Quizlet vs. Anki vs. Kahoot! vs. Memrise: Which is Best for You?

Quizlet vs. Anki vs. Kahoot! Vs. Memrise: Overview

Quizlet

Quizlet is an excellent study aid for learning anything that relies on memorization. Andrew Sutherland, the founder, came up with the idea to create an online learning platform back in 2005. The Quizlet homepage advertises that Quizlet provides  “Simple tools for learning anything.  Search millions of study sets or create your own. Improve your grades by studying with flashcards, games and more. 194,597,000 Study Sets and Counting.”   Which seems to meet most of our flashcard app desiderata. 

 The Quizlet website has an impressive selection of flashcard search, creation, and study options. Today, Quizlet accommodates over 60 million users and offers 5 languages. You can find user-made flashcards in basically any other language though.Quizlet is accessible as a web version, a computer version (you’d need a desktop app emulator), and app version for Android and IOS users.

Anki

First launched as a flashcard website in 2006 in California, Anki now offers 48 languages.It’s a completely free learning platform aimed to help students around the world drill their memory using a flashcard system.It can be used to remember anything, from new vocabulary terms to other commonly used words. Anki is also effective for long-term intellectual and memory skills, which may significantly help those with ADHD, autism, and even Alzheimer’s disease.In addition, this app employs a spaced repetition strategy focused on memory consolidation in information theory. 

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You have a few options of accessing Anki:

• AnkiWeb (a bit limited web version)

• Anki Desktop (a downloadable computer version for Mac, Windows, or Linux)

• AnkiDroid (a free Android app)

• AnkiMobile (a paid IOS version)

• The iPhone Anki app is very different from the Android app. It was even created by other developers using the Anki idea.

 Kahoot!

Kahoot! is the granddaddy of the game show review games, launched in August of 2013. Its skilled developers cunningly merged learning and gamification, making it one of the best education provider platforms. Kahoot is widely used in educational institutions such as colleges and schools. Kahoot allows students to study at home or remotely by creating flashcards and enclosed study modes. The tool also lets students build their Kahoot by adding videos and images to them. With Kahoot!, anyone can create and deliver engaging learning experiences - known as kahoots - on any topic within minutes.

Kahoot is easy-to-use and is available as an online app for Android and iOS.  The application can be personalized in 12 different languages, including English, Dutch, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Norwegian, and Italian.Its query database comprises 500 questions you can search, choose, and optimize. Another good thing about this app is that you can use it on Skype and Google Hangouts.

Memrise 

Memrise is a language learning app that is the opposite of textbook learning: it’s enjoyable and effective.  The platform was conceived by two memory genii: a holder of Grand Master of memory, Ed Cooke, and a memory neuroscientist, Greg Detre.This web and mobile app goes a long way toward helping you memorize characters, vocabulary, and phrases. It's not just for learning languages, either. Memrise also helps you study and learn math, science, economics, and other subjects—although language learning really is its main focus. Memrise is interactive, giving you exercises and quizzes, so it's not just another flashcard app.

Founded in 2010, Memrise has quickly grown and now close to 60 million people in 189 countries learn languages with us to better themselves, connect with others and with the world around them.You can use the Memrise website or download the app via Google Play Store or App Store. There's no desktop version.Memrise offers 23 languages but doesn’t restrict you to them when it comes to creating or downloading user-generated flashcards.

Quizlet vs. Anki vs. Kahoot! Vs. Memrise: Overview

Price & Subscriptions

Quizlet has a free option with limited features and a paid option called Quizlet Plus for about $48 per year. The paid version removes ads, lets you study offline, and includes the best features, including Quizlet Learn. There is no month-to-month option. You can get a seven-day free trial, although it requires a credit card. If you get the free trial via Google Play or the Apple App Store, it's easy to track, manage, and cancel the subscription before you get charged.

Most of Anki's products and services are free. That means that you can access Anki Desktop, AnkiDroid, and Anki Web for free. The only time you have to pay a fee is when downloading the Anki Mobile for your iOS device, in which case you will pay $25 for the app.

Kahoot is free for student, teacher, and personal use; however, there are $1 and $3 upgrade options for teachers. For businesses, there are three package options: Kahoot Plus for $10 per month, Kahoot Pro for $20 per month, and Kahoot Premium for $40 per month. 

A lot of content is free on Memrise, and it’s good quality. Without paying, you can learn a lot of words and phrases, listen to and watch native speakers pronounce different sentences, and learn basic grammar in your target language. For access to the premium features, a subscription costs $8.49 per month. A yearly subscription costs $59.99 ($5.00 per month), or you can get a lifetime subscription for $119.99. Any subscription gives you access to all languages and content available on Memrise.

Study Modes

Quizlet proves that it has a lot more to offer than card flipping activities. It has 5 study modes that will make your learning more fun and engaging:

• Flashcards mode: Students review terms and questions using flashcards the same way they would do using a standard flashcard tool such as Easy Notecards.

• Learn mode: "Answer questions that get progressively harder. This study mode creates a personalized study sequence based on your familiarity with the content and helps you master everything you need to know."

• Write mode: Students answer questions through writing.

• Spell mode: Students type the words and definitions they hear. This is especially useful for studying spelling or practicing a new language.

• Test mode: Students answer different types of questions. 

The Anki has one study mode: old fashioned card flipping.  You set a parameter for how many cards you want to study each day.   The app presents words one at a time, and you click the “Show Answer” button to see the flip side of the card.  You then select the interval of time you want to wait before reviewing this card again.  That’s the entire Anki flashcard study system.  You can’t even study extra cards without modifying the system parameter for cards per day. 

Kahoot! offers four different  study modes to bring a brand new, self-paced study experience to learners. Difficulty increases with each mode, which takes learners through a progression to mastering a topic and helps them better remember content. 

• Flashcards mode give an easy way to learn a new topic, memorize content, or quickly revisit a previous topic, for example, when preparing for a test. Going through a kahoot question by question, learners flip cards until they feel they’ve remembered all correct answers. This study mode can be particularly useful to learn vocabulary, grammar, historical dates, and more.

• Once students have aced all flashcards, they can move on to Practice mode where they play a kahoot at their own pace until they’ve answered all questions correctly.

• When learners feel confident about the topic, they can test themselves in a game against AI players in Test yourself mode which adds an element of competition. As a reward, learners can unlock emotes and collect more of them as they go.

• Students can also share this kahoot as a challenge to study together with peers which is particularly relevant in times of distance learning.

Memrise has five study modes, that are:

• Learn Mode is exactly what it sounds like. This includes flashcards with audio and video that teach new words and phrases. You cycle through these new flashcards to learn them, and the activities include multiple choice questions to identify the word, as well as writing practice. There is also a Learn Grammar option that shows you common grammar rules and patterns. 

• Classic Review helps you practice words you’ve already learned by asking multiple choice questions and having you write the words. Each word or phrase appears multiple times until you’ve successfully committed it to your long-term memory. The faster you answer correctly in classic review, the more points you receive.

• Speed Review is similar to Classic Review, except the focus is on speed. When you answer correctly, every question awards you 25 points. The questions move really quickly, and you can only answer up to three questions incorrectly.

• Immerse Mode includes “Learn with Locals.” This feature plays videos of native speakers pronouncing different words and phrases, and your goal is to identify what they’re saying. It’s also only available for certain courses. There is also “Listening Skills” practice that does not have any videos or pictures so you have to choose the correct answer based on audio alone.

• Communicate Mode lets you practice pronunciation and give you feedback. 
  

Spaced Repetition

Quizlet no longer uses spaced repetition. Previously, if you paid for the Quizlet Plus subscription this also included a feature called “Long-Term Learning” which used spaced repetition technology, but it was discontinued in 2020.

Spaced repetition is the cornerstone of Anki, and it works very well.  The Anki spaced repetition requires manual input from the learner: for each card that you study, you must select the interval until the next time you study that card.  Anki keeps track of the timing for each card once you have specified this interval.

Kahoot! used spaced repetition technology too. Spacing helps us retain information and concepts better by learning them in multiple, spread-out sessions, rather than in one “bulk” session. Learners play at their own pace in the app until they've mastered all questions, with repetition rounds spaced out over 7 days. 

Spaced repetition is very well done in Memrise, and it is standard in the free version of the app.  The app tracks your answers to all words studied, and missed words are thrown back into the mix more frequently.  Spaced repetition is invisible to the user, so you do not need to worry about putting the flashcards into the correct pile for later study.   Memrise also nicely breaks down large sets of cards so that you can work your way through the deck incrementally.

Verdict

Quizlet vs. Anki vs. Kahoot! Vs. Memrise: Which is Best for You?

It depends on what your goals are. If you have a quiz or test to study for and you want a more fun way to memorize vocabulary, facts and images, Quizlet or Kahoot are better way to go！

If you're an older learner (high school, college, grad school, professional, etc.) and there's a ton of stuff to study (for example, for a huge final exam or certification), then you're probably more concerned with learning efficiency than fun. If so, Anki or Memrise might be a better solution. These platforms focus more on spaced repetition mechanics than "gamification", and they are more likely to help you learn faster and retain knowledge for a longer period of time.

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