SmartCards+: My Favorite Flashcard App
A while ago, I wrote an article about Feyn, a handwritten flashcard app on iPadOS. Since then, I’ve used a variety of flashcard apps to use for school. And after a semester of trying out different flashcard apps to see what works best for me, SmartCards+ (in addition to Notion and Feyn) is becoming one of my favorite flashcard apps for learning.
I’ve been using SmartCards+ for the past few months. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
About The App
After using the app for a while, SmartCards+ appears to be a combination of Anki and Quizlet. It has spaced repetition (like Anki) in a decent UI (like Quizlet).
Features
The app has a variety of interesting features. Here are some of the main features I saw while using the app:
Import Decks
For instance, users can import flashcards from Quizlet or Anki. This is one of the main reasons SmartCards+ is becoming one of my favorite flashcard apps.
With other apps, like Feyn, I have to make each deck by myself. This is mostly fine with me, but it isn’t that great when I’m working on a large flashcard set or making flashcards at the last minute.
And that’s where SmartCard+’s import feature is incredibly useful.
Flashcard Styles
SmartCards+ also has a feature where users can add not just text, but also audio and images to flashcards. While this isn’t that useful for me (because of the specific classes I’m taking), it could be for others.
Tagging
In addition, the app also has a tagging system, where users can tag flashcards to organize them within sets.
SmartCards+ also has a custom review system (which I’ll discuss later), but I wasn’t able to filter cards by tags. I’m unsure if this is a software bug or if it is a feature only available to paying subscribers.
SmartCards+ does have a folder system like tags, but this feature is only available to premium subscribers.
Custom Review
One of the features of SmartCards+ that I haven’t thoroughly tested is their custom review feature.
With this feature, users can review flashcards based on different attributes. You can filter flashcards based on the day they were created, the day they are due, recall strength, and other similar characteristics.
Personally, I don’t have enough flashcards created for this to be particularly useful for me. But for people who are importing thousands of flashcards into SmartCards+ (or even creating thousands of flashcards), this could be a useful feature to organize active recall systems.
Customization
In addition to custom reviews, SmartCards+ has a variety of customization options for users.
On top of just adding a name to decks, users can add descriptions, colors, and even deck images (sort of like a thumbnail). Users can also customize the input languages for different flashcard sides, which could be a useful tool for language learners.
You can also limit the amount of cards you review. Personally, I don’t really get the point of this feature, but it might be useful in specific cases. You can also customize the order of newly made cards, choose which side of flashcards to show first (front, back, or random), and customize spaced repetition settings based on how easy or hard specific material is.
Users can also set up notifications to review cards. You can either set up a daily reminder at a certain time or set up reminders at any time a card is due for review throughout the day.
In-App Purchases
As I briefly discussed before, SmartCards+ does have a premium subscription. At $9.99/year, it isn’t too expensive, especially when compared to other iPadOS flashcard apps.
And honestly, I’m considering purchasing the subscription with some gift card money I have.
With a premium plan, users can get access to flashcard statistics, organize with smart folders, utilize dark mode, and remove ads from the app.
It seems worth it, and the only reason I haven’t purchased it yet is because I want to save up some more money from gift cards before I buy the subscription.
How I Use The App
Personally, I mainly use the app for my AP Environmental Science class. This class is heavy on memorization, due to the amount of content I need to learn.
To create flashcards for this class, I open up SmartCards+ and review material in another window. I create flashcards based on the information I need to remember, and I store all my flashcards for this class in a SmartCards+ folder.
Since the flashcards from my iPad sync to my iPhone, I can quiz myself on the go — a feature’s necessary for every flashcard app (in my opinion, at least).
In addition, I use the tagging feature to separate notes based on the associated unit in my class.
I sometimes use the import feature of the app, but I surprisingly haven’t used it as much as I thought I would. As I take on another class this semester, however, that may change in the near future.
My Opinion On The App
In my opinion, SmartCards+ is a fantastic app. Even though I don’t use the import feature too often, I think that it is a fantastic feature, especially since there are so many pre-made study sets on Quizlet.
In fact, it’s one of the very few times I’ve felt that purchasing a subscription is worth it. At less than a dollar per month, it seems like a great investment into my learning.
The only downsides to the app are the ads. But obviously, the developer needs to an earn an income from somewhere. And I would rather have a freemium model than a paid-only model.
Conclusion
Ultimately, I think SmartCards+ is a fantastic app. It has a variety of features for users, and has a great freemium model for those who can’t purchase apps on their iPad.
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Thanks!
Adi
