Education · head to head
Anki vs Elevate
Anki
Education
Free open source spaced repetition flashcard app, free everywhere except iOS where it is a paid one-time purchase
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Elevate
Education
Cognitive skills training app from Elevate Labs covering reading, writing, maths and speaking games
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Anki the interface is functional rather than polished, and new users often find the initial setup, deck creation and add-on ecosystem confusing compared with a guided app like Memrise.; Elevate the free tier limits daily games enough that the personalised programme the app is designed around is effectively a paid-only feature.
- They diverge on capability: Anki covers Spaced repetition scheduling, Elevate covers Daily game sets.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Anki and Elevate actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Anki
- Spaced repetition scheduling
- Cross-platform sync
- Shared deck library
- Custom card types
- Add-ons
- Open file format
Only in Elevate
- Daily game sets
- Personalised training plan
- Progress tracking
- Reading and comprehension drills
- Maths and estimation games
- Writing and proofreading games
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Anki
- A medical student using a large shared deck to memorise anatomy or pharmacology facts on a fixed exam timelinenot Elevate
- A language learner building custom vocabulary decks with audio and images tailored to their own study materialnot Elevate
- A self-directed learner who wants full control over the scheduling algorithm and does not want a subscriptionnot Elevate
- An iPhone-only user deciding whether the one-time AnkiMobile price is worth it versus using the free web interface insteadnot Elevate
Elevate
- An adult wanting short daily practice on workplace writing and proofreading skillsnot Anki
- Someone preparing for a maths or verbal reasoning assessment who wants low-stakes daily drillsnot Anki
- A user comparing Elevate against Lumosity on whether they want practical skills or abstract cognitive gamesnot Anki
- A buyer wanting to sample the format on the limited free tier before committing to a subscriptionnot Anki
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Anki
- The interface is functional rather than polished, and new users often find the initial setup, deck creation and add-on ecosystem confusing compared with a guided app like Memrise.
- iOS users pay a one-time fee of around $24.99 to $29.99 for AnkiMobile while every other platform is free, which is an unusual asymmetry that surprises new users comparing app store prices before they understand it funds development.
- Anki has no content of its own; a new user gets an empty deck and either has to build cards manually or trust the quality of a community-shared deck of unknown accuracy.
- The default scheduling algorithm requires understanding concepts like ease factor and interval to tune effectively, and default settings are not optimal for every subject or workload.
- Shared decks, especially large medical school decks, can carry factual errors or become outdated, and there is no editorial review process verifying their accuracy.
Elevate
- The free tier limits daily games enough that the personalised programme the app is designed around is effectively a paid-only feature.
- As with the brain training category generally, evidence that improved performance on Elevate specific games transfers to broader real-world cognitive or task performance is weaker than marketing framing implies.
- The annual subscription auto-renews and, as with most mobile subscriptions, must be cancelled through app store settings rather than inside the app itself.
- Game variety within each skill category is finite, and long-term daily users report the exercises becoming repetitive after extended use.
- It does not replace structured instruction for skills like reading comprehension or maths where a genuine foundational gap exists; it is practice and drilling rather than teaching from first principles.
Pricing, plan by plan
Anki
Free- AnkiFree
- Desktop apps for Windows, Mac and Linux are free and open source
- AnkiDroid on Android is free and open source, built by a separate volunteer team
- AnkiMobile on iOS is a one-time purchase, commonly $24.99 to $29.99, funding development
Elevate
Free- Elevate Pro$9.99/month
- Free tier gives a limited number of games per day
- Pro unlocks the full game library and personalised training plan
- Annual Pro plans typically run $44.99 to $59.99, cheaper per month than monthly billing
Which should you pick?
Choose Anki if
- You need spaced repetition scheduling.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Web.
- You also want cross-platform sync.
Choose Elevate if
- You need daily game sets.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android.
- You also want personalised training plan.
Questions people ask
- Is Anki or Elevate better?
- Neither clearly leads. Anki starts at Free and Elevate at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Anki or Elevate?
- Anki starts at Free and Elevate at Free.
- Does Anki or Elevate run on more platforms?
- Anki runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Web. Elevate runs on iOS, Android.
- Can I use Anki for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Anki best used for?
- Anki is most often used for a medical student using a large shared deck to memorise anatomy or pharmacology facts on a fixed exam timeline, a language learner building custom vocabulary decks with audio and images tailored to their own study material, a self-directed learner who wants full control over the scheduling algorithm and does not want a subscription, an iphone-only user deciding whether the one-time ankimobile price is worth it versus using the free web interface instead. Of those, a medical student using a large shared deck to memorise anatomy or pharmacology facts on a fixed exam timeline and a language learner building custom vocabulary decks with audio and images tailored to their own study material are not what Elevate is typically brought in for.
- What can Anki do that Elevate cannot?
- Anki covers Spaced repetition scheduling, Cross-platform sync, Shared deck library, Custom card types. Elevate covers Daily game sets, Personalised training plan, Progress tracking, Reading and comprehension drills.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Anki: Why is the iOS app not free when everything else is?
AnkiMobile is a paid one-time purchase, commonly around $24.99 to $29.99, that the developer states directly funds ongoing development of the free desktop apps, AnkiWeb sync and infrastructure used by every platform.
Elevate: Is Elevate free?
A limited number of games per day are free. The full library, personalised training plan and progress tracking require Elevate Pro.
Anki: Is Anki really free on Android?
Yes. AnkiDroid, the Android app, is free and open source, built and maintained by a separate volunteer development team from the desktop project.
Elevate: Does Elevate improve real-world cognitive ability?
It reliably improves performance on the specific games practised. Evidence that this transfers broadly to real-world cognitive or task performance is limited, consistent with the brain training category generally.
Anki: Do I need to pay for sync?
No. AnkiWeb, used to sync decks and review history across devices, is free.
Elevate: How is Elevate different from Lumosity?
Elevate focuses on practical skills such as reading, writing and workplace maths, while Lumosity is built around broader abstract memory, attention and reasoning games.
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