Softwr

Education · head to head

Anki vs Infinite Campus

Anki logo

Anki

Education

Free open source spaced repetition flashcard app, free everywhere except iOS where it is a paid one-time purchase

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Infinite Campus logo

Infinite Campus

Education

K-12 student information system sold direct to districts and state education agencies

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Anki has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; Infinite Campus no pricing is published anywhere, so the only way to know what it costs is a sales conversation against your certified enrolment, and districts routinely discover the quoted rate differs from a neighbouring district of similar size.
  • They diverge on capability: Anki covers Spaced repetition scheduling, Infinite Campus covers Per-student single licence.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Anki and Infinite Campus actually diverge.

Attributes where Anki and Infinite Campus differ
AttributeAnkiInfinite Campus
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence fee except a paid iOS appquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, WebWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: 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 Infinite Campus

  • Per-student single licence
  • State reporting
  • Campus Parent and Campus Student
  • Scheduling engine
  • Special education
  • Food service
  • Campus Digital Repository
  • Ad hoc reporting

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 Infinite Campus
  • A language learner building custom vocabulary decks with audio and images tailored to their own study materialnot Infinite Campus
  • A self-directed learner who wants full control over the scheduling algorithm and does not want a subscriptionnot Infinite Campus
  • An iPhone-only user deciding whether the one-time AnkiMobile price is worth it versus using the free web interface insteadnot Infinite Campus

Infinite Campus

  • A district leaving a private-equity-owned SIS after a repricing or a support quality drop, and specifically wanting an owner whose roadmap is not on an exit clock.not Anki
  • A state education agency standardising every district on one SIS and one reporting extract so state submissions stop being a per-district reconciliation exercise.not Anki
  • A secondary school with complicated timetabling, block schedules, dual enrolment and weighted GPA rules that a simpler SIS cannot model without workarounds.not Anki
  • A district that wants meal accounts, fee payments, health records and special education in the same record as attendance and grades rather than integrated across four vendors.not 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.

Infinite Campus

  • No pricing is published anywhere, so the only way to know what it costs is a sales conversation against your certified enrolment, and districts routinely discover the quoted rate differs from a neighbouring district of similar size.
  • The interface is dense and inherited from an earlier era of web software; staff who use it occasionally, such as substitute teachers or front office cover, need retraining each time rather than working it out.
  • Implementation is a data conversion project, not an install, and districts that underestimate historic transcript and special education record migration end up running two systems in parallel for a year.
  • Getting real value out of it requires at least one dedicated district-level Campus administrator, which is a salaried post smaller districts often cannot justify and which becomes a single point of failure when that person leaves.
  • It is overwhelmingly a US product tuned to US state reporting; international schools and non-US systems get little of the compliance value that justifies the price, and the grading and enrolment models assume American conventions.

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

Infinite Campus

On request
  • Infinite Campus SIS$undefined/year
    • Priced per enrolled student against a certified enrolment snapshot
    • Licence, hosting, support and training bundled rather than sold as modules
    • Volume tiers reduce the per-student rate as enrolment rises

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.
Anki review

Choose Infinite Campus if

  • You need per-student single licence.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want state reporting.
Infinite Campus review

Questions people ask

Is Anki or Infinite Campus better?
Neither clearly leads. Anki starts at Free and Infinite Campus at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Anki or Infinite Campus?
Anki has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Anki and On request for Infinite Campus.
Does Anki or Infinite Campus run on more platforms?
Anki runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Web. Infinite Campus runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Anki for free?
Yes. Anki has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Infinite Campus starts at On request.
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 Infinite Campus is typically brought in for.
What can Anki do that Infinite Campus cannot?
Anki covers Spaced repetition scheduling, Cross-platform sync, Shared deck library, Custom card types. Infinite Campus covers Per-student single licence, State reporting, Campus Parent and Campus Student, Scheduling engine.

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.

Infinite Campus: Does Infinite Campus publish its per-student price?

No. Every quote is negotiated against your certified enrolment, and public procurement records are the only reliable way to see what comparable districts actually paid.

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.

Infinite Campus: Is it owned by a private equity firm?

No. It is privately held and founder-controlled, and has taken no venture or private equity investment, which distinguishes it from PowerSchool under Bain Capital.

Anki: Do I need to pay for sync?

No. AnkiWeb, used to sync decks and review history across devices, is free.

Infinite Campus: Can it replace a separate LMS?

Partly. It has assignment and gradebook tools, but districts running Canvas, Schoology or Google Classroom keep them and integrate rostering rather than dropping them.

Infinite Campus: How long is a typical contract?

Multi-year. Annual-only terms are unusual because the implementation cost is front-loaded and neither side wants to repeat it.

Infinite Campus: What happens to the price when enrolment falls?

It is tied to the enrolment snapshot, so declining districts should confirm the contract reprices downward rather than holding a floor.

Share

Related pages

More on Anki

More on Infinite Campus

Keep looking

Other head to heads