# Gizmo Flashcards Review (2026): Free Limits, Magic Import, and Alternatives

*2026-08-03*

If you want to batch-import a week of notes into Gizmo for free, the number to remember is **20 minutes**. The current Gizmo Magic Import limit is a 20-minute wait between imports, not a fixed daily quota. Gizmo Unlimited removes that wait.

This Gizmo flashcards review is based on current official help pages. I have not tested Gizmo hands-on, so I will keep product claims to what Gizmo documents and make the uncertain parts explicit.

> **Disclosure:** I am Kirill Markin, and I build [Nibomo](https://nibomo.com/), the alternative compared below. Gizmo offers a broader documented workflow: more source formats, five card types, AI Tutor lessons, varied quizzes, and game-like progression. Nibomo is deliberately narrower.

**Facts checked:** September 1, 2026.

![Gizmo flashcards review showing Magic Import, card types, and an alternative study workflow](/blog/gizmo-alternative-v2.png)

## Is Gizmo free?

Yes. Gizmo has a free plan. The current limits most likely to interrupt a study session are:

- [Magic Import](https://help.gizmo.ai/en/articles/15647624-what-is-magic-import) requires free users to wait 20 minutes between imports. Unlimited removes the wait.
- [AI Tutor](https://help.gizmo.ai/en/articles/15869958-how-many-ai-tutor-sessions-can-i-have-for-free) allows five free sessions per calendar day. The count resets each day, and Unlimited removes the daily session cap.
- [Hearts](https://help.gizmo.ai/en/articles/15623061-what-are-hearts) are used in Memorise: you start with 15, lose one after a wrong answer, and must wait 10 minutes to quiz again if they run out. Gizmo says its Flashcards-only question style does not use Hearts.
- [Hints](https://help.gizmo.ai/en/articles/15504721-what-are-hints) reveal the first letter of an answer or remove a wrong multiple-choice option. Free users buy them with Coins earned from quizzing; Unlimited includes unlimited Hints and Hearts.

So, how many Magic Imports do you get with Gizmo free? The official answer is a timer, not a number. The documentation promises a 20-minute cooldown; it does not promise a particular number of successful imports per day.

## What Gizmo flashcards actually do

Gizmo starts with material you already have. Magic Import turns that material into cards, Memorise quizzes the cards, and AI Tutor can teach from the source. XP, Levels, Leagues, and Streaks add a progression layer around the study loop, according to Gizmo's [official product overview](https://help.gizmo.ai/en/articles/14472668-how-does-gizmo-work).

The dedicated Magic Import guide lists nine sources for card creation:

- PDF;
- an in-app lecture or lesson recording;
- pasted notes;
- photos of notes or a whiteboard;
- PowerPoint;
- Quizlet;
- Anki;
- a spreadsheet or CSV; and
- a website URL.

Gizmo generates cards and highlights the words it plans to test. Its own guide tells students to review the deck and add anything the import missed. I would treat that as part of the workflow, not a footnote: compare the cards with the source, delete weak prompts, and fix errors before the deck enters regular review. [How to Fix AI Flashcards](/blog/how-to-fix-ai-flashcards/) has a practical cleanup checklist.

AI Tutor has a related import path. The [official lesson-import guide](https://help.gizmo.ai/en/articles/15935404-how-do-i-use-magic-import-to-start-an-ai-tutor-lesson) lists PDF, PowerPoint, YouTube, notes, photos, recorded lectures, Quizlet sets, and an existing Gizmo deck. Tutor then teaches from that material and quizzes you along the way.

The two documented source lists are not identical. Anki, spreadsheets, and websites appear in the card-creation guide; YouTube and existing Gizmo decks appear in the Tutor lesson guide. Check the route you actually need rather than assuming every input is offered in both menus.

## Gizmo has five card types

Gizmo's current [card-type documentation](https://help.gizmo.ai/en/articles/16527223-what-types-of-flashcards-can-i-make) lists five formats:

| Card type | What it tests | How it can be created |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Card text** | Text or LaTeX, with highlighted words as quiz targets or an optional front-and-back reveal | Manually or with Magic Import |
| **Multiple choice** | A question with generated answer options; you can add wrong options while editing | Manually or with Magic Import |
| **Matching** | Pairs that Gizmo shuffles for you to reconnect | Magic Import only |
| **Ordering** | Items that Gizmo shuffles for you to put back in sequence | Magic Import only |
| **True/False** | A statement you judge as true or false | Manually or with Magic Import |

This is broader than a basic front/back deck, and Magic Import is not merely a shortcut: Matching and Ordering are currently Magic Import-only.

One documentation conflict is worth flagging. The card-type page says Card text can include pictures on the front and back. Gizmo's [card-management guide](https://help.gizmo.ai/en/articles/13761411-how-do-i-edit-or-manage-my-cards) says photos and images can only be added to the front. If back-side images matter, verify the current editor before building the deck. The two official pages do not support a firmer answer.

Gizmo also notes that quiz settings affect which question styles you see. A card's stored format and the way a quiz tests it are related, but not identical.

## The study loop goes beyond cards

Memorise is the main card-review mode. Gizmo highlights key words, quizzes you on them, and uses spaced repetition to bring cards back over time. Magic Import chooses highlights automatically, but you can change them.

AI Tutor handles a different job. It can walk through the material step by step, generate notes, and ask questions based on the source. This is useful when you have a lecture or document but have not yet decided what belongs in a durable flashcard.

Around both modes, Gizmo turns progress into a game. Quizzing contributes to XP, Levels, Leagues, and Streaks, while Hearts, Hints, and Coins affect how free quiz sessions flow. If those mechanics make it easier to return each day, they are a real part of the product decision, not decoration.

Still, a small recall prompt and a multi-step practice question do different jobs. [Flashcards vs Practice Tests](/blog/flashcards-vs-practice-tests/) explains why combining them is usually more useful than forcing every topic into a card.

## Four limits to check before moving a course into Gizmo

### Generated cards still need a check

Gizmo explicitly recommends reviewing a deck after Magic Import and suggests splitting large documents into smaller sections. The practical sequence is simple: import one bounded section, compare the result with the source, repair or remove weak cards, then start reviewing. Generation saves typing; it does not remove the editorial step.

### Editing is easier outside Memorise

Gizmo's [card-management guide](https://help.gizmo.ai/en/articles/13761411-how-do-i-edit-or-manage-my-cards) says you can edit front and back text, add formatting, add front-side images, change multiple-choice options, move cards, and delete them.

The boundary appears during Memorise: you can delete a card there, but you cannot currently edit it mid-quiz. If you spot a bad answer while studying, you need to leave that flow to repair it.

### Gizmo export is unavailable

The same official guide says card export is not available yet. Gizmo's [deck-management guide](https://help.gizmo.ai/en/articles/12995587-how-do-i-make-changes-to-my-decks) says deck export is also unavailable.

This is the clearest data-control limit in the current workflow. Gizmo accepts material from several other systems, but it does not currently provide a documented way to take the resulting cards back out. If future migration matters, judge the product on that present limitation rather than the possibility of a later export feature.

### Offline use is not documented clearly enough to promise

I did not find an official Gizmo help article that promises offline mode, local-first writes, or a specific sync process after the connection returns. The product pages and help-center searches checked for this review do not define that boundary.

That does **not** prove Gizmo cannot work offline. It means the official evidence reviewed here is not enough to promise that it will. If offline study matters, test the exact app and device in airplane mode: close and reopen the app, review a card, make an edit, reconnect, and confirm that both the change and review history persist.

The distinction matters because “a loaded screen still responds” and “my review history is safely stored and syncs later” are different claims. The [offline flashcards app guide](/blog/best-offline-flashcards-app/) uses that stricter test across several products.

## Gizmo vs Nibomo at a glance

| Decision point | Gizmo | Nibomo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Main starting point | Manual cards or Magic Import from varied study sources | Manual or AI-assisted creation of focused front/back cards |
| Card formats | Card text, Multiple choice, Matching, Ordering, and True/False | Front/back cards |
| Teaching around the deck | AI Tutor lessons, notes, and source-based questions | AI-assisted card creation; no Tutor lesson mode is documented on the current product pages |
| Review style | Memorise, spaced repetition, and varied question styles | FSRS spaced repetition |
| Motivation layer | XP, Levels, Leagues, Streaks, Hearts, Hints, and Coins | No comparable game layer is documented on the current product pages |
| Offline evidence | No official offline guarantee found in the documentation checked | Mobile offline study and automatic sync are documented features |
| Data exit | Card and deck export are currently unavailable | Portable exports include cards, tags, and related media |
| Deployment control | No self-hosting claim in the official pages checked | Open source and self-hostable |

Flashcards is a practical Gizmo alternative only for the narrower side of this table. Its current [features page](/features/) documents FSRS, AI-assisted card creation, mobile offline study and sync, portable exports, and self-hosting. It does not describe an equivalent to Gizmo's five-format Magic Import, Tutor lessons, or game layer.

## When Nibomo is the better fit

Choose Flashcards when the thing you want to keep is a checked front/back card. You can create it manually or ask AI to help write and improve it, then decide what gets saved. Review uses FSRS; [FSRS vs SM-2](/blog/fsrs-vs-sm-2/) explains the scheduling model in more detail.

Its offline and data-exit claims are more explicit. Flashcards documents mobile offline study with automatic sync, while its [getting-started guide](/docs/getting-started/) identifies the iOS client as using local SQLite and offline-first sync. Portable exports include cards, tags, and related media, including transfers between hosted and self-hosted installations.

The tradeoff is scope. Current Flashcards pages do not document Gizmo's import menu, five card types, Tutor-led lessons, or reward system. If those features solve the problem that brought you here, Gizmo is probably the better fit.

## Can you move from Gizmo to another app?

Not cleanly today. Because Gizmo export is unavailable, there is no normal file-based migration from Gizmo to Flashcards or another app.

The safe workaround is manual and selective:

1. Keep the original lecture, notes, slides, or other source beside you.
2. Recreate only the cards that are still accurate and useful.
3. Rewrite vague prompts instead of copying every generated card.
4. Expect Gizmo highlights, Tutor context, scheduling history, XP, and other progress to stay behind.

This is slower than an importer and it is not lossless. The useful side effect is that you only carry forward cards that survive a quality check.

Using both apps is another option. Gizmo can unpack a lecture or presentation and provide varied practice. Flashcards can hold a smaller set of checked front/back cards for FSRS review. The bridge remains manual because Gizmo does not export the cards.

## Which workflow fits you?

Choose Gizmo when you start with messy source material and want the app to build the first study structure. Its documented strengths are input variety, five card types, Tutor-led study, varied quizzing, and progression mechanics.

Choose Flashcards when you already know what deserves a durable front/back card and care more about FSRS, documented mobile offline study, export, or self-hosting than quiz variety and rewards.

The useful Gizmo AI review is not “AI versus no AI.” Both products use AI. The difference is where it sits. Gizmo uses AI to turn broad material into a larger study environment. Flashcards uses AI inside a smaller card workflow where you choose what is saved and scheduled.

If the narrower workflow sounds closer to yours, explore [Nibomo features](/features/) or follow the [getting-started guide](/docs/getting-started/).

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