Sergiu Puscas

I'm the developer behind MintDeck, a free flashcard app for iPhone built on the FSRS spaced repetition algorithm — and I write every guide, how-to, and app comparison published on this blog.

Building a spaced repetition app means living inside this problem space daily: scheduling algorithms, card design, import formats, what makes reviews stick and what makes people quit. The articles here come out of that work — the learning-science guides explain the research MintDeck is built on, and the comparisons cover the apps I evaluated and compete with.

How come the app is free?

People ask how MintDeck can be free. The honest answer: I'm a solo developer building it on my own, sometimes bringing in a freelancer to move things along faster.

I started MintDeck out of my own frustration with learning apps. Too many are either outdated and painful to use, or locked behind an aggressive paywall and ads. I understand that apps need to make money — that part is fair — but too often the person who ends up paying the price, in money or attention, is the learner. I believe it can be done differently, and that belief is where all my effort goes.

The revenue a large company needs to survive and the revenue one individual needs are worlds apart. That gap is exactly what lets me keep MintDeck free, and I believe I can keep it going this way.

If you like MintDeck and believe in what it's for, the best things you can do are spread the word, leave a review on the App Store, or — if you feel like it — buy me a coffee. None of it is expected, and all of it helps more than you'd think.

MintDeck won't always be perfect — a bug or rough edge will show up here and there. But together with you, the people actually using it, I can keep making it better. Your feedback matters more than anything, so if something isn't working the way you'd expect, or there's a feature you really miss, don't hesitate to reach out at support@mintdeck.app.

How the app comparisons are written

A fair warning and a promise: MintDeck is my app, so every comparison on this blog has an obvious interest. Here is how I keep them honest:

• I use the apps I write about — installed on a real device, with real decks — rather than summarizing other people's reviews.
• Prices, free-tier limits, and feature claims are re-checked against the live App Store listings and official sites at the time of writing, and noted with the year they were verified.
• Each comparison states who the other app is best for. If Anki Desktop or a pre-made Quizlet library is the better fit for your situation, the article says so.
• When something changes — a price, an algorithm, a paywall — I update the article rather than leaving stale claims up.

If you spot something outdated or wrong, tell me at support@mintdeck.app and I'll fix it.

Start here

• The science of learning — spaced repetition, FSRS, and active recall, explained simply.
• MintDeck vs Anki — the comparison most readers come for.
• The free AI flashcard generator — try the app's core feature in the browser.