Anki vs Memor More on iPhone: what we tested and where each wins

How we checked the products before drawing conclusions

This article is published by Memor More. That conflict matters: it means you should be able to see what we tested, what came from primary documentation, and what remains unknown rather than taking a competitor table on trust.

On 9 September 2026, we ran Memor More 1.3.3 on iOS 18.6, using the free plan and the US App Store. We opened Public Decks, copied the Spanish A2: Everyday Topics deck, entered its one-time study introduction, revealed the first answer, and completed one review. The run took 73 seconds including pauses to capture and inspect each screen, so it says little about how long a normal session takes.

We separately used Anki desktop 25.09 to export a small test package (.apkg) with two notes and three generated cards. One note included rich text and an image. The other used Anki's Basic (and reversed card) note type, which generated two cards from one note. We imported the package into that version of Memor More and checked the import count.

On 12 October 2026 we brought the Memor More side of the matrix up to date with version 1.6.0, the release then on the App Store. That check covered the scheduler settings, card types, the Anki importer and the sharing limits. It was not a repeat of the device test, so the first-review and import results below still describe the September run. On 10 October 2026 we tried the new cloze and image occlusion cards in version 1.7.0; that hands-on test has its own walkthrough.

AnkiMobile was not installed for this run. Its iPhone price and product behavior below come from the current US App Store listing and the official Anki manual, checked on the same date. We do not turn that documentation review into a hands-on claim. This is the largest limitation of the comparison and the reason some cells say “documented” rather than “tested.”

The source geography was the US storefront. Prices differ by country and may change after this article is published. Verify your own App Store before purchasing; the Memor More pricing page explains the current Free/Premium split, trial, cancellation and regional-storefront caveats.

The short answer

For an iPhone-first learner who wants scheduled reviews, a one-minute Quiz challenge, full-term typing, generated practice exercises and community deck sharing, Memor More brings those activities into one app. For a learner who depends on a particular established Anki deck, custom note types, desktop add-ons, very large collections, Android/Windows/Linux access, or lossless continuity with an existing Anki collection, Anki is the stronger choice.

Neither app changes the basic study requirement: you still have to retrieve an answer, check it, and return for later reviews. Our research guide to spaced repetition covers the evidence and its limits without assigning the effect to a particular product.

Anki, AnkiMobile, AnkiWeb and similarly named apps are not the same thing

“Anki” is often used as if it were one application. In this article it means an ecosystem:

• Anki desktop is the free, open-source application for macOS, Windows and Linux. It is where the deepest note-type, template, import and add-on work happens.
• AnkiMobile Flashcards is the official paid iPhone and iPad client from Ankitects. Its US listing was US$24.99 as a one-time purchase on the verification date.
• AnkiWeb is the optional browser and sync service used by the official clients.
• AnkiDroid is the open-source Android client in the ecosystem; it is not the iPhone app.
• App stores also contain products with “Anki” in their names that are not the official AnkiMobile client. Their subscriptions, privacy practices and compatibility should not be attributed to Ankitects.

That distinction explains apparent contradictions. Anki has add-ons, but desktop add-ons do not run inside AnkiMobile. Anki supports advanced note templates, but some note-type changes must be made on desktop before syncing. Anki has a web client, but local AnkiMobile reviews do not require the web to be available.

Dated comparison matrix

Memor More rows checked against version 1.6.0 on 12 October 2026, when US App Store prices were also re-checked. The hands-on tests ran on 9 September 2026. “Tested” refers to that September run; “documented” refers to the official sources listed at the end of this article.

Scheduler note: the version we tested in September still defaulted to SM-2. FSRS arrived later, and in version 1.6.0 it is the default for new decks. Memor More gives you one control, target retention, while Anki also lets you optimise the FSRS parameters from your own review history. Anki has supported FSRS since 23.10. If the scheduler choice matters to you, the FSRS vs SM-2 guide explains what each algorithm uses to schedule the next review, with a conceptual example.

What the first Memor More review actually looked like

The iPhone path required five product actions after opening the app: Public Decks → choose a deck → Start Deck → dismiss the one-time study guide → Show Answer → rate the answer. “Choose a deck” and “Start Deck” are separate taps, so count six taps if you include opening the selected deck's detail page.

The public-deck detail used in the test. It exposes the deck description and starting action before anything is added to the library.

The first review prompt after the one-time introduction. We revealed the answer and rated it Good to complete the flow.

This is where Memor More's iPhone case is clearest. The home, deck catalogue and study screen use familiar iOS navigation, the core flow does not ask for an account, and new decks schedule with FSRS. (The version we tested offered SM-2, Simple Exponential and Leitner; FSRS has since been added and made the default.) The same deck can also be used for a one-minute Quiz challenge, full-term typing or generated practice exercises, depending on what you want to practise.

The smaller surface is also a limit, not an automatic virtue. Fewer controls are unhelpful when you need the control that is missing.

Where Anki is better

Choose Anki without apology when any of these is central to your work:

1. You already have an important collection. Staying in Anki avoids migration uncertainty around generated cards, templates, media, tags and scheduling history.
2. You rely on Anki’s FSRS controls. Anki can optimise FSRS parameters from your own review history. Memor More uses FSRS with fixed default parameters and a single target-retention setting.
3. You need sophisticated card construction. Custom note types, fields, conditional templates and add-ons are real capabilities, not decoration. Memor More 1.7.0 added cloze and image occlusion cards, but not custom templates.
4. You study across non-Apple devices. Memor More has no Android app and no equivalent to the full Anki desktop clients on Windows and Linux.
5. Your course depends on an established shared deck. Anki's community catalogue and long-running medicine/language workflows are materially larger.
6. Your collection is very large. AnkiMobile documents 100,000-card decks. We have not benchmarked Memor More at that scale.
7. You depend on desktop add-ons or self-hosted sync. Memor More provides neither an add-on system nor a documented self-hosted sync server.

Buying AnkiMobile can also be less expensive over several years than maintaining an optional subscription elsewhere. Memor More's free core may be enough for a simple workflow, but that does not make every paid comparison resolve in its favour.

Where Memor More is easier

Memor More is a fit when you want a native Apple app with several ways to learn from a deck: scheduled reviews, a one-minute word-identification challenge, full-term typing and generated practice exercises. You can create your own material, use AI to prepare editable card drafts, or discover and share decks with the community.

The practice exercises guide explains how generated sets let you work with a deck from a different perspective. These learning modes and community sharing were added to this comparison on 13 September 2026; they are separate from the dated import and first-review tests above.

The native app stores study data locally and exposes iCloud status separately. Its Data Settings screen also provides whole-library export and backup import. That makes the local/cloud boundary visible, though it does not make every privacy question disappear: iCloud has its own account and service terms, while optional AI features use a separate cloud-processing path.

We ran the test without signing in to iCloud, so this screen shows the local workflow only. We did not test syncing between devices.

For a no-account first try, start with the iPhone-specific decision page or browse public flashcard decks before installing. If you make cards from a source file, the tested AI flashcard generator workflow documents its own privacy and validation gaps rather than implying the file stays local.

The Anki migration test found a real loss

We kept the test package small enough to check by hand:

• note 1: bold front, italic back and one image, producing one card;
• note 2: Anki's Basic (and reversed card) note type, producing two directional cards;
• source total: two notes, three cards;
• export: Anki desktop 25.09 .apkg, with scheduling and media included.

Memor More reported “2 cards ready to import.” The generated reverse card was therefore not preserved as a third card. The importer accepted the package, but acceptance is not lossless migration.

The import screen in that version also said an Anki package “keeps scheduling history” and that media and tags come across. Version 1.6.0 describes the importer more modestly, as importing “cards and images”: each card takes its front and back from the note's first two fields, and audio, tags, templates and review history are left out. Packages in Anki's newest format have to be re-exported with “Support older Anki versions” turned on. Version 1.7.0 adds cloze and image occlusion notes to the import and reads the newer package format too, but we have not repeated this import test since then. Before moving a real collection:

1. export a copy from Anki while keeping the original untouched;
2. record source note and card counts separately;
3. sample every note type, especially reverse, cloze and image-occlusion models;
4. compare media, formatting, tags and due dates after import;
5. complete reviews in the copy before committing to a new app.

If those checks matter and cannot be repeated, remain in Anki. A migration tool should not be trusted merely because it opens the file.

Offline study, sync and privacy are three different questions

Both products can review cards stored on the phone without a connection. That is offline availability.

Sync is optional and follows different paths. Memor More uses Apple's iCloud/CloudKit for the supported native Apple devices. The Anki ecosystem normally uses AnkiWeb, and Anki documents a self-hosted sync server for people willing to operate it. Each route changes where a copy of the data exists and which account controls it.

Privacy labels are useful disclosures, not proof that a workflow is risk-free. The US listings for both apps disclosed categories of data associated with app use. Users studying confidential client, patient, employer or unpublished research material should read current privacy policies, avoid placing identifying details on cards, and confirm their institution's rules. A local review screen does not imply that every import, sync or AI action stays on that screen.

When neither product fits

Neither is ideal for real-time collaborative deck editing, teacher assignment management, handwriting-first notes, or learning dominated by long calculations and open-ended problems. For those tasks, a shared document, classroom platform, notebook or problem bank may carry the central workflow better.

Flashcards also work best when a prompt has a checkable answer. Turning a complex argument into dozens of isolated facts can make study feel productive while removing structure. Read what active recall is, then use the Feynman technique with flashcards when explanation—not only factual retrieval—is the goal.

Primary sources and reproducibility

• Official AnkiMobile US App Store listing: US price, supported devices, offline media, large-deck statement, mobile limitations and privacy label.
• Official Anki FSRS deck-options manual: FSRS availability, desired retention, parameter optimisation and compatibility notes.
• Official Anki sync manual: AnkiWeb workflow, local data and media sync.
• Official Anki export manual: .apkg/.colpkg, media and scheduling export options.
• Official Anki add-on manual: desktop add-on installation and update risk.
• Official Anki self-hosted sync manual: supported self-hosting path.
• Official Memor More US App Store listing: price, platform and privacy disclosures.
• Our own Memor More 1.3.3 workflow and import test from 9 September 2026, plus the 12 October 2026 check of version 1.6.0 described above.

Change log

For the shorter iPhone decision, continue to An Anki alternative for iPhone. For other tools and their limits, see the broader spaced-repetition app comparison.

If the smaller workflow fits, try Memor More on the App Store with one non-critical deck first. Keep the source Anki collection untouched until your own card-count, formatting, media and schedule checks pass. We count App Store clicks from this article, but no study content is sent with them.