Alkas vs. Anki
Anki is a powerful general-purpose flashcard tool. Alkas is purpose-built for learning wildlife species. Here's how they compare.
The short version
Anki is a blank canvas. It's incredibly flexible, but for wildlife species you need to find shared decks, download large media packs, and manage everything yourself. The popular "Ultimate Birds" deck alone is over 10GB.
Alkas has 152,000+ species ready to study. The community contributes photos and votes on them to surface the best ones. They add traits to species - like "colorful" or "migratory" - and you can use those traits to build decks. Want to study giant mammals of Banff? That's a few clicks, not a weekend project.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Alkas | Anki |
|---|---|---|
| Species coverage | 152,000+ species with photos built in | Depends on shared decks you can find |
| Setup time | Pick a region, start studying | Find decks, download media, configure settings |
| Scheduling algorithm | FSRS (more modern, more efficient) | SM-2 (older default, FSRS available as plugin) |
| Location-aware decks | Venomous snakes of Ontario? Migratory birds of Point Pelee? Done in seconds | Not available (manual deck management) |
| Species photos | Community-contributed photos, voted on to surface the best and most useful | Included in some shared decks, varies in quality |
| Community traits | Community adds and votes on traits - use them to filter decks | Only if deck creator added them |
| Life list integration | iNaturalist connection, eBird (includes Merlin) / Audubon CSV import | Not available |
| Audio study | Bird call flashcards with real recordings | Only if deck creator included audio |
| Tricky species tracking | Automatically identifies weak spots for focused re-study | Manual filtered decks required |
| Anki export | Export any deck as .apkg — photos, taxonomy, and audio included | N/A (native format) |
| Trip preparation | Build a deck for any park in seconds | Manual - cross-reference eBird, build custom deck |
| Pricing | Free | Free (desktop), $25 one-time (iOS) |
| All wildlife groups | Birds, mammals, insects, plants, fungi, reptiles, and more | Depends on available shared decks |
Setup and getting started
Starting with Anki for wildlife means finding the right shared deck (if one exists for your region), downloading it with all its media, then learning Anki's interface - custom study, filtered decks, add-ons, and sync settings. For birds specifically, the popular community decks can be several gigabytes.
With Alkas, you sign up, pick a region, and start studying. The species data, photos, and seasonal information are already there. You can create a study deck for any region or park in seconds and start your first session immediately.
Scheduling algorithm
Anki uses SM-2 by default, an algorithm from the 1980s. It works, but schedules reviews less efficiently than newer alternatives. Anki now supports FSRS as an optional add-on.
Alkas uses FSRS natively. The algorithm schedules each review at the optimal moment - right before you'd forget - which means you spend less time reviewing and more time learning new species.
Nature-specific features
Anki doesn't know what a species is. It's a general flashcard tool. You can't filter by region, season, or wildlife group. You can't sync your life list. You can't see community-curated identification traits. Alkas is built around the naturalist workflow - every feature assumes you're learning to identify wildlife, from trip preparation to seasonal study to life list tracking.
Not a one-way door
Already invested in Anki? Alkas isn't asking you to abandon it. You can export your Alkas species cards to Anki format — photos, taxonomy, audio, and conservation status included — so your data is never locked in. And if you use eBird or iNaturalist, you can import your life list into Alkas to study species you've already observed. Use whichever tool fits the moment.
Anki wasn't built for species identification
"I have a large number of species to learn to recognize. If I simply memorize the image, I won't be able to recognize the species in real life. Is there a way to create cards that show different images of the same species each time I review?"
"I've made the mistake of wanting to learn all birds, systematically following the taxonomical tree. It was hell, and I quit. I should have just started learning random birds I see or like."
"I'm an ecologist and if I'm traveling to a new place I like to familiarize myself with the local botany first. I've done this manually before and it took many hours. The random images are definitely not as good as manually selecting them."
"I am trying to create a deck to learn different kinds of birds. I think it would be best if I could add multiple images for each kind of bird to one note to avoid memorizing the images as a whole and force me to focus on the unique look of a type of bird."
"The Wood Warbler and the Willow Warbler... they're both yellowish with a light stomach, have a prominent eyebrow, no eye ring. How in the world would I improve my first-exposure recall in Anki without providing too many hints in the card itself?"
When Anki is better
- - You already have a well-configured Anki setup for wildlife
- - You want to study subjects beyond wildlife (medicine, languages, etc.)
- - You need full control over card templates and scheduling parameters
- - You prefer a desktop-first experience with offline sync
When Alkas is better
- + You want to start studying species without any setup
- + You want decks filtered by your region, park, or season
- + You want community-voted photos and traits you can use to build decks
- + You want to learn bird calls alongside visual identification
- + You want the app to automatically track which species trip you up
- + You're preparing for a trip and want a deck for a specific park
- + You want to connect your iNaturalist or eBird life list