Quizlet vs. Brainscape
Quizlet is published by Quizlet Inc and has been on the App Store since 2012-08-09. Brainscape is published by Bold Learning Solutions and has been available since 2011-07-15. Both are free to download with paid subscription tiers, and both build on spaced repetition. This comparison is built from what each developer publishes — App Store listings and Brainscape’s own pricing page — with every claim sourced and anything unverifiable listed as such.
Everything below comes from published sources, checked on 2026-08-08 and linked in each section. Where the sources don’t answer a question, it’s listed under What we couldn’t verify rather than guessed at.
Quizlet
A large general study platform built around user-created sets, with practice tests, adaptive question modes and homework solutions alongside flashcards.
Brainscape
A focused flashcard app built on confidence-rated spaced repetition, with an expert-certified library alongside user-created and community decks.
If you want one app that also generates practice tests, answers homework questions and carries a vast library of student-made sets, Quizlet is the broader platform. If you want flashcards done carefully — rating your own confidence on each card and letting the schedule follow from that — Brainscape is built around exactly that and very little else.
At a glance
| Field | Quizlet | Brainscape |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Quizlet Inc | Bold Learning Solutions |
| Price | Free to download; paid subscription tiers, prices not verified here | Free to download; Pro $7.99/month billed yearly, per Brainscape’s pricing page on 2026-08-08 |
| App Store rating | 4.78 from 1,099,373 ratings | 4.76 from 21,133 ratings |
| Current version | 10.46, updated 2026-08-03 | 4.20260722, updated 2026-07-31 |
| First released | 2012-08-09 | 2011-07-15 |
| Install size | 266.3 MB | 42.5 MB |
| Minimum iOS | 17 | 16.6 |
| iPad support | Yes | Yes |
Pulled from the App Store on 2026-08-08. Prices, versions, ratings, install sizes and OS requirements change — check the current App Store listing before relying on any of these values.
Feature comparison
| Field | Quizlet | Brainscape |
|---|---|---|
| Differs: Free-tier limit | The free plan is limited, with AI features, offline access and an ad-free experience listed under the paid tier. The exact caps are not stated on the App Store listing | Free forever, with unlimited flashcards you make or that are shared with you, and 2,500 pre-loaded flashcards. Unlimited certified and community content is Pro, per Brainscape’s pricing page |
| Differs: Study method | Cards are sorted into Know and Still learning, and its Learn mode adapts based on what you have got right, per its App Store description | You rate your confidence on each card from 1 to 5, and the review schedule follows from that rating, per its App Store description |
| Differs: Scope beyond flashcards | Practice tests, multiple choice, true/false and written question modes, and expert-authored step-by-step homework solutions | Flashcards only |
| Content library | Millions of flashcard sets created by students and teachers | Expert-certified collections covering MCAT, NCLEX, the bar exam, Series 7, GRE, AP courses, languages and certifications, plus millions of community-created cards |
| AI features | Generates a deck from your study materials, turns notes into practice tests and study guides, and offers AI support on homework steps | Creates flashcards from notes, PDFs, images and text. Making hundreds with AI is on the free plan; unlimited is Pro |
| Offline study | Saved decks are available offline, listed as a paid-tier feature | Not stated |
| Pricing model | Free tier plus paid subscription. Quizlet’s own upgrade page could not be read for this comparison, so no figure is quoted | Free tier plus Pro at $7.99/month billed yearly, and a custom-priced Enterprise tier, per Brainscape’s pricing page |
| Differs: Languages | 17 languages | English only |
| Group and school plans | Not stated on the App Store listing | An Enterprise tier for schools, companies, tutors and publishers, with bulk discounts and custom licensing |
Sources for this section: Quizlet App Store listing, Brainscape App Store listing, and Brainscape pricing page. All three were checked on 2026-08-08. Published feature lists change — check the current pages before relying on any row above. A heavier amber rule marks a row where the two apps meaningfully differ.
Where each one fits
Quizlet is the far larger of the two, and it does more than flashcards — practice tests, multiple choice, true/false and written question modes, and expert-authored step-by-step homework solutions, on top of a library of millions of sets created by students and teachers. It is listed in 17 languages against Brainscape’s one. Against that, its free tier’s limits are not published on the listing, which says only that AI features, offline access and ad removal sit behind the paid tier. And its install is 266.3 MB against Brainscape’s 42.5 MB.
Brainscape publishes what its free tier includes: unlimited flashcards you make or that are shared with you, plus 2,500 pre-loaded cards, with unlimited certified and community content on Pro at $7.99/month billed yearly. Its review schedule follows from the confidence rating you give each card, from 1 to 5, and its certified library covers MCAT, NCLEX, the bar exam, Series 7, GRE, AP courses, languages and certifications. Against that, it is English only, it does nothing beyond flashcards, and its listing does not state whether offline study is supported.
What we couldn’t verify
These are questions the published sources do not answer. They are listed here unresolved rather than guessed at.
- What Quizlet Plus costs. Quizlet’s upgrade page could not be read for this comparison, and third-party figures disagree
- What Quizlet’s free tier actually caps, beyond the listing saying AI features, offline access and ad removal are paid
- Whether in-app subscription prices match each developer’s website prices, which App Store listings do not show
- Whether Brainscape supports offline study, which its listing does not mention either way
- How well either app’s scheduling works in practice, which no published source establishes
Ownership disclosure
AppMatchup is operated by Fogarty Holdings LLC, which publishes its own iOS apps.
Neither app on this page is one of them. Quizlet and Brainscape are published by Quizlet Inc and Bold Learning Solutions respectively, and Fogarty Holdings LLC has no stake in either.
Where a comparison on this site does include an app published by Fogarty Holdings LLC, that fact is labeled on that comparison page itself, next to the app it concerns.