Looking for an Anki alternative? Try ExamTeX.
Let's be honest first: Anki is the gold standard for spaced repetition. It's free, open source, renders math through built-in MathJax, and has the deepest add-on ecosystem in existence. The cost is time — every card is authored by hand, and a semester's deck takes hours you may not have. ExamTeX keeps the part of Anki that works (per-card spaced repetition, real math rendering) and removes the part that hurts: you upload your course materials and the deck generates in about a minute, with the LaTeX already typeset.
Why students choose ExamTeX over Anki
Card authoring is your bottleneck
Anki cards are typed one at a time, math included. ExamTeX generates the deck from lecture PDFs and slides — you review and edit instead of authoring from scratch.
You don't want to learn LaTeX syntax
Anki's MathJax works well but you write the notation yourself. ExamTeX's AI writes it from your materials; the editor shows a live preview if you want to tweak.
You want practice exams too
Anki is flashcards only. ExamTeX generates printable, LaTeX-compiled mock exams with answer keys from the same upload.
Setup should take a minute, not an evening
Anki's power comes with configuration: deck options, note types, add-ons. ExamTeX works out of the box — upload, review, study.
ExamTeX vs Anki — feature comparison
| Feature | ExamTeX | Anki |
|---|---|---|
| Card creation | AI-generated from your materials | Manual — you type every card |
| Math support | LaTeX, generated and rendered automatically | MathJax built in — you write the syntax |
| Spaced repetition | SM-2 built in | Best-in-class (FSRS), highly configurable |
| Practice exams | Printable typeset PDF with answer key | Not available |
| Ecosystem | Web app | Massive add-on and shared-deck ecosystem |
| Price | Free tier + Pro from €4.16/mo | Free (desktop/Android); paid iOS app |
When Anki is still the better choice
We don't want you to use the wrong tool. Anki is genuinely better than ExamTeX in these situations:
- Budget is zero and time is plentiful — Anki desktop is free forever and writing cards is itself a form of studying.
- You're in medical school — the shared-deck ecosystem (AnKing and friends) is a genuine treasure that no generator replaces.
- You want total control: custom scheduling algorithms, note types, and add-ons that ExamTeX doesn't expose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Anki support math without plugins?
Yes — Anki ships with MathJax built in since version 2.1, and it renders on desktop and mobile. The difference is workflow: in Anki you type the LaTeX for every card yourself; ExamTeX generates cards from your uploaded materials with the notation already in place.
Is ExamTeX's spaced repetition as good as Anki's?
Anki's scheduling (especially FSRS) is the most sophisticated available and deeply configurable. ExamTeX uses SM-2 — the proven algorithm Anki itself was built on — with sensible defaults and no configuration. For most students the practical difference is small; for optimization enthusiasts, Anki wins.
Can I export ExamTeX decks to Anki?
Not currently — decks live in ExamTeX, where the SM-2 scheduling runs. If your workflow is Anki-centered, the honest answer is to stay with Anki or use both: ExamTeX for generated decks and practice exams, Anki for your hand-crafted long-term collection.
Why would I pay for ExamTeX when Anki is free?
For the hours. ExamTeX's free tier generates decks at no cost; what you're ultimately trading is authoring time — a semester of lecture PDFs becomes a reviewed, editable, math-rendered deck in minutes. If you enjoy writing cards (many people genuinely do), Anki costs nothing and rewards the effort.
Does ExamTeX work for medical school like Anki does?
ExamTeX generates strong decks from your own lecture materials, including USMLE-style practice questions. What it cannot replace is med school's shared-deck culture — premade, community-maintained decks like AnKing. Many med students use both: shared Anki decks for the canon, generated decks for course-specific material.
Try ExamTeX free — no card, no signup needed
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