Anki is the better app overall, scoring 8.8 to 7.9. Anki wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Speak on 1.
Med students, language learners and anyone memorizing large volumes of facts
Learners who understand a language but freeze up when it is time to speak
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Anki | Speak |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning | Learning |
| Category rank | #3 of 8 | #8 of 8 |
| Developer | Damien Elmes and AnkiHub | Speakeasy Labs |
| Pricing | Free | Subscription |
| Usable for free | Yes | No |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | ✓ | — |
| Windows | ✓ | — |
| Linux | ✓ | — |
| Web | ✓ | — |
Strengths and weaknesses
Anki
- Smart scheduling means less review time for the same recall
- Free and open source on desktop, Android and the web
- Fully customizable cards, decks and study settings
- Dated interface with a steep learning curve
- The iPhone and iPad app, AnkiMobile, is a paid download
Anki is the most effective flashcard tool you can use, if you are willing to put in the work. Its spaced repetition scheduler, including the newer FSRS option, shows each card just before you would forget it. It is free and open source everywhere except iPhone, where AnkiMobile is a one-time purchase. The catch: the interface is dated and setup takes effort. Ideal for med students and serious language learners.
Full Anki review
Speak
- Gets you speaking out loud from the first lesson
- Open-ended AI chats feel close to a real tutor
- Low-pressure practice without a human audience
- Little free use beyond a trial
- Weak on reading, writing and long-term vocabulary review
Speak is built for the hardest part of learning a language: actually talking. You repeat phrases, then hold open conversations with an AI tutor that corrects your pronunciation and phrasing. It is great for getting past the fear of speaking. The catch: there is little free use, the course gets repetitive at higher levels, and reading and vocabulary review are thin. Pair it with a structured course.
Full Speak review
