# Anki alternative: how Prior flashcards compare

> Prior's Flashcards space and Anki side by side on scheduling, card types, platforms, add-ons, import and price, with the pages we read on 5 November 2026.

Source: https://priortasks.com/compare/anki/
Last updated: 2026-11-05

This page sets Prior's Flashcards space next to Anki as of the date above. Prior is a task and habit app that also has flashcards; Anki does flashcards only, so the rows on tasks, calendar and habits describe Prior. Everything about Anki comes from Anki's own site, manual and App Store listing, listed under Sources. Prices change, so check them before you decide.

## Who each one suits

Anki suits you if flashcards are the main thing and you want the full toolset: add-ons, your own note types and card templates, filtered decks, FSRS with an optimizer, and a free desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux. AnkiDroid covers Android and AnkiMobile covers iPhone and iPad, so you can study on any phone.

Prior suits you if you want flashcards in the same app as your tasks, calendar and notes: a deck's exam date can follow a task or a calendar event, and Prior AI can write cards from a course. It runs on the web, macOS, Windows, Linux and Android. It has no iOS app yet: on an iPhone you open the web app in the browser, where reminders only fire while the tab is open.

## Side by side

| | Prior | Anki |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Platforms | Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, Android. No iOS app yet. | Desktop for Windows, macOS and Linux. AnkiDroid for Android. AnkiMobile for iPhone and iPad. |
| Sync and offline | Reviews are recorded on your device first and sync later. Two devices that reviewed offline end up with the same schedule. | Free sync through AnkiWeb. The first sync is one-way, then changes merge. AnkiMobile's listing mentions offline study. |
| Scheduling | FSRS-5 with the published default parameters. | SM-2, or FSRS, which you turn on in deck options and optimize on your own reviews with a desired retention (90% by default). |
| Card types | Basic, reversed, cloze, typed answer and image occlusion. You cannot define your own. | Your own note types with fields and templates, cloze, and image occlusion (Anki 23.10 and later). |
| Organizing | Packs with subdecks up to 6 levels deep, a card browser with search, flags, burying and custom study. | Subdecks, a browser with search, filtered decks and cramming, and leech handling. |
| Planning reviews | A deck's study plan: everyday, or an exam date that paces the new cards. The date can follow a task or a calendar event. | Daily limits for new cards and reviews, per preset, per deck or for today. |
| Statistics | Statistics, with leeches. | Card info, graphs and statistics. |
| Import and export | Imports .apkg with review history, and text or CSV. Exports .apkg and CSV. | Imports text files, packaged decks and Mnemosyne 2.0 files. Exports plain text, a deck as .apkg (scheduling optional) and the whole collection as .colpkg. |
| Add-ons | None. AI assistants can read and edit decks through Prior's MCP server. | Add-ons extend the desktop app. AnkiMobile's listing says they are not supported on mobile yet. |
| AI | Prior AI writes cards from pasted text, a Prior note or a PDF, and explains a card on request. It needs Pro, or your own OpenRouter key. | Not found in the pages we read. |
| Tasks, calendar, habits | In the same app, with the planner and the Focus timer. | Not part of Anki's manual, which covers flashcards. |
| Price, 5 Nov 2026 | Flashcards are on every plan. Free €0. Pro €8 a month or €72 a year. Team €10 per seat a month or €96 a year. 14-day trial on a first subscription. No VAT added. | The desktop app, AnkiDroid and AnkiWeb sync are free. AnkiMobile costs about $25 (US dollars): $24.99 on the US App Store, one purchase, no subscription. |

## Where Anki goes further

- **Add-ons and custom note types.** You can extend Anki and design cards that Prior's five kinds cannot express.
- **Scheduling control.** FSRS parameters fitted to your own history, and SM-2 if you prefer it. Prior uses the default FSRS-5 parameters.
- **Study tools.** Filtered decks and cramming, and Mnemosyne imports.
- **An iPhone app.** AnkiMobile has offline study, graphs, MathJax and LaTeX, and its listing mentions collections of 100,000 cards or more.
- **Free and community-built.** The desktop app and sync are free, and Anki describes itself as a community project that anyone can contribute to.

## What Prior does differently

Prior puts flashcards where your other work is. A pack per course holds a subdeck per chapter, an exam plan paces the deck from the date of a task or event, and Today shows the cards due. Cards are written in Markdown and can carry figures, and a deck can be shared with a link that gives the recipient their own copy.

A card's schedule is computed from its review history, so two devices that reviewed offline converge on the same schedule once they sync. See [How scheduling works](https://priortasks.com/docs/flashcards/how-scheduling-works/) and the guide to [spaced repetition](https://priortasks.com/guides/spaced-repetition/).

## Switching from Anki

Prior imports Anki decks with their history. In Anki choose **File → Export** and export the deck as an .apkg file with scheduling information included. Then in Prior open **Flashcards**, choose **New → Import from Anki** and drop the .apkg file.

Prior keeps deck names as a hierarchy (`A::B::C`), reads Basic, reversed, cloze, typed-answer and image occlusion notes, and keeps tags, flags, suspended cards, images and your review history, which it replays through FSRS-5, so your next due dates can differ from Anki's. Sounds are skipped and counted. Other note types become a front (first field) and a back (the rest). Add-ons and their data do not move.

Prior cannot read a .colpkg file. If it says the file uses Anki's newest format, export again with **Support older Anki versions** ticked, or as **Anki Collection Package (legacy)**. Prior also exports a deck as .apkg, with its review log, so you can go back. The steps are in [Import and export](https://priortasks.com/docs/flashcards/import-and-export/).

## Sources

Read on 5 November 2026.

- [Anki](https://apps.ankiweb.net/)
- [Anki documentation](https://docs.ankiweb.net/)
- [Anki manual: Deck options (FSRS and daily limits)](https://docs.ankiweb.net/manual/deck-options.md)
- [Anki manual: Adding and editing (note types, cloze, image occlusion)](https://docs.ankiweb.net/manual/editing.md)
- [Anki manual: Syncing with AnkiWeb](https://docs.ankiweb.net/manual/syncing.md)
- [Anki manual: Importing](https://docs.ankiweb.net/importing/intro.html)
- [Anki manual: Importing text files](https://docs.ankiweb.net/manual/importing/text-files.md)
- [Anki manual: Exporting](https://docs.ankiweb.net/manual/exporting.md)
- [Anki FAQ: Why does AnkiMobile cost more than a typical mobile app?](https://docs.ankiweb.net/faqs/why-does-ankimobile-cost-more-than-a-typical-mobile-app.md)
- [AnkiMobile Flashcards on the US App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ankimobile-flashcards/id373493387)