Is AnkiWeb free? Yes, with one paid exception

The short answer: yes, free, with one nuance

AnkiWeb is the browser-based companion to Anki, the reference spaced-repetition flashcard system, and it is free to use. You open AnkiWeb in any browser, sign in, and review the decks you have already built, with your progress syncing back to whichever device you study on next. There is no listed price tier, no feature locked behind payment, and no ad-supported free plan to compare against a paid one — the site itself simply does not charge.

The nuance is that AnkiWeb sits inside a wider Anki ecosystem, and one piece of that ecosystem does cost money: AnkiMobile on iOS. That app is built and sold separately from AnkiWeb, so when people ask whether Anki is free, the honest answer depends on which piece they mean. AnkiWeb, specifically, is the free part.

What free covers: the AnkiWeb site, the desktop app, AnkiDroid

AnkiWeb itself is a lightweight web app: its live page simply asks you to enable JavaScript, since the review interface is rendered entirely in the browser rather than downloaded as an app. It is not installable and does not work offline, which fits its role as a companion rather than a full replacement for the desktop program — its job is syncing and quick review, not being your only way into your cards.

The desktop program, Anki, is the free, open-source core of the ecosystem. Its own site describes synchronization through the free AnkiWeb service, support for audio, images, video and scientific markup in cards, customizable flashcard layouts and review timing, and the ability to handle collections of 100,000 or more cards without trouble. Add-ons extend it further, and none of that is gated behind a payment.

Anki's documentation also maintains a separate manual for AnkiDroid, its Android client, alongside the desktop manual and a separate manual for the iPhone and iPad app. The facts available here do not state AnkiDroid's price directly, so this article will not guess at it — what is confirmed is that AnkiWeb, the desktop program and the free sync service between them cost nothing.

The one paid app in the ecosystem: AnkiMobile on iOS, not AnkiWeb

AnkiMobile is the iPhone and iPad client, documented in its own manual separately from the desktop and AnkiDroid manuals. It is a distinct product built by the Anki project rather than a feature or subscription sold by AnkiWeb, and the facts gathered for this article do not include its current price — that detail sits on the app's own listing rather than on AnkiWeb.

What matters for anyone asking specifically about AnkiWeb is the separation itself: paying (or not) for AnkiMobile on an iPhone has no bearing on whether the AnkiWeb website, the desktop program, or the free sync service between them cost anything. Someone who studies on Android and a laptop, for instance, can use the entire workflow without ever encountering a price.

Do you need an account, and what for (syncing)

Yes, a free account is what turns AnkiWeb from a login page into something useful. Creating one costs nothing and is what lets the synchronization service tie your review history together across devices, so a card you answer on the desktop app shows up already updated the next time you open AnkiWeb in a browser, or vice versa.

Without an account, there is nothing to sync and nothing to review on AnkiWeb specifically, since the desktop app can be used entirely standalone if you never touch a second device. The account is not a paywall gate — it exists purely to identify which collection of decks and review history belongs to you across the desktop app, AnkiWeb, and whichever mobile client you use.

AnkiWeb vs. the desktop application

AnkiWeb and the desktop program share the same underlying decks but are built for different moments. AnkiWeb runs in any browser with no installation, which makes it the fast option for a quick review session on a shared or unfamiliar computer, but it requires an internet connection and JavaScript, and it is not installable as its own app.

The desktop program is the fuller tool: it is where add-ons run, where large collections — Anki's own materials mention handling 100,000 or more cards — stay fast, and where customization of card layouts and review timing lives. AnkiWeb's role is narrower by design: sync your progress and let you review from wherever a browser is available, rather than duplicate every desktop feature.

Neither costs anything based on the facts gathered here, but they solve different problems: pick the desktop app when you want the full feature set — add-ons, media support, layout customization — on your main machine, and lean on AnkiWeb when you need a quick review from a device where installing software is not an option, or simply is not possible.

What this doesn't change: the community deck catalogue

Whether you review through AnkiWeb or the desktop app, you are drawing from the same catalogue of community shared decks that the Anki project maintains, and access to that catalogue is part of the same free account rather than a separate purchase. It is one of the reasons people start with Anki instead of building every deck from scratch.

That said, AnkiWeb and the desktop app are not the only free way to drill flashcards. Quizlet covers a similar niche with its own large library of user-created study sets across languages, science, history and test prep, plus practice tests and a matching game, free to create and study with ads on its free tier. If the goal is closer to daily language practice than spaced-repetition flashcards specifically, Duolingo is built around that instead, with full free course content across more than 40 languages.

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