A Quizlet alternative, and how to get your sets back

Quizlet is still simple and pleasant for creating a set in two minutes. Students who leave mostly give two reasons:

• The export button is gone: in September 2026, we could no longer find any official way to download your sets.
• Some of the study modes are reserved for the Quizlet Plus subscription.

When you have built hundreds of cards over several years, not being able to take them with you is uncomfortable. It is a good reason to keep a copy of your sets on your own device, whatever tool you choose next.

The method is manual, but it works with any set you can display.

• Open your set on Quizlet and display all the terms.
• Select the text of the terms and definitions, and copy it.
• Paste it into a text editor or a spreadsheet, then arrange it: one card per line, front first, then back.
• Separate the front and back with a tab, a semicolon or a comma.
• Save the file as .csv, .tsv or .txt.

A spreadsheet makes this easier: front in column A, back in column B, then "Save As" in CSV format. For a French vocabulary list, the file looks like this: "prospérer;to thrive", one line per word.

In Mnemesia, start an import and choose the .csv, .tsv or .txt file. The separator (tab, semicolon or comma) is detected automatically. Each line becomes a front and back card in a new deck.

Check the first few cards: if a definition itself contained the separator, a line may be split in the wrong place. Just fix the file and try again.

The same method works for any list copied from another website or a spreadsheet, which is handy for learning language vocabulary.

Quizlet keeps two real advantages: its library of sets created by others, and its phone apps. If you mostly rely on public sets, Mnemesia won't replace them.

Going over an entire list at once is reassuring, but not very effective. Spaced repetition brings each card back right when you were about to forget it: easy words get spaced out, hard words come back often. This is the spacing effect, well documented by research (Cepeda et al., 2006).

Mnemesia relies on FSRS, an open algorithm that adjusts each card's interval based on your answers. You review fewer cards per day, but the right ones.

Combined with self-testing, which means trying to recall the answer before seeing it, it is one of the best established methods for long-term retention.

Switching tools is a chance to clean up your cards.

• Delete duplicates and cards you have known by heart for a long time.
• Split definitions that are too long: one card, one idea.
• For vocabulary, add an example sentence on the back: a word sticks better in context.
• Review a little every day rather than an hour on Sunday: that is the whole point of spaced repetition.
• Answer honestly: if you hesitated, say so. The algorithm adapts to your real answers.

Our tips on how to make good flashcards go further on how to write a card that sticks.

Without a public library, sharing goes through a file. In Mnemesia, a deck exports as a single file, images included. You send it by message or email, and your classmate imports it on their end.

It's less spectacular than an online library, but your sets stay yours: nothing is hosted on a server.

A tip for a whole class: one person prepares the deck for a chapter, sends it to the others, and everyone reviews it at their own pace. Review dates stay personal, since each device keeps its own scheduling.