Which Is Better: Repeet vs. DuoCards

Repeet vs. DuoCards: The basics

First, what do these apps do and for whom do they do it? Repeet is a flashcard app for anyone learning a foreign language, and it works on iOS, Android, or its Chrome extension. DuoCards is also a flashcard app for anyone learning a foreign language and it, too, works on on iOS, Android, or its Chrome extension. Truthfully, these apps do virtually the same thing, which is help you create flashcards and review them using spaced repetition. (If you need a full breakdown of what that is, I've covered it thoroughly here, but it's essentially a studying program through which you sort flashcards into piles as you review them, moving them up or down a rank based on whether you got them right or wrong, then eventually studying those piles at different intervals so you review things you struggle with more frequently than you review content you really grasp.)

Repeet on an iPhone Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Both of these apps are super straightforward about this. You review a card, tap a button to indicate whether you knew the answer or didn't know it, and Repeet and DuoCards both do the work of sorting that card appropriately so you study it as often as you need to going forward.

Flashcard generation between the apps

Both apps have two primary ways of creating a flashcard: You either type it in manually or use the Chrome extension to extract words and phrases from websites and create the cards that way. Both Repeet and DuoCards automatically translate whatever you type into the text-entry box, so you don't need to input too much, but it is tedious to type out a bunch of words on your phone either way, especially if your keyboard settings aren't configured to recognize the foreign language you're typing in and your phone keeps trying to autocorrect your input to an English word.

Get around that whole mess by using either app's Chrome extension, both of which do basically the same thing. On any webpage open in Chrome, highlight the word or phrase you want turned into a flashcard. Repeet's extension will trigger a small, pink button to pop up under the highlighted word and if you click on it, a flashcard generator appears in the top right of your screen, already filled in with the word or phrase you chose.

Repeet in the browser Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

DuoCards' extension is slightly clunkier, as you have to right-click the highlighted word and select DuoCards from the menu that appears, which then opens a second tab in the browser for you to create the flashcard. It's just a tad more cumbersome than how Repeet does it, but it does the same thing. Either way, the app translates whatever you highlighted and adds it to your deck of flashcards.

DuoCards in the browser Credit: Lindsey Ellefson

Repeet has a little more customizability when it comes to flashcard decks. You can make decks for different things, like vocab lists or classes. DuoCards doesn't have that; cards are sorted by either "known" or "to learn." What DuoCards does have, however, might be more valuable: A library of pre-made decks you can choose from. Repeet does not have that—you have to generate all your own cards instead.

Little features that are useful in DuoCards

DuoCards has a few other extra features that are nice. There's a mini game inside the app that features a cartoon elephant, for instance. By reviewing your cards and poking around in the app, you earn points that you can redeem for things he needs, like a cave or a pond. It's not much, but it's fun and keeps you engaged. DuoCards also provides educational videos and an AI chatbot with which you can converse in your chosen language. Is any of that really necessary when all you want to do is drill some flashcards? No, not really, but if any of those features align with your motivators or preferred learning methods, they give DuoCards an advantage.

Pricing for DuoCards and Repeet

Here's the thing: You really don't need to pay for Repeet, but you do if you want to use DuoCards.

In Repeet, I was able to do everything I wanted to for free, but for $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year, you can unlock the ability to continue practicing cards you've learned to 100%, undo wrong swipes, and get rid of ads. None of those are necessary, really, so if you want to use the app for free, you absolutely can and you'll still learn a lot.

DuoCards is a different story. In the free version, you get ads, the limited ability to only store 20 cards in your "to learn" category, and only 10 opportunities to ask your chatbot a question. If you pay $33 for three months or $64.90 for the year, you get rid of the ads, access unlimited flashcards, and can chat nonstop with the AI bot. Since it's pretty hard to study efficiently with 20 cards and 10 chatbot prompts, you do have to pay here.