Anki

Anki isn’t a Portuguese-specific tool; it’s a general-purpose spaced repetition flashcard system that happens to be the best vocabulary tool available for Portuguese when paired with a quality deck. Free on desktop and Android, a one-time $25 purchase on iOS, web sync included.

The catch is the learning curve. Plan an hour of setup: download a deck (see our Best Anki Decks guide), set your daily new-card limit to 10, and start reviewing. Once it’s set up, daily review takes 10 to 20 minutes and beats every paid SRS app for actual vocabulary retention.

Pros

• Free on desktop, Android, and web; one-time iOS purchase
• Customisable and scriptable
• Massive community deck library
• Sync across devices

Cons

• Steep learning curve for first-time users
• Quality of community decks varies wildly
• Mobile UI dated compared to commercial apps