Best free flashcard apps with no paywall, offline (2026)

No paywall and offline are the rules for this list, because "free flashcard app" has become a marketing phrase rather than a description. Quizlet is the mainstream choice and it is free to make cards; the Learn mode, the spaced-repetition scheduling and offline access are behind Quizlet Plus at about $36 a year, and the free tier lost features again in 2024. Anki is the honest alternative: the desktop app is free and open source, the algorithm is the best in the category, and the iPhone app is a one-time $25 purchase with an interface that has not changed much since 2010. If you are studying for an exam that lasts years, AnkiMobile is worth every cent. The apps below are for everyone who wants the algorithm without the purchase or the paywall. QuickDeck runs the open-source FSRS-6 scheduler entirely on the phone, imports the Anki .apkg and Quizlet CSV decks you already own, needs no account and has never shipped a paywall. Mothertongue covers a different gap: hand-curated Yoruba, Tagalog and Marathi decks with on-device pronunciation audio, built for diaspora families keeping a heritage language alive at a calm pace rather than a streak. Both are free, work with no signal, and keep your study history on the phone.

FAQ

Are these flashcard apps actually free, with no subscription? ▾

Yes. QuickDeck Study has never had a paywall in its source code, and Mothertongue ships its language decks at no cost. Neither app gates spaced repetition or core features behind a subscription.

Do they work offline? ▾

Yes. QuickDeck runs the FSRS-6 spaced repetition algorithm in pure Swift on-device, and Mothertongue's pronunciation audio uses on-device speech synthesis. Both work without an internet connection, and your study data stays on your phone.

Can I bring in flashcard decks I already made in Anki or Quizlet? ▾

QuickDeck Study can. It imports Anki .apkg files and Quizlet CSV exports locally, with no account required, so you can reuse decks you already built. Mothertongue is focused on its own curated 600-word heritage-language decks rather than custom imports.