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A flashcard app better than Anki for turning your PDFs into cards

DeckOwl turns PDFs, slides, notes and photos of pages into flashcards with spaced repetition. No credit card is needed to start.

Create flashcards nowFree · No credit card required

Drop files here or browsePDF, DOCX, PPTX, text or photos of your notes · several files with Plus

Free · First set needs no signup · Creates flashcards in seconds

Why students compare a flashcard app with Anki

Choosing a flashcard app better than Anki usually depends on where your cards come from. Anki gives you fine control over card design and scheduling, but every card is typed or imported by hand. DeckOwl starts from your own material: upload a PDF, slides, notes or a photo of a page, and it drafts flashcards you can edit.

Start from lecture slides or textbook chapters instead of a blank deck.
Edit AI-drafted cards before studying so the wording matches your course.
Review on a spaced schedule that adjusts to the cards you miss.
Export to Anki later if you decide you want its deeper customization.

Example biology flashcards for an intro course

What is the function of mitochondria?They produce most of the cell's ATP through cellular respiration.

What does osmosis describe?The movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from lower solute concentration to higher solute concentration.

How do mitosis and meiosis differ?Mitosis produces two identical diploid cells, while meiosis produces four genetically varied haploid cells.

What is the role of ribosomes?They translate messenger RNA into proteins.

What does homeostasis mean?Maintaining a stable internal environment despite changes in the external environment.

Generate the full set

Cards from your own files

Upload PDFs, DOCX, PPTX, plain text or images. Photos of pages are read with text recognition.

Spaced repetition on Plus

Cards you miss come back sooner, and cards you know move to longer gaps between reviews.

Quizzes and mind maps too

Generate multiple choice, true/false and short answer quizzes with explanations, or a mind map from the same material.

How it works

Upload your material

Add a PDF, slides, notes or a photo of a page.

Review the draft cards

Edit, delete or add cards before you start studying.

Study and export

Study in the browser on the free plan, or export to Anki, CSV, PDF or DOCX on Plus.

Spaced repetition is the part both kinds of tools share. Cards you miss come back sooner, and cards you know drift to longer gaps. On the Plus plan you can export to PDF, DOCX, Anki and CSV, so your deck is not tied to one app.