Gizmo or Quizlet? Stay with Quizlet if you rely on its huge library of ready-made sets, its Learn mode and its practice tests, and you don't mind paying for Plus to use them without limits. Try Gizmo if you make your own cards from notes, PDFs or YouTube and want spaced repetition that feels like a game: it can import your Quizlet sets, so switching costs you little.
A disclosure first: we make Synt, a third option described near the end, so this is not a neutral review. We only state what we checked, and we say where each app is better. Every price and feature below comes from the official US App Store listings, Quizlet's upgrade page and Gizmo's help center, checked on 8 November 2026.
The short answer
Quizlet (US App Store, 4.8 stars from over 1.1 million ratings) is the classic flashcard platform. Its listing says over 60 million students, teachers and lifelong learners use it. Beyond flashcards it now turns typed or uploaded notes and recorded lectures into study guides and flashcards, and adds Learn (adaptive practice), Practice Tests, spaced repetition, podcasts made from your notes, a puzzle game called Charms and studying with friends.
Gizmo (US App Store, 4.8 stars from about 17,000 ratings) is an AI flashcard app. Its listing leads with "AI Import": Quizlet, Anki, YouTube, PDFs, notes and PowerPoint become flashcards, and you can scan handwritten notes. You then study with quizzes, spaced repetition and active recall, with leaderboards and study games, an AI tutor and over a million free public flashcards.
Comparison table
| Quizlet | Gizmo | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | A library of flashcard sets plus study modes | Turning your material into flashcards, played like a game |
| Ready-made content | Sets made by its 60M+ users | 1M+ free public flashcards |
| Make cards from your material | Type, paste or upload notes; record or upload a lecture | Import Quizlet, Anki, YouTube, PDF, notes, PowerPoint; scan handwritten notes |
| Spaced repetition | Yes | Yes, with active recall |
| Practice tests | Yes ("simulate the real thing"); full access is Plus | Multiple-choice and written questions in quizzes |
| Game elements | Charms puzzle game, study with friends | Leaderboards, study games, Hearts |
| Free limit | Learn rounds and practice tests are limited without Plus | Hearts: 15, a wrong answer costs one, then a 10-minute wait |
| App languages (App Store) | 17 | English only |
| Paid plan (US) | Quizlet Plus: $44.99 a year (also $9.99 in the App Store) | Gizmo Unlimited: in-app options from $6.99 to $154.99 |
Sources: the Quizlet and Gizmo US App Store listings (description and in-app purchases), Quizlet's upgrade page and Gizmo's help article on Hearts. Gizmo has no public pricing page (gizmo.ai/pricing returns a 404), and the App Store list doesn't say which period each Gizmo Unlimited price covers, so check inside the app before paying.
What each one costs
Quizlet Plus is the paid tier. The US App Store lists it at $44.99 and $9.99 (the listing says subscriptions are monthly or annual), and the upgrade page (which we loaded from Europe, so in euros) shows the annual plan at €44.99 with a free trial. What Plus adds, per that page: full access to practice tests, millions of textbook solutions, unlimited rounds of Learn and no ads. Quizlet's App Store list also has separate Teacher ($35.99) and Quizlet Go ($44.99) products.
Gizmo is free to download. The paid tier, Gizmo Unlimited, appears in the US App Store at several prices between $6.99 and $154.99, plus coin packs from $1.99. The free version runs on Hearts: you start with 15, every wrong answer in Memorise mode costs one, and when they run out you wait 10 minutes before quizzing again. Gizmo Unlimited removes that wait.
Where Quizlet is better
Content you don't have to make. If someone in your class, or anywhere, has already made a set for your textbook chapter, Quizlet is where you'll find it. Gizmo has a public library too, but Quizlet's user base is in another league.
Study modes and practice tests. Learn adapts to what you get wrong, and Practice Tests simulate an exam. Plus unlocks both without limits.
Lectures and languages. Quizlet can turn a recorded lecture into a study guide and flashcards, and its app comes in 17 languages. Gizmo's listing is English only.
Where Gizmo is better
Bringing material in. Gizmo's import list is the longest: Quizlet sets, Anki decks, YouTube videos, PDFs, PowerPoint and photos of handwritten notes. If your cards are scattered across apps, it pulls them into one place.
Reviewing that feels like a game. Hearts, leaderboards and study games make spaced repetition less of a chore. Some students love that; others find the 10-minute wait annoying without Unlimited.
A smaller, simpler app. No textbook solutions, no teacher tools, no podcasts. If you only want to drill cards, there's less in the way.
A third option: Synt
This is ours. Synt doesn't have a library of sets: it takes your own notes (pasted text, a link or photos of your pages) and generates a summary, a 20-question quiz, flashcards and a concept map from that material only. Set an exam date and a target grade and it plans short sessions up to that day, brings back the questions you got wrong (reworded) and puts a mock exam the day before.
On the web, the free plan covers pasted text, links and photos, including the study plan. PDF upload and YouTube are Pro, at €4.99 a week, €9.99 a month or €29.99 a year on synt.app's pricing page, with a 3-day trial; App Store prices are set per country.
Where Synt is weaker: no shared sets, no Quizlet or Anki import, no leaderboards, no textbook solutions. If you need a set someone else already made, Quizlet wins. You can try the notes to quiz tool without an account, or the flashcard maker.
How to choose
Your class already shares Quizlet sets: Quizlet, and Plus if you use Learn and practice tests a lot.
You build cards from PDFs, slides or YouTube and like streaks and leaderboards: Gizmo.
You have years of decks in Quizlet or Anki and want them in one app: Gizmo's import.
You have your own notes and a test date: Synt turns them into a quiz, flashcards and a plan to the day.
More options: Quizlet alternatives, Knowt vs Quizlet and Knowt vs Gizmo.
Gizmo vs Quizlet: FAQ
Is Gizmo better than Quizlet?
For importing your own material and game-like review, often yes: Gizmo turns Quizlet sets, Anki decks, PDFs, slides and YouTube into flashcards. For ready-made sets, practice tests and Learn mode, Quizlet does more. It depends on whether you make your cards or find them.
Can Gizmo import Quizlet sets?
Yes. Gizmo's App Store listing names Quizlet as an import source, along with Anki, YouTube, PDF, notes and PowerPoint (checked 8 November 2026).
Is Gizmo free?
Gizmo is free to download and has free public flashcards. The free version uses Hearts: 15 to start, one lost per wrong answer, and a 10-minute wait when they run out. Gizmo Unlimited removes the wait; the US App Store lists it at several prices from $6.99 to $154.99 without saying which period each covers.
How much is Quizlet Plus?
Quizlet Plus is listed at $44.99 in the US App Store, with a $9.99 option as well; the listing says plans are monthly or annual. It adds full practice tests, textbook solutions, unlimited Learn rounds and no ads (checked 8 November 2026).
