Knowunity or Gizmo? Pick Gizmo if flashcards are how you study: it turns your notes, PDFs, YouTube videos and old Quizlet or Anki decks into flashcards and quizzes with spaced repetition. Pick Knowunity if you need help understanding the material: an AI tutor that walks you through a homework problem from a photo, a day-by-day plan built around your test date, and over a million notes shared by other students.
A disclosure first: we make Synt, a third option that we describe at the end, so this is not a neutral review. What we can do is only state what we checked and say plainly where each app is better. Every price and feature below comes from the official US App Store listings and the Knowunity website, checked on 31 October 2026.
The short answer
Gizmo (US App Store, 4.8 stars from about 16,000 ratings) is an AI flashcard app. Its listing leads with "AI Import": convert Quizlet, Anki, YouTube, PDFs, notes and PowerPoint into flashcards, or scan handwritten notes. Then you study with quizzes, spaced repetition and active recall, with leaderboards and study games on top. It also lists an AI tutor and over a million free public flashcards made by other students.
Knowunity (US App Store, 4.7 stars from about 10,600 ratings) is a broader study platform. Its listing describes an AI tutor with a voice mode and photo homework help, flashcards, quizzes and summaries from your own material, AI-scored mock exams in SAT and AP format, a day-by-day exam plan that fits around your class timetable, over 1 million shared notes, and XP with weekly leagues.
Comparison table
| Knowunity | Gizmo | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | An exam plan, an AI tutor and shared notes | Flashcards and quizzes |
| Turn your material into flashcards and quizzes | Yes: PDFs, slides, photos, handwritten notes, text, links, YouTube, old flashcard decks | Yes: Quizlet, Anki, YouTube, PDFs, notes, PowerPoint, scanned handwritten notes |
| Spaced repetition | Active recall and mastery tracking per topic | Yes, spaced repetition and active recall |
| AI tutor and homework help from a photo | Yes, with a voice mode, step by step | AI tutor listed; photo homework solving not listed |
| Study plan to a test date | Yes, day by day, around your class timetable | Not listed |
| Mock exams | Yes, AI-scored, SAT and AP format | Not listed |
| Shared content | 1M+ notes, summaries and past-paper solutions | 1M+ free public flashcards |
| Game elements | XP and weekly leagues | Leaderboards and study games |
| App languages (App Store) | 20 | English only |
| Paid plan (US) | Knowunity Pro: $49.99 a year on the website; in-app also $9.99 and $15.99 | Gizmo Unlimited: in-app options from $6.99 to $154.99 |
Sources: the Knowunity and Gizmo US App Store listings (description and in-app purchases) and the Knowunity Pro page. Gizmo does not publish a pricing page that we could find, 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
Knowunity Pro is $49.99 a year on the US website, which also shows monthly and weekly options; the US App Store lists $9.99, $15.99 and $49.99. On the website, the free plan gets the shared notes in full, and limited AI answers, study plans, AI scans and attachments; test grading and "top notes" are Pro only.
Gizmo is free to download. The paid tier is called Gizmo Unlimited, and the US App Store lists it at several prices between $6.99 and $154.99, plus coin packs from $1.99. We couldn't find an official page with the periods, so we won't guess them. The free version runs on Hearts: you start with 15, a wrong answer in a quiz costs one, and when they run out you wait 10 minutes to keep quizzing; Gizmo Unlimited removes that limit (Gizmo help center, checked 31 October 2026).
Where Gizmo is better
Flashcards first. If your method is "make cards, drill them, repeat", Gizmo is built for exactly that. Spaced repetition decides what comes back and when.
Bringing your old decks. Gizmo's listing names Quizlet and Anki as import sources. If you have years of decks elsewhere, that matters. Knowunity's listing also mentions bringing old flashcard decks, but doesn't name the formats.
A simpler app. No feed of notes, no mock exams, no tutor-first home screen. Some students study better with less on the screen.
Where Knowunity is better
Explanations. The AI tutor with voice mode and the photo homework help walk you through a maths or chemistry problem step by step. Gizmo lists an AI tutor, but its listing is about flashcards.
A plan to the test. Knowunity builds a day-by-day plan around your test date and topics and adapts it as the date gets closer. Gizmo's listing doesn't mention a study plan.
Exam practice. AI-scored mock exams in SAT and AP format, with the results folded back into the plan.
Shared notes and languages. Over a million notes, summaries and past-paper solutions, and an app in 20 languages. Gizmo's App Store listing is English only.
A third option: Synt
This is ours. Synt takes your notes (pasted text, a link or photos of your pages) and generates a summary, a quiz, flashcards and a concept map from that material only. Set your exam date and target grade, and it plans short sessions up to that day, re-asks only 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 videos 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 chat tutor, no shared notes or public decks, no Quizlet or Anki import, no leagues. If you need someone to explain the exercise, Knowunity does that and Synt doesn't. You can try the notes to quiz tool without an account, or see the plan side in the study planner.
How to choose
You learn by drilling cards and have decks elsewhere: Gizmo.
You get stuck on problems and need them explained: Knowunity.
You need material you don't have: Knowunity's shared notes, or Gizmo's public flashcards if cards are enough.
You have your own notes and an exam date: Synt turns them into a quiz, flashcards and a plan up to the day.
Still deciding? We compared five more apps in Knowunity alternatives, and the homework-solver side in Knowunity vs Astra AI.
Knowunity vs Gizmo: FAQ
Is Gizmo better than Knowunity?
For flashcards, often yes: Gizmo is built around importing material into flashcards and drilling them with spaced repetition. For explanations, homework help and a plan to your test date, Knowunity does more. It depends on which of the two you actually need.
Is Gizmo free?
Gizmo is free to download and its listing advertises free flashcards. The free version runs on Hearts (you start with 15; when they run out you wait 10 minutes to keep studying); Gizmo Unlimited removes that limit. The paid tier, Gizmo Unlimited, is listed in the US App Store at several prices from $6.99 to $154.99 (checked 31 October 2026); the listing doesn't say which period each price covers.
How much is Knowunity Pro?
Knowunity Pro costs $49.99 a year on the US website (checked 31 October 2026). The US App Store also lists $9.99 and $15.99 options. The core tools are free.
Can I import Quizlet or Anki decks?
Gizmo's App Store listing names Quizlet and Anki as import sources. Knowunity's listing says you can bring your old flashcard decks, without naming formats. Synt doesn't import decks; it builds new ones from your notes.
