Best Study Apps for Students 2025: Anki vs. ChatGPT vs. okti

Study apps help you structure knowledge, understand complex topics, or retain information long-term through active recall. Depending on your goals and individual learning style, different apps are better suited for the job. Choosing the right application can be crucial for your academic success.

In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized learning, making it more efficient and personalized than ever. However, the sheer number of options can be overwhelming. In this article, we’ll introduce three popular applications and show you which one is the best fit for you.

Anki: The Classic for Long-Term Memorization

A collage of two screenshots from the Anki study app. One screenshot shows the home screen with flashcard decks. The other shows a revealed flashcard about binomial formulas in study mode with the answer buttons 'Again', 'Hard', 'Good', 'Easy'.

Anki is a free, open-source application for digital flashcards and is one of the most popular study apps available. The name is derived from the Japanese word for “memorization.” It is particularly popular among students in study-intensive fields like medicine or law, but also widely used for learning languages and vocabulary. In Anki, flashcards are organized into so called “decks” for which a variety of individual settings can be configured. The core feature of Anki is the “Spaced Repetition” method for reviewing flashcards.

What is Spaced Repetition?

With the “Spaced Repetition” learning method, your flashcards are reviewed at calculated time intervals to anchor the learned material in your long-term memory. This means that cards you find difficult are repeated more frequently than easy content.

Example: Imagine you’re learning a new vocabulary word. Instead of reviewing it every day, Anki reminds you of it at increasingly longer intervals. The algorithm calculates the optimal time for repetition, which is right before you would forget the information. You can find a detailed explanation in our spaced repetition guide.

The desktop versions for Windows, MacOS, and Linux, as well as the Android app (AnkiDroid), are free. Only the iOS app is a paid application, available in the Appstore for 29.99 € (as of August 2025). Thanks to its open-source nature, there is a huge community and countless user-created decks and add-ons, which allow you to customize the functionality to your own needs.

Pros	Cons
✅ Highly effective learning through Spaced Repetition	❌ Outdated and unintuitive user interface
✅ Free (except iOS: €29.99) and Open Source	❌ No integrated AI functionality
✅ Large community and many pre-made decks	❌ Steep learning curve due to many settings
✅ High flexibility and customization via Add-ons	❌ Manually creating flashcards can be time-consuming

Read next: How does Anki stack up against Quizlet? See our Anki vs Quizlet comparison for 2026.

ChatGPT Learning Mode: The Interactive AI Tutor

In recent years, chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude have quickly become valuable tools in many areas of life. With its special learning mode, ChatGPT now also becomes an interactive learning partner. Instead of simply providing ready-made answers, the AI acts like a digital tutor: it asks targeted follow-up questions, explains complex concepts step-by-step, and adapts to your individual knowledge level.

This approach promotes active learning and a deeper understanding of concepts. You can have topics explained to you, test your knowledge with quizzes, or even have study plans created. The learning mode is available in the free version of ChatGPT and can be used for a variety of subjects. (More tips in our guide on how to use ChatGPT for studying.)

However, ChatGPT is not a specialized tool for the repeated study of flashcards like Anki. It lacks the organization of your learning content and the systematic review based on the Spaced Repetition principle, which is crucial for long-term knowledge retention. Furthermore, the generated content must be critically questioned, as the AI can also make mistakes.

A screenshot showing the ChatGPT chat interface in learning mode. ChatGPT is asking follow-up questions about binomial formulas, explaining them step-by-step for the user.

Pros	Cons
✅ Interactive learning through dialogue with AI	❌ Lacks Spaced Repetition for long-term retention
✅ Personalized feedback on answers and questions	❌ No dedicated flashcard system or persistent organization
✅ Free to use	❌ No direct integration of motivating mini-games
✅ Well-suited for understanding complex topics

okti: The All-in-One Solution for Smart Studying

A collage of eight screenshots from the okti learning app. Screenshot 1: Home screen with folders and flashcard decks in a modern design with a purple octopus mascot. Screenshot 2: An overview of flashcard decks. Screenshot 3: The deck overview with flashcards and learning modes: Adaptive, Sequential, and Quiz Mode. Screenshot 4: The study view with a question about binomial formulas and an input field for the answer via text or voice message. Screenshot 5: A revealed flashcard in study mode with the answer buttons 'Again', 'Hard', 'Good', 'Easy'. Screenshot 6: An overview of the AI feedback on an answer to a flashcard. Screenshot 7: Shows the interactive Quiz Mode, like a 'Millionaire' quiz, with a question and A, B, C, D answer options. Screenshot 8: A success screen with the octopus mascot wearing a party hat, confetti, and the text 'Bravo, you have successfully completed the deck!'

okti combines the strengths of proven learning methods with the advantages of modern AI technology in one application. The web app was specifically designed to make the entire learning process from creating materials to long-term knowledge retention as easy and efficient as possible.

Instead of spending hours manually typing up notes, you simply upload your lecture slides, scripts, or notes (as PDF, Photo or Text). The AI analyzes the content and generates precise questions and answers in the form of flashcards in seconds. This saves a lot of time that can be used directly for studying.

Want to learn how to create your study content efficiently with okti? Click here.

For reviewing, okti uses an adaptive learning mode with an intelligent Spaced Repetition algorithm. The web app automatically adjusts the repetition intervals to your learning progress, so you can fully concentrate on the content.

What makes okti unique, however, is the integration of interactive, AI-powered feedback, similar to ChatGPT. When studying, you can not only self-assess your answers to flashcards (e.g., with “Again”, “Hard”, “Good”, “Easy”) but also submit them in writing or via voice message. The AI analyzes your answer and gives you personalized feedback to immediately identify knowledge gaps and provide optimal support for your learning. Just like a real study partner.

okti also brings the tutor idea from ChatGPT’s learning mode into a structured system: in the new Tutor mode, you name a learning goal (optionally with your own materials), and a personal AI tutor builds a personalized path of interactive lessons – including practice flashcards generated directly from each lesson. And with the AI Chat (beta), you can ask questions about your own documents, notes, and decks; the chat can even create flashcards, quizzes, or notes for you, applying changes only after your approval.

The learning experience is rounded off by motivating and gamified elements. Besides Spaced Repetition, you can choose from other study modes, such as the “Quiz Mode,” which generates an interactive mini-game from your flashcards. You are accompanied on your learning journey by the friendly octopus mascot, who motivates you on your successes, making studying a bit more personal and entertaining.

Pros	Cons
✅ Efficient learning with Spaced Repetition	❌ AI features are limited monthly in the free version
✅ Creates flashcards in seconds using AI
✅ Interactive AI feedback on your answers
✅ Motivating study modes (e.g., Quiz Game)
✅ Modern, intuitive design and a cute mascot 🐙
✅ Permanently free to use

Ready to revolutionize your study routine? Try it for free and learn with your digital study partner okti! It’s time to study smarter, not harder.

Conclusion: Which Study App is Right for You?

All three applications have their merits and appeal to different types of learners:

Anki is the first choice for purists who want an extremely powerful and customizable tool for memorization and are willing to learn a less modern and more complex interface. It is ideal for students who need to internalize large amounts of factual knowledge, like vocabulary or legal paragraphs, for the long term.
The ChatGPT Learning Mode is excellent as an interactive tutor for understanding complex connections and having difficult concepts explained. However, it lacks the structure for systematic, repetitive, and thus sustainable learning of exam-relevant knowledge.
okti is the perfect all-in-one solution for students who want the best of both worlds: the proven effectiveness of Spaced Repetition combined with the automation and interactivity of AI. If you want to save time creating study materials, receive AI-powered feedback for learning support, and prefer a modern, motivating, and intuitive way to learn, okti is the right choice for you.

Ultimately, the best choice depends on your personal preferences and learning goals. Try them out and find out which app best supports you on your path to success.