, IELTS, TOEFL, JLPT, HSK, SAT, USMLE — plus languages, science & tech, history, business, and trivia. FLEXIBLE SHARING Keep sets private, share with a link, or publish to the community. Switch any time. CLEAN, CUSTOMIZABLE DESIGN No ads, no pop-ups, no clutter. Personalize your profile and sets with custom emoji and colors. EVERYTHING INCLUDED - Unlimited custom flashcard sets - AI-powered card generation - Import from Anki, Excel & CSV - Import from photos & PDFs - Paste a list, instantly get flashcards - Spaced repetition engine - Study Groups with leaderboards - Friends with streaks & activity feed - Streak tracker + home screen widget - Daily goals & custom reminders - Private, link-only, or public sharing - Dark mode - Offline access - Privacy-first PLANS Free — 5 sets total, all features included (AI, photo & PDF import, deck import). Pro — 50 sets/month, made however you like. ___ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRNLIlsSbGXsFvImTCcjxKsq1X1tuJbv10nb6DQOons88UBmW8n0bOGItyVZgPVc_wA7qYeT5dU_-16/pub

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

Genius Flashcards4 screens
Retrieve4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Retrieve at every 2 days against Genius Flashcards's every 5 days. Genius Flashcards's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Genius Flashcards sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Retrieve sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Genius Flashcards ships an update every 5 days, Retrieve every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Ā· 4 level
Genius Flashcards versus Retrieve: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGenius FlashcardsRetrieve
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB5 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperNicolas ChanBlackhook Group LLC

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Genius Flashcards

Subscriptions6
  • Pro$3.991 Month
  • Pro Max$5.991 Month
  • Pro Weekly$5.997 Days
Show 3 more
  • Pro$29.991 Year
  • Pro Annual3 Days trial$44.991 Year
  • Pro Max$49.991 Year
1 purchases

Retrieve

One-time1
  • Unlock Retrieve$9.99

Questions

Is Genius Flashcards free?
Genius Flashcards is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Retrieve free?
Retrieve is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Genius Flashcards or Retrieve have ads?
Neither Genius Flashcards nor Retrieve shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Genius Flashcards or Retrieve?
Genius Flashcards ships an update every 5 days, and Retrieve every 2 days. Most recently, Genius Flashcards was updated on October 11, 2026 and Retrieve on October 18, 2026.

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