MySummaries vs Anki
Anki schedules the flashcards you write, free and open source on computers. When it is the better choice, and where MySummaries differs.
Checked 5 October 2026 against Anki's own site, manual and FAQ. Each fact about Anki links to the page it came from; when one of those pages says something different, it is right and this page is out of date.
Side by side#
| Anki | MySummaries | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A flashcard program: you rate how well you recalled each card, and it schedules the next review | A study platform: your material becomes one board you check, and flashcards, mock papers, audio lectures and viva questions are written from it |
| Price | Free and open source on Windows, Mac and Linux, and free on Android and on the web; the iPhone and iPad app is paid | Free plan. Standard A$29 a month or A$249 a year; Extended A$49 a month or A$419 a year (plans) |
| Where the cards come from | You write them: basic, reversed, type-in-the-answer, cloze and image occlusion cards. Or you import them from text files, or download a deck someone has shared | Written from the sections on your board, and added only when you approve them. A picture on the board becomes a card with no AI involved |
| Scheduling | FSRS, switched on in the deck options, with parameters you can optimise on your own review history; or the older SM-2 algorithm | FSRS with its default weights, on four grades. No tuning to your own reviews |
| What you study | Flashcards, which can carry audio, images, video and scientific markup | Flashcards, marked mock papers, audio lectures and recorded vivas, all from the same board |
| Devices | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone and iPad, with free syncing through AnkiWeb | Web, Mac (the web app in its own window), and iPhone, in beta on TestFlight, all on one account |
Use Anki if#
- You want to write your own cards. Anki's manual makes the case for it: deciding what the key points are, and putting them in yourself, is part of understanding the subject.
- Someone has already shared a deck for what you are studying.
- You want the schedule fitted to you. Anki can optimise FSRS on your own review history; MySummaries uses the default weights.
- You want control over how cards look and behave: note types and card templates, and add-ons.
- You want an Android app, or a desktop app that is free and open source.
Where MySummaries differs#
- You do not write the cards. They are written from the notes on your board, so they ask about your material rather than the subject in general, and none joins the deck until you approve it.
- Cards are one of several things made from the board. The same notes set mock papers that are marked against them, audio lectures with a transcript you can read along with, and viva stations you answer out loud and are marked on.
- What you get wrong comes back. Marks lost on a paper and points missed in a viva are written up as new cards, one tap each to add.
- Your notes, checked first. What you bring in becomes sections on a board. Nothing the AI proposes lands until you tick it, and every section has a Check button that looks for anything factually wrong or out of date.
The free plan needs no payment details, only a verified email address: start free.
Anki is a registered trademark of Ankitects Pty Ltd. MySummaries is not affiliated with Ankitects.