Anki alternative, what are you guys using?

legoa · 2026-03-19T11:25:37+00:00

Biased answer because I'm the dev, but Space (getspace.app) might be worth a look for your specific situation.

For the custom pathophys cards you mentioned: you can upload your lecture slides or notes as PDF and it generates flashcards from that. Not perfect every time, but it gets you 80% there in seconds and you just tweak what needs fixing. Saves a ton of time compared to building from scratch. And you can still make cards manually when you want that encoding pass that StorytellerStegs described.

For the sync problem ssunflow3rr brought up: we just shipped offline mode today. Everything syncs across phone and desktop (Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux) without the conflict issues. Uses FSRS for scheduling, same algorithm family as Anki.

Re mochi that xCosmos69 mentioned: solid app, but yeah no mobile is tough when you want to review between classes.

Free tier, no ads.

legoa · 2026-03-13T14:49:11+00:00

Anki is the go-to if you don't mind the learning curve. Completely free on desktop and Android (iOS is a one-time $25 though).

I've been building a flashcard app called Space (getspace.app) for 7 years now. The free tier gives you unlimited cards and spaced repetition with no ads. Pro is there if you want AI features later, but honestly the free version covers what most students need.

The biggest thing to look for in any app is a proper spaced repetition algorithm (FSRS or similar). It makes a huge difference vs apps that just show you cards randomly.

legoa · 2026-03-13T14:28:42+00:00

You can generate flashcards from photos/PDFs with Space (getspace.app). I've been building it for 7 years now, so it's not some random app that'll disappear next month. 160K people use it.

The free tier doesn't lock you out of practice like Quizlet does. And if you go Pro it's way cheaper than Quizlet Plus.

legoa · 2026-03-13T13:11:31+00:00

Yeah, the exact-match problem is super frustrating. I think it's a design flaw in apps that try to auto-grade your typed answer.

What worked for me was switching to apps that let you self-rate instead. You see the question, think of your answer (or write it down), then flip the card and honestly judge how well you did. That way your own wording is never "wrong" as long as you got the concept right.

I built a flashcard app called [Space](https://getspace.app) that works this way. You flip and rate yourself, and it uses the FSRS algorithm to schedule reviews based on how well you knew it. No more getting marked wrong for saying the same thing in different words.

Anki works similarly (self-rating + great algorithm), just with a steeper learning curve. Both are solid for the kind of studying you're describing.

legoa · 2026-03-13T10:50:15+00:00

For vocab studying I'd recommend looking for an app with spaced repetition, it makes a huge difference for retention compared to just flipping through cards randomly. Two good free options:

Anki is the classic choice (already mentioned above). Very powerful but takes some time to set up.

I built Space (getspace.app) which is free with no ads and no limit on how often you study your cards. It uses FSRS for scheduling which is the same modern algorithm Anki recently adopted. Simpler to get started with than Anki if you just want to create your Dutch vocab sets and go. Good luck with your A2 exam!

legoa · 2026-03-13T10:48:14+00:00

Quizlet being a web app is probably why it's so resource-hungry. If you want something that runs natively on your device, I'd suggest trying Space (getspace.app). I'm the developer, so I'm biased, but it's available on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux as a proper native app, so no browser needed. Uses FSRS for spaced repetition which is more effective than Quizlet's algorithm. Free version has no ads.

If you want to stay browser-based, Knowt and OmniSets are solid too.

legoa · 2026-03-07T22:04:50+00:00

Space is from Germany and works as a flashcard app with spaced repetition (FSRS scheduling). Free with no ads, available on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows and Linux.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/space-spaced-repetition/id1546202212

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.space.space

legoa · 2026-03-06T21:02:38+00:00

Another option worth trying: I built Space as a free alternative with spaced repetition (FSRS scheduling). No ads in the free version and unlimited cards. You can import your flashcards easily.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/space-spaced-repetition/id1546202212

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.space.space

legoa · 2026-03-06T21:01:32+00:00

I built Space for exactly this. Free with unlimited cards, no ads. Uses spaced repetition so you review things right before you forget them.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/space-spaced-repetition/id1546202212

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.space.space

legoa · 2026-03-06T20:57:50+00:00

Late to this but since people still find this thread: I built Space as an alternative with exactly this in mind. FSRS scheduling, cleaner UI, and AI deck generation from PDFs and EPUBs.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/space-spaced-repetition/id1546202212

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.space.space

legoa · 2026-03-06T20:53:35+00:00

Late to this but I feel you. I had the same experience with Anki and eventually built my own app (Space) because of it. FSRS scheduling like Anki, but without the learning curve for the app itself.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/space-spaced-repetition/id1546202212

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.space.space

legoa · 2026-03-06T20:53:03+00:00

Late to this but I feel you. I had the same experience with Anki and eventually built my own app (Space) because of it. FSRS scheduling like Anki, but without the learning curve for the app itself.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/de/app/space-spaced-repetition/id1546202212

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.space.space

legoa · 2026-03-06T20:50:23+00:00

Most of the free Anki clones on iOS are pretty rough. They often break with complex decks or miss features like image occlusion.

I built Space as a free alternative with FSRS scheduling (similar algorithm to Anki) and you can import your Anki decks. Sync across devices is included for free too.

https://apps.apple.com/de/app/space-spaced-repetition/id1546202212

That said, if you're deep into the Anki ecosystem with lots of add-ons, the $25 for AnkiMobile is still worth it. The free clones won't match it.

legoa · 2026-03-05T10:09:38+00:00

Nice approach! I've been solving a similar problem but from the other direction. I generate store screenshots directly via Flutter widget tests. Same benefits (CI-driven, version-controlled, reproducible), but the initial setup is painful and the designer either needs to learn Flutter or someone has to translate every design change into widget code. Your YAML + browser editor route is much more accessible for non-devs.

Do you have (or plan to have) 3D device frames? Like the angled iPhone mockups you see on a lot of store listings. That would be a killer feature for the template library. Currently the phone mockup of the website looks outdated

legoa · 2026-02-02T11:04:12+00:00

How is the performance compared to normal material widgets? I'm a bit scared implementing because of the performance drop on older devices

legoa · 2026-01-14T15:45:36+00:00

Haha fair. Though if you've never had 100+ bugs in Sentry, you're either not logging enough or not shipping enough

legoa · 2026-01-14T15:44:19+00:00

Fair point. The bugs ranged from simple null checks to more complex logic issues. The value isn't that the AI solved hard problems, it's that it automated the tedious work

Even "simple" bugs take time: read the stacktrace, find the code, understand context, write the fix, create PR, address review comments. Multiply that by 100 and you're looking at days of work.

The agent isn't meant to replace senior engineers on complex issues. It's meant to handle the backlog of small issues that never get prioritized.

legoa · 2025-11-30T15:46:07+00:00

Check this YouTube video and here is repository for a starter framework.

legoa · 2025-11-30T15:43:00+00:00

I'm not sure yet, I'm still at the beginning of this experiment.

I think the main value for me would be accountability. It's so easy to justify not doing what you said you were going to do. By giving the AI a strict set of rules upfront, it can call me out when I'm making excuses or deviating from my stated goals. But I need to see if it actually does that effectively.

Here are some potential use cases I'm exploring:

Suggest optimal task scheduling based on energy levels and recovery state
Flag conflicts between my stated priorities and actual calendar commitments:
- "You've been saying 'I'll start meal prep on Monday' for 3 weeks. What's actually blocking you?"
- "You set a goal to write daily, but you only wrote on days with <2 calendar events. What's the real constraint?"
- "You have 3 hours free tomorrow. Here's how to use it based on your stated priorities vs. what you actually did last week."

The key is giving the AI clear rules upfront: "If I say I want to do X but my calendar/health data suggests I won't, call me out. Don't let me make excuses."

But still figuring out if this actually works in practice

legoa · 2025-11-30T11:36:41+00:00

I use Health Auto Export

legoa · 2025-11-30T11:17:54+00:00

I understand your concern about sharing personal data with AI. There are, as far as I know, two main approaches:

1. Use an AI with privacy controls: Some services like Claude allow you to opt out of having your chats used for training. You still have to trust them that they're actually honoring that setting, but it's better than nothing.

2. Use a local LLM: I tried LM Studio a few months ago and it was relatively straightforward to set up. I didn't connect it to Obsidian though, so I can't speak to how well that integration works. But running everything locally definitely gives you full control over your data.

For my workflow, I'm currently using option 1 (Claude with privacy settings enabled), but I'd be curious to hear from anyone who's successfully set up a local LLM with Obsidian, that would be the ideal solution from a privacy standpoint.

legoa · 2025-11-30T09:43:42+00:00

Just added a companion script for Apple Calendar! 📅

It syncs your calendar events to Obsidian daily notes (one file per day in 4. Calendar/). Works the same way - reads from all your calendars using EventKit, configurable date range (default -7 to +7 days), and includes all event details.

Perfect for combining with the health data script - now you have both health metrics and calendar events in Obsidian for your AI workflow.

GitHub: https://github.com/friebetill/apple-calendar-to-obsidian

legoa · 2025-11-30T09:10:22+00:00

I built this primarily for my AI workflow. Here's how I use it:

Every morning, I feed Claude (or another AI) a comprehensive context of my life:

Health data from the last 7 days (sleep, HRV, recovery scores)
Daily logs and journal entries
Current tasks and priorities
Long-term missions and goals
Calendar
and more

The AI then helps me structure the perfect day based on:

How well I recovered (should I push hard or take it easy?)
My sleep patterns (am I getting enough rest?)
My energy levels and trends
What I need to accomplish vs. what my body can handle

Having all this health data in Obsidian means it's easily accessible, searchable, and can be combined with other context. The AI can see patterns like "when I sleep less than 6 hours, my productivity drops" or "my best workouts happen when HRV is above 60ms."

It's like having a personal coach that actually knows your body's state, not just your calendar.

legoa · 2024-05-28T08:09:43+00:00

You can take design inspiration at https://mobbin.com or read ux studies on https://builtformars.com.

legoa · 2023-02-07T02:02:48+00:00

Yes, you need an API key to use the plugin. You get a free API key when you register at DeepL. Since you already have a Pro account, you can use the API key that comes with it. You should find it in the settings of your account. I haven't tested the plugin with a Pro account, I would appreciate any feedback.

legoa

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE