Converters like 2anki solved a real problem: turning a PDF into a deck without typing it out. The next question is whether the deck has to arrive as a file at all. It does not — and that changes a few things people do not think about until week two.
2anki has been around long enough to be the default answer when someone asks how to get a PDF into Anki. It reads the structure of a document — headings become decks, bullets become fronts and backs — and gives you an APKG. It handles large textbooks. It has a free tier that covers casual use. If your source is a stack of PDFs and you want a file you can hand to a classmate, that workflow is fine and this page will not pretend otherwise.
The difference is not quality. It is where the cards end up, and what happens the second, third and tenth time you run it.
| Convert to a file, then import | Write straight into the deck | |
|---|---|---|
| How cards arrive | You download an APKG or CSV, then File → Import in Anki and confirm the mapping. | The tool calls AnkiConnect and adds notes to the deck you selected. Nothing downloads. |
| Running it again on the same chapter | You get a second copy of every card unless you deduplicate by hand or import into a fresh deck and merge. | Content hashes are checked first, so existing cards are skipped or updated instead of duplicated. |
| Custom note types and tags | Whatever the APKG was built with. Your own templates may not survive the round trip. | Written into your existing note type and deck, so your templates and tags stay intact. |
| Source material | Files you have: PDF, DOCX, slides, pasted text. | What you are looking at: a web page, a PDF open in the browser, a YouTube transcript. |
| Where the text is processed | On the service's servers. | On your device by default, or through your own API key. |
| Cost model | Free tier capped by cards per month; paid tiers priced by volume. | Three generations a day free; one-time purchase for unlimited. |
Most people do not notice this on day one. They convert chapter 3, import it, study it. Two weeks later they re-read chapter 3, convert it again with better settings, import again — and now every card exists twice. Anki's browser will show them as separate notes, the scheduler will ask both, and the only fix is a manual sweep.
This is not a flaw in any particular converter. It is what files do: a file has no idea what is already in your collection. A direct write does, because it is talking to the collection at the moment of creation. That is the entire argument for AnkiConnect, and it is a structural one rather than a feature.
What AnkiConnect is: a free add-on for desktop Anki (code 2055492159) that opens a local port and accepts commands like "add this note to this deck". It is maintained by the Anki community, not by us.
AnkiMate is a browser extension, not a converter. You select text on a page — or use the whole page, a PDF open in the browser, or a YouTube transcript — choose one of nine subject-tuned templates, review the draft cards in a side panel, then write them into your deck through AnkiConnect.
The practical consequences: your deck never fills with duplicates, your tags and note types survive, you never open a file manager, and the material you were reading five minutes ago is reviewable tonight rather than sitting in a downloads folder.
It is not a replacement for a bulk converter, and it is not free above three generations a day. Pro is $19.9 once for Cloze, batch generation and future templates.
Add to Chrome — Free Add to Edge — Free
Requires desktop Anki with AnkiConnect (add-on code 2055492159). Pricing of third-party products mentioned here is theirs to change; check their site before relying on it.
Yes, and many people should. A converter is better for bulk textbook work; direct writing is better for the article or lecture you just read. They both end up in the same collection.
No. It adds notes. It does not touch notes it did not create, and it skips content it has already written.
Three generations per day, with unlimited writes into Anki. That is enough to test the workflow properly on real material before paying anything.