Terpe compared with the big five

An honest look at the five flashcard apps students use most: Quizlet, AnkiMobile, Gizmo, Brainscape and Knowt. Including where they’re better than Terpe. Peter made Terpe, so read it knowing that.

At a glance

Yes
Partly
No
Not stated

	Terpe	Quizlet	AnkiMobile	Gizmo	Brainscape	Knowt
Price	$1.99 once	Free with ads, or Plus subscription	$24.99 once (free on Mac, PC and Android)	Free with limits, or subscription	Free, or Pro: subscription or $199.99 lifetime	Free with ads, or Ultra subscription
Learn and tests free, no limits	Yes	PartlyLimited rounds, 1 test per set	Yes	PartlyHearts run out, then you wait	YesText cards	Yes
Works without an account	Yes	NoTo make sets	Yes	Not stated	Not stated	NoAsks for your birthday
No ads	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
App Store privacy label	YesData Not Collected	NoUsed to track you: 7 kinds of data	PartlyLinked to you: contact info and more	PartlyLinked to you: location, contacts and more	PartlyLinked to you: contact info and more	PartlyLinked to you: contact info and more
Cards from a photo of a word list	YesOn the iPhone, no AI	PartlyPlus only	No	YesWith AI	YesWith AI (ChatGPT)	PartlyWith AI, 1 a month free
Cards from ordinary text and notes	NoNo, on purpose	YesWith AI (18+ in Denmark)	No	YesWith AI	YesWith AI (ChatGPT)	PartlyWith AI, 1 a month free
Spaced repetition in the iPhone app	YesFSRS	NoWebsite only	YesFSRS or SM-2	YesOwn method	YesOwn method	YesOwn method
Works offline	Yes	PartlyCards and Match, 8 recent sets	Yes	Not stated	PartlyScope not stated	Not stated
Sync between devices	YesThrough your own iCloud	Yes	YesFree	Yes	Yes	Yes
Other devices	PartlyiPad (no web or Android)	YesiPad, web, Android	YesiPad, Mac, Windows, Linux, Android, web	YesiPad, web, Android	YesiPad, web, Android	YesiPad, Mac, web, Android
Ready-made sets from others	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	PartlyMostly with Pro	Yes
App languages	12	17	25	English only	English only	English only

Quizlet

Pick Quizlet if …

You want sets other people have already made, study on the web and Android too, or your teacher runs a Quizlet class. Its AI tools can also make study material from notes.

Pick Terpe if …

You’d rather not have ads and tracking (its App Store label lists seven kinds of data used to track you), or you want unlimited Learn and Test without a subscription. Quizlet’s spaced repetition is on its website only.

AnkiMobile

Pick AnkiMobile if …

You want the most powerful scheduler there is, free sync between Mac, PC, Android and iPhone, add-ons, or huge shared decks for medicine and languages.

Pick Terpe if …

You want the same kind of scheduling (both use FSRS) without setting anything up, and cards straight from a photo of your list. AnkiMobile costs $24.99 and hasn’t been updated since September 2025.

Gizmo

Pick Gizmo if …

You want AI to turn handwritten notes, PDFs or a Quizlet link into cards, live quizzes with friends, or Android and the web too.

Pick Terpe if …

You want to study without hearts running out, and without an account that links your contacts and location to you. Terpe only uses what’s printed as a list, so there’s no AI to get a fact wrong.

Brainscape

Pick Brainscape if …

You’re preparing for an exam with expert-made decks, want to share decks with a class, or want sync between the web and your phone. Its lifetime plan is fair if you’ll use it for years.

Pick Terpe if …

You mostly study your own word lists on your iPhone or iPad. Terpe makes the cards from a photo without sending it to ChatGPT, and costs $1.99 instead of a subscription.

Knowt

Pick Knowt if …

You want everything free, including unlimited Learn, plus a big library of public sets and sync with the web and Android. Its AI can make notes from lectures and videos.

Pick Terpe if …

You don’t want ads, or an account that asks for your birthday. Terpe collects no data at all.

Where Terpe falls short

Apple only: iPhone and iPad, no web, Android or Mac version.
No library of ready-made sets: you make or import your own.
No cards from ordinary text or notes, and no AI. That’s on purpose, but less happens automatically.
No images or audio on cards.
It’s brand new, with no ratings yet.

How this was checked

Checked on 2026-10-24 from each app’s App Store page (US and Denmark), Apple’s own app data and the makers’ help pages. Prices are US App Store prices. “Not stated” means we couldn’t confirm it, not that the app lacks it.

Terpe isn’t on the App Store yet. Its privacy label will say Data Not Collected: there’s no server of ours, and iCloud sync goes to your own iCloud, which Peter can’t see.

Apps change their plans often. If something here is out of date, write to support@terpe.theill.com and it gets fixed.

Sources