Anki vs Mnemo vs Quizlet: which flashcard app should you use for IELTS?

You're studying for IELTS and stuck choosing between flashcard apps. Anki is famous but its UI is dated. Quizlet is polished and familiar but the paywall keeps tightening. Mnemo is newer and most people haven't heard of it. Which one fits you?

This article compares all three honestly across six criteria that matter for IELTS prep: SRS algorithm, UX, price, multi-device sync, IELTS-specific features, and privacy.

Disclaimer: I work on Mnemo. I'll try to be straight — calling out Mnemo's real weaknesses and Anki/Quizlet's genuine strengths. The goal isn't to crush competitors; it's to help you pick the right tool for your situation.

Quick summary table

Criterion	Anki	Quizlet	Mnemo
SRS algorithm	FSRS (new) or SM-2	Simplified SM-2 (Learn mode)	FSRS v5 by default
Customisation	Extreme (CSS, plugins)	Moderate	Moderate
Beginner UX	Hard (steep learning curve)	Very easy	Easy
Core pricing	Free on macOS/Linux/Web; iOS $24	Limited free; Plus ~$36/yr	Fully free, open source
Multi-device sync	Yes (free via AnkiWeb)	Yes (Plus needed for offline)	Yes (web + Chrome ext + macOS)
Chrome extension web capture	Via third-party add-on	Not officially	Built-in (highlight → save)
AI grading writing/speaking	No	No	Yes
Offline mode	Yes	Plus tier only	Limited (web app needs internet)
Mobile app	Yes (Android free, iOS $24)	Yes	Not yet

Anki — the power users' king

Real strengths

Unlimited customisation. Anki has hundreds of community add-ons — cloze deletion, image occlusion, tag-based scheduling, custom HTML/CSS. Power users can build study systems no other app can match.

Massive deck ecosystem. AnkiWeb has thousands of IELTS decks, Cambridge vocabulary, Oxford vocabulary, even decks specifically for IELTS Speaking Part 2. You can download and import in seconds.

FSRS available since 2024. If you enable it in settings, you get the most modern algorithm.

Sustainable. Anki has been around since 2006, genuinely open source, large community. It's not going to disappear like many startup apps.

Real weaknesses

Dated UX. The interface looks like Windows XP — no colour, no animation, ugly fonts. It doesn't break functionality, but it does make you open the app less often.

Steep learning curve. Creating your first card is easy. But "using Anki properly" — configuring deck options, understanding interval modifier, installing and configuring add-ons — takes 5–10 hours of research and trial and error.

iOS app costs $24.99 (one-time). Not expensive, but a psychological barrier for students. Android is free.

No official Chrome extension. Community add-ons exist (e.g., "Anki Web Importer") but most have bugs or aren't maintained.

Best fit

People already familiar with SRS who want deep customisation.
People willing to invest time learning the tool.
Polyglots with multiple languages and complex workflows.
People who don't need polished UX, just SRS that works.

Poor fit

Beginners who'll be discouraged by the UI.
People who learn vocabulary primarily from web reading (no official Chrome extension).
People who want Speaking/Writing AI grading.

Quizlet — pretty but expensive and shallow

Real strengths

Excellent UX. Modern design, smooth animations, anyone can use it in 5 minutes. This is Quizlet's main strength — zero technical barrier.

Massive student community. Quizlet was built for American high school/college students. Millions of vocabulary sets exist, including well-rated IELTS sets.

Varied study modes. Match game, Test mode, Live (classroom) — more fun than traditional flashcards.

Real weaknesses

Spaced repetition is shallow. Quizlet's "Learn" mode uses simplified SM-2 — no FSRS, no per-card tuning. Compared to Anki/Mnemo, schedules aren't optimised.

Aggressive paywall strategy. Recent years have seen Quizlet move features into Quizlet Plus ($35.99/year). "Long-term learning" mode, offline access, removing ads — all behind the paywall. The free tier shrinks each year.

No web-capture Chrome extension. Manual copy-paste only.

Privacy concerns. Quizlet collects significant behavioural data for ad targeting (well-documented in privacy research).

Best fit

High school students who want something fun, social, easy to share with classmates.
People learning vocabulary short-term (e.g., for one course in one semester).
People who don't care much about optimal SRS.

Poor fit

Long-term IELTS learners who need serious SRS.
People who don't want to pay ~$36/year for basic features.
Privacy-conscious users.

Mnemo — built for IELTS + Vietnamese learners

Real strengths

FSRS v5 by default, no configuration. You get the most modern SRS algorithm from minute one — no settings to tinker with.

Chrome extension is a first-class citizen. Highlight any word on any web page → popup with definition + IPA + audio + translation → one-click save. Not a third-party add-on — built in.

Multi-platform sync. Web app, Chrome extension, macOS menubar popup — all sync in real time. No paywall on sync.

AI grading for writing and speaking. For IELTS practice, AI scores and gives detailed feedback — something Anki and Quizlet don't have.

Full Vietnamese UI. next-intl covers the whole app, not just parts.

Completely free and open source. No hidden paywall, no "Plus tier", no ads.

6 study modes. Quick Review, Practice (MCQ + typing with 3-round retry), Quiz, Typing, Mixed, Classic — avoiding flashcard boredom.

Markdown journal. Notes for grammar, model Speaking answers, large-context learning — features Anki/Quizlet lack.

Real weaknesses

IELTS deck community is small. Anki has thousands of shared decks; Mnemo seeds with ~120 cards (IELTS Academic + Speaking). You'll need to build your own deck or wait for the community to grow.

No add-on/plugin ecosystem. If you want complex image occlusion or cloze deletion, Mnemo doesn't support it — Anki is stronger here.

No mobile app yet. Currently web (responsive) and macOS menubar. iOS/Android apps haven't shipped — a real gap for students who study on their phone during commutes.

New — no decade-long track record. Anki has long history; Mnemo is ~2 years old. People wary of "startup risk" may prefer Anki.

Internet required for best features. Mnemo uses AI for some features (translation fallback, AI grading) — offline only basic flashcards work.

Best fit

IELTS learners who want a tool built specifically for their use case.
People who read a lot of English on the web (newspapers, blogs, papers) — the Chrome extension is a game changer.
Beginners with SRS who don't want to invest time learning Anki.
People who want AI grading for writing/speaking practice.
People who don't want to pay (now or ever).

Poor fit

Power users who want CSS-customised cards or complex add-ons.
People who only study on iOS/Android (mobile app not yet available).
People who need image occlusion or complex cloze deletion.

How to choose — a simple flowchart

Already comfortable with Anki and have a complex workflow built?
  → Yes: stick with Anki. Enable FSRS in settings.
  → No: continue.

Need a mobile app daily?
  → Yes: Anki (Android free, iOS $24).
  → No: continue.

Read a lot of English on the web?
  → Yes: Mnemo — Chrome extension web capture is a killer feature.
  → No: continue.

Want AI grading for writing/speaking?
  → Yes: Mnemo — built-in.
  → No: continue.

Want easy UX and only studying short-term?
  → Quizlet (accept the paywall and shallow SRS).
  → Or Mnemo if you want free + better SRS.

Migrating between apps — is it easy?

From Anki to Mnemo: Mnemo has an Anki .apkg importer (in development). You can already export Anki to CSV → import into a Mnemo deck.

From Quizlet to Mnemo: Quizlet has restricted exports, but you can still copy text from a set and paste-import into Mnemo bulk-add.

From Mnemo to Anki: Export deck as CSV (built-in).

Migrating large decks is non-trivial — that's a reason to choose carefully up front.

Summary — final recommendation

For most IELTS learners new to SRS: → Mnemo — free, has Chrome extension, FSRS v5 out of the box.

For power users already comfortable with Anki: → Stick with Anki, enable FSRS. No reason to migrate.

For high school students wanting an easy and social tool: → Quizlet if you accept the paywall, or Mnemo if you don't.

For people who need a mobile app constantly: → Anki (until Mnemo ships mobile).

Try Mnemo for free — 30 seconds to create an account, no credit card. If it's not for you, nothing to lose.