Anki

Great for learning languages, topography, lists, etc

I have Anki 2.0.36 and it is awesome. The interface took less than five minutes to learn and the minimalist format is useful without being distracting. I got Anki yesterday after I failed a Biology test. I imputed the study material and began the process. I am already seeing results this morning. Most of the facts I could not remember on the test I can now recite with ease, and that is after only two study sessions. I can easily recommend this program to anyone who has a hard time memorizing like me.

LaTeX features do not work reliably in AnkiDroid (testing version 2.0.1)

LaTeX features require quite a bit of set up on Windows:

MiKTeX must be installed.

Test some LaTeX in Anki, for example make a card as follows:
Front: [$$]\epsilon_{klm}\epsilon_{krs}[/$$]
Back: [$$]\delta_{lr}\delta_{ms}-\delta_{ls}\delta_{mr}[/$$]

(It is worth noting that you can put [$$][/$$] in card formatting instead and combine fields into longer LaTeX equations.)

It will probably not work; this is because certain MiKTeX packages need to be installed and Anki will not show the install prompt.

I have seen multiple solutions online but this one worked for me and is probably most reliable:

Instead we will request the required packages from cmd.exe
Make a LeTeX document in LyX or similar and output a .dvi
Open a command prompt to the folder with the .dvi file and run: dvipng "name.dvi"
The required packages will now be installed in MiKTeX.

Test again in Anki, it should work immediately.
Note however that Anki is buggy software, I have had cards refuse to render while exact copies worked just fine.

Some of the LaTeX may also work when synced to AnkiDroid, in my case almost all of my formulas do not and I have so far been unable to find the cause.

(I am quite certain that .png files rendered by dvipng for Anki on Windows are NOT synced to ankiweb.net, rather the LaTeX code is synced. It is rendered separately by every platform.)

I do not recommend this software, use it only if you have to.
Unfortunately it does not have enough competition.

[Edited by Bitchomp, April 22]
Mnemosyne is much better in my opinion.

Anki>>>Quizlet and Brainscape

• It is free, open source, active community, a lot of add-ons -> customization.

• It is hard to use without a guide-> have to watch/read guide content.

OBS: AnkiApp is not part of Anki (only AnkiWeb, AnkiMobile, AnkiDroid)

Great for learning on every device and OS

Open source. It let's me synch with my phone. It's free. Dosen't collect data.

Free and customizable with addons, that enrich the app making more enjoyable and fun overall