Retain vs Vaia
Retain
retain.cardsVaia
vaia.comSide by side
| Figure | Retain | Vaia |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Spec score · Flashcard apps | 8.1 (#18) | 8.3 (#11) |
| Spec score · AI Flashcard Generators | 8.0 (#19) | 7.6 (#22) |
| Adaptive review | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | Mörlenbach, Germany | Munich, Germany |
| Learning materials | Retain's onboarding page says it supports PDFs, images, YouTube videos, GoodNotes notes, and Notion notes as sources. | Users can discover learning materials by subject, university, or textbook. |
| Mobile apps | Yes | The homepage identifies free Vaia apps for iOS and Android. |
| Source formats | mixed | mixed |
| Study modes | mixed | mixed |
Plans
In their own words
Retain
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.
Vaia
Vaia is a learning platform that brings study materials and learning tools together for school and university students. Learners can browse materials by subject, university, or textbook, then find community-created study sets or create their own. Flashcards support three learning modes. Vaia says its AI can generate personalized explanations, create flashcards from lecture slides, and give feedback on exam answers. A to-do list and calendar help users track study goals and exam dates. The platform also includes note templates, highlighting and annotation tools, unlimited new mock exams with instant feedback, and answers to questions from thousands of textbooks. Vaia is available on web, Android, and iOS, with mobile apps listed. It uses a freemium model and offers a Free account at free; the listed plan does not specify feature limits. Vaia is based in Munich, Germany. Its privacy policy names StudySmarter GmbH as the owner of vaia.com and describes technical and organizational measures to protect data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The listed support contact is [email protected].