# A simpler Anki alternative, with no setup

> Lietner is a free, simpler alternative to Anki: five Leitner boxes, two buttons, no settings. An honest comparison, and who should stay on Anki.

Source: https://lietner.app/anki-alternative · By Ahmed Eltigani · Updated 2026-10-19

## What makes Lietner a simpler Anki alternative?

If Anki feels like more than you need, Lietner is a lighter option. It uses the classic Leitner system: five boxes, two buttons ("Knew it" and "Missed") and a fixed schedule, with nothing to configure. It's free on every device, iPhone included, works offline, and needs no account. The trade-off is fewer features.

Anki is excellent software, and for some people nothing else comes close. This page tries to be honest about where each one fits.

## Why do people look for an Anki alternative?

The reasons usually come down to three things.

**There's a lot to learn.** Anki has four answer buttons (Again, Hard, Good and Easy), several note types, detailed deck presets, and a choice of schedulers (Anki manual: [Studying](https://docs.ankiweb.net/studying.html), [Getting Started](https://docs.ankiweb.net/getting-started.html) and [Deck Options](https://docs.ankiweb.net/deck-options.html), checked 19 October 2026). It's all useful, but it can feel like a lot when you just want to learn a list of words.

**Reviews can pile up.** Anki's own manual warns that if you consistently learn 20 new cards a day, you can expect roughly 200 reviews a day ([Anki manual: Deck Options](https://docs.ankiweb.net/deck-options.html), checked 19 October 2026). That's not a flaw: it's what learning a lot of cards costs, in any app. But it surprises people.

**The iPhone app costs money.** Anki for Windows, Mac and Linux, AnkiWeb and AnkiDroid are free ([apps.ankiweb.net](https://apps.ankiweb.net/), checked 19 October 2026). AnkiMobile for iPhone and iPad is $24.99 in the US App Store, and its sales fund Anki's development ([App Store listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ankimobile-flashcards/id373493387), checked 19 October 2026). That's a fair way to fund good software, but it's a hurdle for a student who only has an iPhone.

## How does Lietner compare with Anki?

| | Lietner | Anki |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free everywhere | Free on desktop, Android and web; AnkiMobile is $24.99 (US) |
| Scheduling | Five Leitner boxes: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 days | SM-2, or FSRS if you turn it on (Anki 23.10+) |
| Answer buttons | Two: Knew it, Missed | Four: Again, Hard, Good, Easy |
| Settings | Animation speed, and that's about it | Detailed deck presets |
| Card content | Plain text, any language, up to 1,000 characters a side | Text, images, audio, video, cloze, maths markup |
| Getting cards in | Editor, CSV/TSV, Anki text export, AI prompt | Editor, text import, .apkg files, shared decks |
| Shared decks | None | Yes, through AnkiWeb |
| Add-ons | None | Yes |
| Offline | Yes, installable web app | Yes, native apps |
| Account | Optional, only for sync | Optional AnkiWeb account for sync |
| Open source | Yes (MIT) | Yes, Anki itself |

Anki facts come from the [Anki website](https://apps.ankiweb.net/), the [Anki manual](https://docs.ankiweb.net/getting-started.html) and the [AnkiMobile App Store listing](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ankimobile-flashcards/id373493387), all checked 19 October 2026.

## Who should stay on Anki?

Stay on Anki if any of these sound like you:

- **You study medicine, law or another field with huge shared decks.** Anki's shared decks and add-ons are hard to beat.
- **You need images, audio or cloze deletions.** Anatomy diagrams, pronunciation clips and fill-in-the-blank cards are core Anki features. Lietner cards are text only.
- **You keep thousands of cards for years.** An adaptive scheduler like FSRS fits intervals to each card and to your memory, which saves real time at that scale.
- **You like tuning things.** Anki lets you adjust almost everything. Lietner deliberately lets you adjust almost nothing.

If you're happy with Anki, keep using it. Switching tools has a cost, and a working routine is worth more than a nicer interface.

## Who is Lietner a better fit for?

Lietner suits you if:

- you're studying for a course or exam in the next few weeks or months;
- you want to open an app and start reviewing, with no setup;
- you mostly study on an iPhone and don't want to pay for AnkiMobile;
- your cards are words, definitions, dates or short facts;
- you'd rather not make cards by hand. Lietner gives you a [prompt for your own AI](/ai-flashcards) that turns your notes into about 30 cards.

It also makes progress visible. Five boxes sit on a desk, and you watch each card fly to the next box or fall back to the first. Some people find that more motivating than a number on a screen. If you're curious about the method itself, read [how the Leitner system works](/leitner-system).

## How do I move an Anki deck to Lietner?

In Anki on a computer, export your deck as **Notes in Plain Text (.txt)** and untick **Include HTML and media references**. In Lietner, open the deck editor, choose **Import JSON, CSV or Anki text export**, and pick the file. The [full Anki import guide](/import-anki-deck) covers each step and what doesn't carry over.

Two things to know first. Your review history stays in Anki, so every card starts again in box 1. And only the first two fields of each note come across, so cloze and image cards won't work.

## What does Lietner not do?

To save you a surprise later: there are no images, audio or maths formatting on cards, no shared or public decks, no reminders or streaks, no typed-answer checking, and no way to change the box intervals. The app's interface is in English, though your cards can be in any language. These limits are deliberate, and they're what keeps Lietner simple.

Ready to try it? [Open Lietner](/). There's nothing to sign up for.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lietner better than Anki?

Not overall. Anki does far more: images, audio, cloze cards, add-ons, shared decks and an adaptive scheduler. Lietner is better if you want something you can understand in a minute and use on any device for free, and you don't need those extras.

### Can I move my Anki cards to Lietner?

Yes. Export them from Anki desktop as Notes in Plain Text with HTML turned off, then import the .txt file in Lietner's deck editor. Your review history doesn't come across: every card starts in box 1.

### Is there a free Anki alternative for iPhone?

Lietner is free on iPhone. It runs in Safari, and you can add it to your Home Screen so it opens like an app and works offline. AnkiMobile, the official Anki app for iPhone, is a paid app.