BrainLift vs Knowt: which study app fits how you study?
BrainLift vs Knowt compared on free plans, AI tools, Quizlet import, spaced repetition, platforms, and price, with clear notes on where Knowt wins.
Details about other apps were compiled from their public websites and App Store listings on October 31, 2026. Prices and features change, so check each product's own site before deciding. BrainLift is not affiliated with any product named here.
Key takeaways
- BrainLift fits best when you want a quick photo-to-quiz flow and a built-in loop that turns wrong answers into review cards.
- Knowt fits best when you want a generous free plan, Quizlet import, AP and SAT prep content, or an Android app.
- The biggest practical difference is scope: Knowt is a broad study suite, while BrainLift focuses on quizzes, decks, and mistake review.
Knowt is a free-first study platform with flashcards, practice tests, AI note tools, a lecture recorder, and a large library of student resources. BrainLift is an iOS and web app that turns photos of notes, PDFs, typed notes, or a topic into quizzes and flashcard decks, then turns your wrong answers into a review deck. Knowt tries to cover most of your study workflow, while BrainLift goes deep on practice and review.
The short version
Knowt clearly wins on free features and breadth. Its free Basic plan includes unlimited file creation, live collaboration, and storage, plus access to millions of shared resources, and its Learn mode is free. It imports sets from Quizlet, Kahoot, and Wayground, runs on iPhone, Android, web, and a Chrome extension, and offers AP, SAT, and ACT prep on its paid plan. If you want one free tool that does a bit of everything, Knowt is hard to beat.
BrainLift is the more focused option. You snap a page, choose difficulty and question count, and practice right away. After a quiz, "practice my mistakes" turns what you missed into a deck with explanations that feeds into spaced review. Add XP, daily quests, and streaks, and the app is built around coming back each day to fix weak spots. Its annual Premium price is also lower than Knowt's annual Ultra plan.
Side by side
| Feature | BrainLift | Knowt |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, and web. No Android app. | iPhone, Android, web, and a Chrome extension |
| How you create cards | AI builds quizzes and decks from photos, PDFs, typed notes, or a topic | Make your own, import from Quizlet and others, or generate from notes and files |
| AI question generation from your own files | Yes. Choose difficulty and question count. | AI tools work with your notes and files; Ultra adds summarizers for PDFs, video, images, and slides |
| Spaced repetition | Yes, SM-2 style scheduling with self-rating | Yes |
| Learn-from-mistakes workflow | "Practice my mistakes" turns wrong answers into a deck with explanations | Learn mode and practice tests let you review what you missed |
| Pre-made content library | No public library | Millions of shared resources, plus AP, SAT, and ACT prep on Ultra |
| Sharing and collaboration | Share quizzes and decks by link or QR code | Live collaboration on the free plan |
| Offline access | No offline mode for AI features | Not stated on Knowt's plans page |
| Free tier | Free to start, with usage limits | Free Basic plan with ads |
| Paid price | Premium: $2.99/week, $6.99/month, or $49.99/year | Ultra: $24.99/month, or $149.99/year billed upfront |
| Best for | Snap-to-quiz practice and fixing your mistakes | A broad free study suite and switching from Quizlet |
Where Knowt is the better choice
If budget is the deciding factor, Knowt's free plan is generous. Unlimited file creation, free Learn mode, and live collaboration cover a lot of ground without paying. The trade-off is ads on the free plan, which Ultra removes.
Knowt is also the easier move if you already have years of Quizlet sets. Its import tool brings those sets over, so you keep your history. BrainLift has no import tool for other apps' decks. If you study on an Android phone or like working through a browser extension, Knowt supports both, and BrainLift does not have an Android app.
For high school students heading into AP exams, the SAT, or the ACT, Knowt's Ultra plan includes full prep content, and its paid tier adds tools like a lecture recording summarizer, an AI podcast generator, and an AI voice tutor. If you want those extras in one place, Knowt offers more of them.
Where BrainLift is the better choice
BrainLift keeps the path from notes to practice short. Take a photo of your notes or upload a PDF, choose how hard the questions should be and how many you want, and you have a quiz and a flashcard deck. Our guide to making flashcards from lecture notes shows how to get good results from that step.
The mistakes workflow is the core of the app. Every wrong quiz answer can go into a "practice my mistakes" deck with an explanation of the right answer, and those cards come back on a spaced schedule. If you have ever finished a practice test and moved on without reviewing what you missed, this closes that gap. We explain why it works in learning from practice test mistakes.
BrainLift also leans into motivation with XP, levels, daily quests, streaks, and achievements, and the AI tutor chat can explain a concept with charts or diagrams. On price, Premium is $49.99 per year compared with $149.99 per year for Knowt Ultra annual. Keep in mind that AI-generated content can contain mistakes, so check questions against your source.
Pricing
BrainLift is free to start with usage limits. Premium costs $6.99 per month, $49.99 per year, or $2.99 per week on the App Store.
Knowt Basic is free with ads. Knowt Ultra is $24.99 per month, or $149.99 per year billed upfront (shown as $12.99 per month), with a 3-day trial on the annual plan, according to Knowt's plans page.
Switching or using both
Plenty of students use both. You might keep Knowt for imported Quizlet sets, shared AP resources, and collaborating with a study group, then use BrainLift when you want a fast quiz from a new set of notes and a deck built from your mistakes.
If you want to bring a Knowt set into BrainLift, copy the terms into a typed note and generate a quiz or deck from it. Students preparing for AP exams can also see our page for AP students.
To try the mistakes loop yourself, download BrainLift on the App Store and run one quiz from your latest notes.
FAQ
Is Knowt really free?
Knowt's Basic plan costs nothing and includes unlimited file creation, live collaboration, storage, and Learn mode, with ads. Ultra removes ads and adds AI summarizers, a voice tutor, and full AP, SAT, and ACT prep.
Can I import my Quizlet sets into BrainLift?
BrainLift does not have a Quizlet import tool. You can paste your terms into a typed note and generate a quiz or deck, while Knowt offers direct Quizlet import.
Which app is better for reviewing wrong answers?
BrainLift is built around it. "Practice my mistakes" turns missed quiz questions into a deck with explanations, then schedules those cards for spaced review.
Knowt is a trademark of Knowt Inc. BrainLift is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Knowt Inc. Information about Knowt is based on publicly available sources as of October 31, 2026.