Avorio vs Anki: a complete comparison

How does Avorio compare to Anki, feature by feature?

The table below is the full comparison. Acknowledge upfront: Anki is excellent — it’s the open-source pioneer of desktop spaced repetition, and Avorio is .apkg-compatible precisely because Anki’s format is the standard. Avorio’s pitch is a different shape of the same idea: native Mac and iPhone, single Rust codebase, FSRS-5 by default, image occlusion and gamification built-in.

Will my Anki deck import with progress preserved?

Yes. Avorio reads .apkg and .colpkg files directly — including ease factors, intervals, lapses, review history, media, tags, and custom note types. Anking, Dorian, Lightyear, and AMBOSS-tagged Step decks all open with state intact. Image occlusion cards from the popular Anki add-on import as native Avorio cards; cloze deletion works the same way. No re-authoring.

Does FSRS-5 work the same in Avorio as in Anki?

Yes — same algorithm, same paper. Avorio runs FSRS-5 by default and SM-2 optionally; Anki runs SM-2 by default with FSRS-5 available. Both fit the model to whatever review history is on the deck. Switching between FSRS-5 and SM-2 in Avorio doesn’t reset progress because both algorithms read the same append-only review log. On typical med-school decks (Anking, Step), FSRS-5 reduces review load 20–30% versus SM-2 at the same retention target.

How much does Avorio cost?

The core flashcard experience is free, on Mac and iPhone, forever. Anki import / export is free. Local AI via Ollama is free (it uses your machine’s compute). Optional cloud AI is managed through Avorio Plus — frontier models (Claude, GPT, Gemini) for generating cards and explaining the hard stuff, with every API key held server-side. You never sign up with a provider or paste a key; you subscribe and we handle the credentials. Optional encrypted sync between Mac and iPhone is included alongside it. Everything in the free core stays free — Plus only adds the cloud.

When should you stay on Anki?

If you depend on a specific Anki add-on Avorio doesn’t yet ship as a built-in feature, stay on Anki. If you’ve built a workflow around AnkiWeb sync across many devices, the file-based .apkgbridge is friction Avorio hasn’t eliminated. AnkiDroid users on Android are well served until Avorio’s v2 ships. Anki has earned its place — Avorio’s job is to be a different option for people whose needs the existing app doesn’t fit, not to replace it.

Frequently asked questions

• Will my Anki deck import into Avorio with progress?

  Yes. Avorio reads .apkg and .colpkg files directly. Ease factors, intervals, lapses, review history, media, tags, and custom note types all import. Anking, Dorian, Lightyear, and AMBOSS-tagged Step decks all open with state intact — no re-authoring.

• Does Avorio's FSRS-5 work the same as Anki's?

  Yes. Both use the same FSRS-5 algorithm published in the FSRS-5 paper. The model fits to whatever review history is on the imported deck. You can switch between FSRS-5 and SM-2 per-deck without resetting progress, since both algorithms read the same review log.

• Why use Avorio instead of Anki on Mac?

  Anki on Mac is great. Avorio's pitch is a native, single-codebase Mac and iPhone experience built around FSRS-5 by default — with image occlusion and gamification built-in instead of relying on add-ons, and on-device AI for card explanations. If you're happy with Anki desktop, you don't need to switch. If you've been adding stack of add-ons to bridge the gaps, Avorio ships those gaps closed.

• Why use Avorio instead of AnkiMobile on iPhone?

  AnkiMobile is a one-time $24.99 purchase and a different codebase from Anki desktop. Avorio's iPhone app is free and shares a single Rust core with the Mac app — same algorithm, same SQLite schema, same imported decks. If you've already paid for AnkiMobile and it works for you, no need to change. If you haven't, Avorio is the lower-friction path onto iPhone.

• Does Avorio sync with AnkiWeb?

  No. AnkiWeb's sync protocol isn't open. The .apkg / .colpkg path covers everything you'd export from AnkiWeb, so you can move decks between Anki and Avorio with a single file. Avorio also has its own optional encrypted-in-transit sync between Mac and iPhone.

• What happens to my decks if Avorio shuts down?

  Your data stays in a local SQLite database you can read with any tool. Avorio also exports back to .apkg, so your library is portable to Anki — or anywhere else that reads the format — with no lock-in.

• Is Avorio open source?

  License is being decided before the public repository goes live. The plan is a permissive or copyleft license consistent with the open-data approach (FSRS-5 algorithm is open; .apkg format is open). The shared Rust core (avorio-core, avorio-db, avorio-ffi) is the architectural piece worth following — it's what enables the single-codebase story across Mac, iPhone, and v2 platforms.

• When should you stay on Anki?

  If you depend heavily on a specific Anki add-on Avorio doesn't yet ship as a built-in (community-built study heatmaps, niche statistics tools, AnkiHub integration), stay on Anki. If you've built a daily-driver workflow on AnkiWeb sync across many devices, the .apkg export route is friction Avorio hasn't yet eliminated. Anki is excellent and well-earned — Avorio's job is to be a different option for people whose needs the existing app doesn't fit, not to replace it.