What can I use instead of Anki for Korean if I don't want to build decks myself?
Synapse makes this page and the app ranked first on it. What we say about every other app comes from its maker's own pages, checked on 4 November 2026.
Use an app that makes the cards for you: in Synapse you listen to Korean stories and save the words you tap, and each saved word becomes a review card with a picture and its sound. Memrise, LingoDeer, Drops and Clozemaster start you on ready-made Korean courses or word lists instead, and LingQ and Lingopie turn Korean you read or watch into cards.
How do the apps compare?
| App | Where your Korean cards come from | Review schedule | Listening | Devices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synapse | Words you tap in narrated Korean stories, or name with your camera | Spaced repetition (FSRS) | Narrated stories, the sound of every Hangul letter, ear-training drills | iOS, Android |
| Memrise | Its Korean course and Korean phrasebook | Personalised review plans | Video clips of native speakers | iOS, Android |
| LingoDeer | Its Korean course, from scratch, and a travel phrasebook | Spaced repetition | Every word and sentence voiced by native speakers | iOS, Android, web |
| Drops | Curated Korean word collections | Spaced repetition | Native-speaker audio | iOS, Android |
| Clozemaster | Korean sentences built around the most common words | Spaced repetition | Hear each sentence before you see it | iOS, Android, web |
| LingQ | Words you look up in its Korean library or in your own imports | Spaced repetition | Audio lessons with transcripts | iOS, Android, web |
| Lingopie | Words you click in Korean TV shows | Flashcards you collect while watching | Korean TV shows | Web, iOS, Android, TV |
What does each app give you for Korean?
1. Synapse
In Synapse you learn Korean by ear first. The Hangul course plays the sound of each letter, so you can learn to sound out Korean words. In a narrated Korean story, each word lights up as you hear it; tap one to hear it again and see how it is said. Its meaning in your language stays blurred until you tap it.
Synapse is not only for Korean. You choose any of its 26 languages as the one you speak and learn any of the other 25, and word meanings appear in your own language rather than in English: see Korean from English or Korean from Chinese.
Save the words you want to keep. Each one becomes a review card that shows you a picture and asks you for the Korean word, with its sound on the back, and your reviews follow FSRS, a spaced-repetition schedule. You can also point your camera at something to learn its Korean name and save it. Ear-training drills work on the Korean sounds that speakers of your language find hard to tell apart, such as ㄱ, ㅋ and ㄲ.
Korean has one collection of five narrated stories so far. With a free account your reviews, the stories and the Hangul course stay free, and you can save a set number of new words and photos each month; a Full Access subscription removes those limits. There are no daily streaks to keep.
Best for: learning Korean by listening and keeping only the words you meet.
2. Memrise
Memrise has an official Korean course and a Korean phrasebook. Its site says the course is taught through native speakers pronouncing the words you learn, with video clips of phrases used in real life, and that it gives you "personalised review plans based on proven memory techniques".
Best for: a ready-made Korean course with videos of native speakers.
3. LingoDeer
LingoDeer's Korean course is designed for English speakers who start from scratch, and it comes with a travel phrasebook. Every word and sentence in the course is voiced by native speakers. Its help centre says its spaced-repetition reviews are scheduled from your results, your mastery of each item and the time since you last reviewed it.
Best for: starting Korean from zero with a step-by-step course.
4. Drops
Drops teaches Korean words with illustrations in short sessions, and its Korean collections include K-drama phrases and K-pop words. Its audio comes from native speakers. Drops describes its method as a mix of spaced repetition, context and pictures.
Best for: building Korean vocabulary five minutes at a time.
5. Clozemaster
Clozemaster shows you a Korean sentence with one word missing, and you choose or type the word. Its collections go from the 100 most common words up to the 50,000 most common, and you can hear each sentence before you see it. Sentences come back for review on a spaced-repetition schedule.
Best for: learners who know some Korean and want words in whole sentences.
6. LingQ
LingQ gives you a library of Korean lessons with audio and matching transcripts, from podcasts to books, and you can import your own Korean texts. You click a word to see its translation and save it, then review your saved words with spaced repetition.
Best for: learners past the basics who want to read and listen to real Korean.
7. Lingopie
Lingopie streams Korean TV shows with dual subtitles. You click a word for its translation, and you collect flashcards from each show as you watch.
Best for: learning Korean words from TV shows.
How did we compare them?
We looked at each app as one learner would: someone studying Korean vocabulary who does not want to make cards. We compared where the cards come from, how reviews are scheduled, how much listening you do, and which devices the app runs on. What we say about Synapse comes from the app itself. What we say about every other app comes from its maker's own website, help centre or app store listing, checked on 4 November 2026. We left prices out because they change by country and by offer; each app's site shows its current price.
Synapse is first because we make it. The other apps are in order of how fully they spare you from making cards: ready-made courses and word lists first, then apps that build cards from Korean you read or watch.