RemNote vs Retain

RemNote is a learning and note-taking app that turns notes, PDFs, and other sources into AI-generated flashcards, quizzes, and summaries. Its study tools include spaced repetition, practice quizzes, and card formats such as question-and-answer, fill-in-the-blank, lists, clusters, and image occlusion. Users can annotate PDFs and slides with highlights, drawings, and shapes, and source citations are available. Notes and flashcards remain accessible offline and sync when connectivity returns. RemNote offers desktop apps and mobile apps for iOS and Android. The free plan includes unlimited notes and flashcards and synced devices, plus 20 daily file uploads up to 8MB each and 250 monthly AI credits. It also limits free users to three annotated PDFs, five image occlusion cards, and one handwritten document. Pro is listed at $8 a month, and Pro with AI at $18 a month. RemNote was founded in 2020.

Retain is a flashcard app for Android, iOS, and the web. It uses AI models and learning science to create personalized learning plans: learners set a goal and receive a plan, and the AI can generate flashcards from uploaded PDFs. The site lists PDF, PNG, and JPEG uploads; its onboarding also names images, YouTube videos, GoodNotes notes, and Notion notes as learning sources. Card options include cloze, image occlusion, and custom Anki types, with mixed card formats and study modes and adaptive review. Decks and individual cards can be shared by link. The company also offers B2B licenses to businesses and educational institutions, with pricing available by contacting Retain. Its privacy policy says usage data, including flashcards and learning progress, may be analyzed in aggregated and anonymized form to improve AI models and algorithms.