AI Flashcard Builder
Build a flashcard deck with an AI assistant in your corner: type a card and the AI suggests the answer, type a topic and it drafts a starter set.
Free to start · No credit card · Export to Anki and Quizlet
Start Building Flashcards
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Build a deck in three steps
Start from a blank deck or a topic prompt, author with AI in your corner, then study smart.
Step 1: Start a Deck
Open the builder, name your deck, and pick a subject. You can start from blank or seed the deck with a topic prompt and let the AI draft openers.
Step 2: Author With AI
Type a question and accept the AI-suggested answer. Or type a concept and let the AI propose three cards. Edit anything. You decide what stays.
Step 3: Study Smart
Drill with spaced repetition, track mastery per card, share with classmates, and export to Anki, Quizlet, or PDF.
What is an AI Flashcard Builder?
A flashcard builder is the editor where you actually author your deck — the place where you write questions, edit answers, organise cards into sections, and tag the ones you want to drill harder. Compared to a one-shot "PDF to flashcards" generator, a builder is meant for ongoing use: it's where you live while a deck grows from blank to exam-ready.
Scholarly's builder is AI-assisted at every step. Type a question, leave the back blank, and the AI proposes an answer using your subject and any source material you've attached. Type "draft 5 cards on the Krebs cycle" in a topic prompt and the AI generates a starter block you can edit, keep, or discard. Drag in a PDF mid-deck and the AI suggests cards from it without overwriting what you've already written. The AI never auto-publishes — every card lands in a "review me" state until you accept it.
The result is a deck that's truly yours but built two to three times faster than typing every card by hand. Students who use the AI flashcard builder over a full semester tend to produce decks that are better organised, more comprehensive, and easier to study from than decks built either purely by hand or purely by one-shot generation.
Flashcard Builder Features
Author faster with AI, organise everything with tags, and study the way you already do.
Suggest-The-Answer
Write the question. The AI proposes the answer in the same style as the cards you've already written. Hit tab to accept or edit in place.
Topic Drafting
Ask the AI to draft "3 cards on covalent bonds" or "5 cards on the equal-protection clause" and it generates editable starter cards you can keep or trash.
Sections and Tags
Organise cards by chapter, exam, or difficulty. Drill a single tag during a focused session, or shuffle everything for cumulative review.
Source Attachment
Attach a PDF, slide deck, or pasted notes to the deck. The AI uses your source for context so its suggestions match your professor's terminology.
Cloze and Image Cards
Build classic Q/A cards, cloze deletions for fill-in-the-blank practice, or image-occlusion cards for anatomy and diagrams.
Progress Tracking
See which cards you've mastered and which are still due. Focus your time on the cards that actually need work.
What a Built Deck Looks Like
A semester-long organic chemistry deck might contain 600 cards split across 12 sections (one per chapter), with a mix of definition cards, mechanism cards (cloze deletion), and image-occlusion cards for named reactions. The builder keeps everything in one place — you don't need separate decks per chapter.
Biology - Chapter 4
Front
What is the function of the mitochondrial matrix?
Back
The matrix is the site of the Krebs cycle and contains the enzymes, mtDNA, and ribosomes needed to run it. It surrounds the inner membrane where the electron transport chain operates.
Org Chem - Cloze
Front
An SN2 reaction proceeds via a {{c1::backside}} attack and results in {{c2::inversion}} of stereochemistry.
Back
backside / inversion
Con Law - Cases
Front
What test did the Court adopt in Lemon v. Kurtzman?
Back
The Lemon test: a law must (1) have a secular legislative purpose, (2) have a primary effect that neither advances nor inhibits religion, and (3) not foster excessive government entanglement with religion.
Flashcard Builder vs Anki, Quizlet, and Plain Notes
Anki and Quizlet each do one half well. Scholarly's builder sits in between — and adds AI on top.
Unbeatable spaced-repetition algorithm for the studying side.
Authoring feels like 2008 — building cloze cards is fiddly.
No AI to help write or suggest answers.
Friendly, fast builder that's easy to pick up.
Built for vocab lists, not deep multi-section course decks.
Limited cloze and image-occlusion support.
As fast to type in as Quizlet, with the depth Anki users need.
AI suggests answers and drafts starter cards as you write.
Cloze and image-occlusion cards built in.
Study with the built-in SRS or export to Anki — your call.
Anki is the gold standard for the studying side of flashcards — its spaced-repetition algorithm is unbeatable. But Anki's authoring experience is famously rough: the desktop app feels like 2008, building cloze cards is fiddly, and there's no AI to help write the answer. Many students end up using Anki to study but doing the actual authoring somewhere else.
Quizlet's builder is friendlier but is built for memorising vocabulary lists, not for deep multi-section decks across a full course. The AI flashcard builder in Scholarly sits in between: it's as fast to type in as Quizlet, supports the cloze and image-occlusion formats Anki users rely on, and adds AI assistance so you spend less time staring at a blinking cursor. When the deck is done, export to Anki for spaced-repetition study or keep studying inside Scholarly with the built-in SRS — your call.
Common Use Cases
Med students building a permanent deck
Author a multi-thousand-card deck that lives with you through medical school. AI suggestions speed authoring; tags keep the deck navigable.
Law students outlining cases
Build rule-statement cards as you read each case. AI drafts the rule from your case brief; you edit to match your professor's framing.
Language learners
Build vocabulary decks with cloze deletions for grammar patterns. AI suggests example sentences in your target language.
Self-learners and bootcampers
Build CS, design, or trade-certification decks from scratch. AI fills in textbook-style answers so you spend time on the concepts that are harder to look up.
Best Practices for Building Better Decks
Write one fact per card. The biggest failure mode in flashcard authoring is cards that try to test three things at once ("List all four causes of WWI"). Break it into four cards. Active recall on small atomic facts is dramatically more effective than retrieving a bundle.
Use the AI for the boring half. Definitions, formula re-arrangements, and "explain X in one sentence" cards are exactly where AI suggestions are great. Save your manual effort for the cards that need your professor's specific framing, your own mnemonics, and the connections only you have made.
Tag aggressively. A 600-card deck without tags is unstudyable. Tag by chapter, by exam, by difficulty, and by "needs work". Then during a study session, pick the tag that matches what you're prepping for.
Edit AI suggestions before accepting. AI-generated answers are usually 80% right but use slightly different vocabulary than your professor. A 5-second edit to match your class terminology pays off when the test question uses that exact word.
How the Builder Fits Into Your Workflow
Most students mix the builder with one of Scholarly's one-shot generators. Generate a starter deck from a PDF or lecture, then use the flashcard builder to refine, add cards the AI missed, and reorganise into sections you'll actually use. The PDF to flashcards tool is great for textbook chapters; the lecture to flashcards tool handles slide decks and AI Meeting Notes; the notes to flashcards tool handles your handwritten or typed notes. For the full overview of how AI flashcards work in Scholarly, see our flashcards feature page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a flashcard builder different from a generator?
A generator turns one source (PDF, video, lecture) into a deck in one shot. A builder is the ongoing editor where you author, refine, and grow a deck over time. Most students start with a generator and then live in the builder for the rest of the semester.
Can I add my own cards to a built deck?
Yes — that's the entire point. The AI helps draft cards and suggest answers, but you author and accept every card. Add, edit, reorder, tag, and delete cards freely.
Does the AI just generate, or does it help me write?
Both. Type a question and the AI proposes the answer. Type a topic and the AI drafts 3-5 starter cards. Paste in a source and the AI suggests cards from it. Every suggestion is editable before you accept.
Can I build cloze and image-occlusion cards?
Yes. The builder supports classic Q/A cards, cloze deletions (fill-in-the-blank), and image-occlusion cards where you mask parts of a diagram for anatomy or system-architecture practice.
Can I export my deck to Anki or Quizlet?
Yes. Export as an Anki .apkg file (preserving cloze formatting and tags) or as a Quizlet-compatible CSV. You can also export to PDF for printing.
Is the flashcard builder free to use?
Yes. Free users can build flashcard decks with AI assistance. Paid plans unlock longer decks, more AI suggestions, and image-occlusion features.
Does the builder support spaced repetition?
Yes — Scholarly has a built-in SRS based on the SM-2 algorithm (same family as Anki). Cards you struggle with come back sooner; cards you've mastered space out over weeks.
Can I share my deck with classmates?
Yes. Share via a public link or invite specific classmates to your study group. Edits sync across everyone in the group in real time.
Keep exploring
More Scholarly study tools
PDF to Flashcards
Generate a starter deck from a PDF.
Notes to Flashcards
Turn your notes into a starter deck.
Lecture to Flashcards
Slides and AI Meeting Notes to flashcards.
AI Quiz Generator
Quiz yourself on the deck you built.
AI Study Guide Generator
Full study guides for any subject.
Study Help
All Scholarly study tools.
Build Your Flashcard Deck Today
Join students building better study materials with AI. Start free, and go Premium for longer decks and more AI suggestions.
Free
See what it does with one of your own sources.
- 3 AI Chat messages per day
- 1 free AI creation total
- 1 free file upload total (8MB)
- 5 quiz questions per day
- 1 exam attempt per day
- 15 voice minutes per day
- 32-page PDF to flashcards
- 500 autocomplete words per day
Use it to generate flashcards, improve a deck, or create a podcast, video lecture, slides, infographic, mind map, study guide, worksheet, spreadsheet, story book, timeline, SOP, flowchart, lesson plan, or outline — or run Deep Research or turn a recording into AI Meeting Notes.
Premium
Steady weekly output from the material you already have.
$30/month
Everything in Free, plus:
- 10 AI creations per week
- Unlimited AI chat & autocomplete
- Unlimited file uploads (up to 300MB)
- Unlimited study sessions
- Unlimited exams & quizzes
- 1000-page PDF to flashcards
- Export to Anki
- Priority support
Laureate
For work where being right matters more than the price.
billed monthly · cancel anytime
Everything in Premium, plus:
- Any Frontier model — Claude Opus 5, Gemini 3.1 Pro, Grok 4.6
- 75 AI creations per week
- 20 Frontier creations per week
- 20 Frontier Chat messages per week
- Unlimited uploads up to 1 GB, plus 3,000-page PDFs
- 12 hours of voice mode per day
- Priority support and early access to new Frontier models
Pricing shown in USD. Local currency may be available for Premium in app.
Compare plans
AI chat
Premium and Laureate include unlimited AI chat. Frontier Boost on makes Auto (Laureate) use Claude Opus 5; off uses GPT 5.6 Luna.
- Free
- 3/day
- Premium
- Unlimited
- Laureate
- Unlimited
Chat Frontier Boosts
Premium includes recommended access to Grok 4.6, Gemini 3.1 Pro, and Claude Sonnet 5. Laureate adds the remaining Frontier catalog plus 20 Frontier creations and 20 Frontier Chat responses each week; Auto uses Claude Opus 5 while boosts remain and GPT 5.6 Luna afterward.
- Free
- —
- Premium
- —
- Laureate
- 20/week
AI creations
AI creations are used for AI Flashcards, deck edits, AI Podcasts, AI Video Lectures, AI Slides, worksheets, AI Infographics, mind maps, study guides, spreadsheets, story books, timelines, SOPs, flowcharts, lesson plans, outlines, AI Meeting Notes, and Deep Research reports.
- Free
- 1 total
- Premium
- 10/week
- Laureate
- 75/week
Creation Frontier Boosts
Frontier Boost on makes Auto (Laureate) use Claude Opus 5; off uses GPT 5.6 Luna. Laureate includes 20 boosts within its 75 weekly creations. Flashcards never spend a boost.
- Free
- —
- Premium
- —
- Laureate
- 20/week · included
Video lectures
- Free
- Uses AI creations
- Premium
- Included in 10/week
- Laureate
- Included in 75/week
File uploads
- Free
- 1 total (8MB)
- Premium
- Unlimited (300MB)
- Laureate
- Unlimited (1 GB each)
PDF to flashcards
- Free
- 32 pages
- Premium
- 1000 pages
- Laureate
- 3000 pages
Practice questions
- Free
- 5/day
- Premium
- Unlimited
- Laureate
- Unlimited
Practice exams
- Free
- 1/day
- Premium
- Unlimited
- Laureate
- Unlimited
Voice mode
- Free
- 15 min/day
- Premium
- 2 hr/day
- Laureate
- 12 hr/day
Autocomplete
- Free
- 500 words/day
- Premium
- Unlimited
- Laureate
- Unlimited
Export to Anki
- Free
- —
- Premium
- Included
- Laureate
- Included
Support
- Free
- Standard
- Premium
- Priority
- Laureate
- Priority
What customers say
Scholarly has enhanced the quality of notes and questions I administer to my tutees. Insightful, to the point.
TD Georgas
Tutor
I have very good experience with Scholarly it summarize me scientific text in hovel academic level with citation. I use this for any therapeutic area . It is great and useful tool.
Diana
Scholarly user
Scholarly has been a valuable tool for my studies. The AI-generated flashcards and intuitive features make organizing and retaining information much easier.
Briana
Scholarly user
This app is great for studying for big test. Drop your PDF's in the system and it'll do the trick. You can organize it specifically for your needs.
Kelvin
Scholarly user
Your questions, answered
Is Scholarly free to use?
Yes! The free plan includes core study tools with clear limits: 3 AI Chat messages per day, one free AI creation total, 1 free file upload total, quizzes, practice exams, and manual flashcard creation. Upgrade to Premium for 10 AI creations per week and unlimited uploads.
What uses my free AI creations?
Generating flashcards, improving a flashcard deck, making a podcast, creating a video lecture or infographic, building slides, a spreadsheet, or a story book, making a mind map, study guide, or worksheet, having an AI Agent create a timeline, SOP, flowchart, lesson plan, or outline, running Deep Research, or processing a recording uses your free AI creation. It is a lifetime free credit and does not reset. AI Chat messages, quizzes, and exams still have separate daily limits; free file uploads are also lifetime credits.
Can I cancel anytime?
Absolutely. There are no contracts or commitments. You can cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings, and you'll keep access until the end of your billing period.
What payment methods do you accept?
We accept all major credit and debit cards through Stripe. Pricing is displayed in USD by default, but local currency is available in the app.
Can I use Scholarly with a class or school?
Yes. For a school or organization-wide rollout, contact us at hello@scholarly.so and we'll help you find the right setup.
What happens when I hit a free plan limit?
You'll see a prompt to upgrade. Your existing work is never lost — limits only apply to new actions. Free AI creations and the free upload are lifetime credits and do not reset. Premium includes 10 AI creations per week and unlimited uploads.