FLASHSIDE

Anki alternative

An Anki alternative that opens your .apkg decks as they are

Flashside is an Anki alternative that imports your .apkg and .colpkg packages with their pictures, sound and formatting, then schedules every card with FSRS. It runs on iPhone, Android and the web without setup, and it is free to learn.

The import

Bring the decks you already built

Your decks, whole

An .apkg or .colpkg file becomes a Flashside collection. Pictures and sounds upload with it, four at a time, so a large deck arrives complete.

Formatting that survives

Furigana, colors, font sizes, tables and lists render as they did in Anki. Scripts are removed, because a card should never run code.

Shared decks too

Any package you downloaded, from a course or a shared deck page, imports the same way as one you exported yourself.

Coming from Anki

What carries over, and what Anki does not have

Anki import works

Your .apkg and .colpkg packages open with their pictures, sound and formatting.

The scheduler is FSRS

FSRS from four grades, with a target retention you can set and no intervals to configure.

Anki does not have: the coach

A plan from your minutes a day and an exam date, which says whether the date is within reach.

Anki does not have: the card doctor

Better ways to write a card you keep failing; you pick one or none. Part of Flashside Plus.

Anki does not have: memory hooks

A one-sentence hook the first time you meet a new card. Part of Flashside Plus.

Anki and Flashside

Feature by feature

Anki’s column is taken from Anki’s own site on 18 October 2026.

Flashside and Anki, feature by feature
FeatureFlashsideAnki
Where it runsiPhone, Android and the web browserWindows, macOS and Linux; AnkiMobile on iOS and AnkiDroid on Android
How reviews are scheduledFSRS, from four grades, with a target retention you can set How it works, weight by weight →Its own scheduler, or FSRS with a desired retention, set in the deck options
ImportCSV, Excel (.xlsx, .xls), Anki packages (.apkg, .colpkg) and pasted lists; from 1.51, photos and PDFs read by AI (Plus, in the app)Anki packages (.apkg) with notes, note types and cards
What a card can holdRich text, images and audio on either sideAudio, images, video and scientific markup, in layouts you can change
SharingA public link and QR code per collection; podcast mode keeps copies up to dateShared decks on AnkiWeb, as .apkg files
Sync and extrasSync with an account; a study plan from your minutes a day and an exam dateAnkiWeb sync between devices; add-ons extend it

Open your biggest deck and see

Import an .apkg file in the browser or the app. If a card looks wrong, you will know in a minute.

Create a free accountStart without one
Download on the App Store
Get it on Google Play

Questions

Switching from Anki

What is a good Anki alternative?+

If you want FSRS scheduling without setting anything up, on iPhone, Android and the web, Flashside is one. It opens your Anki packages directly, so you do not start from zero, and it is free to learn.

Can I import Anki decks into another app?+

Flashside imports Anki packages (.apkg and .colpkg) in the browser and in the app. The cards come across with their pictures, sound and formatting, and a card with its own layout keeps it.

Does the Anki alternative keep furigana and formatting?+

Yes. Ruby text for furigana, colored and sized text, bold, italic, lists, tables, images and audio all survive the import. Only what could run code, such as scripts, is removed.

Does this Anki alternative use FSRS?+

Yes. Flashside schedules every card with FSRS from four grades, again, hard, good and easy, with a target retention you can set. There are no intervals to configure.

Is there a free Anki alternative for iPhone?+

Flashside is free to learn on iPhone, Android and the web: writing, studying, syncing, sharing, importing and the study plan cost nothing, with no advertising. Flashside Plus is an optional subscription for extras; flashside.app/plus lists them and the prices.

What Flashside Plus adds and costs →