Anki vs Imprimo: An Honest Comparison From the Person Who Built One
I rechecked Anki against its manual, download page, and App Store listing, added source links, and corrected the AnkiMobile price and the FSRS figures.
TL;DR: Anki is the more powerful tool: free on desktop, endlessly customizable, with a deep add-on ecosystem and shared decks for almost every exam. Imprimo is a native iPhone app built around FSRS by default, AI card generation from PDFs and notes, and a calmer interface. If you want maximum control and a free desktop workflow, use Anki. If you study mostly on iPhone and want less friction getting from material to review, Imprimo is the better fit. I build Imprimo, so read this with that in mind, though I have tried to be fair about where Anki wins.
I built Imprimo, so I am not a neutral party. But "Anki vs Imprimo" is a real question people search, and a vague marketing answer helps no one. I used Anki seriously for years before building anything, and there are things it does that Imprimo does not. I checked Anki's prices, platforms, and settings against its own site, manual, and App Store listing on October 25, 2026. Here is the honest version.
What each one is
Anki is a mature, open-source spaced repetition system. It runs free on desktop, Android, and the web, and on iPhone through AnkiMobile, a one-time $24.99. It is extraordinarily flexible: custom note types, add-ons, scripting, image occlusion, and shared decks built by communities for everything from the USMLE to Japanese kanji. The trade-off is an interface that feels dated and a learning curve that puts off a lot of students.
Imprimo is a native iPhone and iPad flashcard app built around three ideas: FSRS scheduling from day one, AI card generation from your own material, and a calm interface that does not punish you for missing a day. It is newer, narrower, and deliberately not trying to be everything Anki is.
Anki vs Imprimo at a glance
| Anki | Imprimo | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Desktop, Android, web (free); iPhone ($24.99 one-time) | iPhone and iPad |
| Default algorithm | SM-2 (FSRS opt-in) | FSRS from day one |
| AI card generation | Not built in | Built in (PDF, notes, URL, scan) |
| Interface | Functional but dated | Modern, calm design |
| Customization | Very high (note types, add-ons, scripting) | Front/back and cloze, no scripting |
| Shared decks | Huge community library | None (build your own) |
| Offline | Yes | Yes |
| Price | Free on desktop, Android, and web; $24.99 one-time on iPhone | No free tier; $12.49/mo or $74.99/yr after a free trial |
Where Anki wins
I would rather say this plainly than pretend otherwise.
Customization and card types. Anki lets you build any note type, add image occlusion, and install add-ons that change how the app works. Imprimo supports front/back and cloze cards and nothing fancier. If your subject needs image occlusion for anatomy or custom templates, Anki is the tool.
Shared decks. The AnKing deck for medical school, mature language decks, and exam-specific community decks are a genuine, free head start that Imprimo does not replicate. Imprimo expects you to build from your own material.
Price for desktop users. If you study at a laptop, Anki is free, with no subscription. That is hard to beat.
Maturity. Anki has been refined for well over a decade, and its public code history alone goes back to 2012. It is stable, well-documented, and battle-tested at huge deck sizes that Imprimo is not designed for (50,000+ cards).
Where Imprimo wins
FSRS by default. Anki's manual calls SM-2 its legacy algorithm, and FSRS is a setting you have to find and switch on in deck options. Imprimo runs FSRS from the first card, with no legacy mode. The FSRS project says its simulations show 20-30% fewer reviews than SM-2 for the same retention. If you want the modern algorithm without configuration, Imprimo gives it to you out of the box, and FSRS vs SM-2 goes deeper.
Making cards from real material. Imprimo generates cards directly from PDFs, pasted notes, URLs, YouTube videos, and scanned pages. Anki has no built-in AI card generation, so getting cards from a lecture PDF means typing them yourself or finding a third-party add-on. For students whose source material is slide decks and readings, this removes the slowest part of the workflow. See how to make flashcards from a PDF.
The iPhone experience. Imprimo is built for the phone first: swipe-to-rate, haptics, offline review, and widgets. AnkiMobile works and uses the same scheduler as the computer version, but its last App Store update was version 25.09, in September 2025. If your studying happens on a phone between classes, an app designed for the phone first matters.
A calmer feel. Anki's interface is purely functional. Imprimo uses a deliberately calm design and treats streaks as a passive stat rather than a pressure mechanic, so coming back after a missed day does not feel like a penalty. That sounds soft until it is the reason you keep going in week ten.
The honest decision guide
I build Imprimo, so weigh the Imprimo lines with that in mind.
- You study on a laptop and want free, unlimited, deeply customizable cards: Anki.
- Your exam already has a great shared deck (USMLE, big language decks): Anki, at least to start.
- You need image occlusion or custom note types: Anki.
- You study mostly on iPhone and want FSRS without setup: Imprimo.
- Your material is PDFs and notes you want turned into cards fast: Imprimo.
- You bounced off Anki because it felt ugly or punishing: try Imprimo, which starts with a free trial.
What about switching?
A lot of people reading this already use Anki and wonder about moving. Anki .apkg import is coming soon to Imprimo, with support for Basic, Basic and Reversed, and Cloze cards, and automatic conversion of Anki scheduling state into FSRS state. Image occlusion cards will not carry over, and custom scripts will be stripped out. Until that ships, the honest answer is that moving a large Anki deck is not seamless yet.
If you want the longer story of what switching actually feels like, I wrote about leaving Anki and what happened to my streak.
The bottom line
Anki is more powerful and free on desktop. Imprimo is a calmer, FSRS-by-default iPhone app that turns your own material into cards with less friction. The right choice is about where you study and how much control you want, not which one is "better." If you are on iPhone and tired of fighting the tool, try Imprimo, the app I build. It has no free tier, but it starts with a free trial (7 days on the monthly plan, 14 on the yearly), which is enough time to see whether the workflow fits before you commit to a year.
Frequently asked questions
Is Imprimo better than Anki?
Neither is strictly better. Anki is more powerful, free on desktop, and unmatched for huge custom decks and add-ons. Imprimo, which I build, is an iPhone and iPad app with FSRS by default and AI cards from your PDFs and notes. Pick Anki for control and a free desktop tool, and Imprimo for less setup on iPhone.
Does Imprimo use the same algorithm as Anki?
Both can use FSRS, the modern spaced repetition algorithm. The difference is the default: Anki ships with SM-2 and offers FSRS as an opt-in setting, while Imprimo runs FSRS from day one with no SM-2 mode. So on a fresh install, Imprimo is already using the newer scheduler and Anki is not until you enable it.
Can I move my Anki decks to Imprimo?
Not yet. Anki .apkg import is coming soon to Imprimo, which I build. The plan covers Basic, Basic and Reversed, and Cloze cards, and converts Anki's scheduling state into FSRS state on import. Image occlusion cards won't come across, and custom scripts will be stripped out.
Is Imprimo free like Anki?
No. Imprimo, which I build, has no free tier: it costs $12.49 a month or $74.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial on the monthly plan and 14 days on the yearly one. Anki is free on desktop, Android, and the web, and AnkiMobile for iPhone is a one-time $24.99. On price, Anki wins outright.
