Which Notosaurus?
Notosaurus comes in two forms. Both make the same cards, from the same photos, with the same instructions and review; they differ in where Notosaurus runs and who pays for the AI.
- The Android app: everything on the phone. No computer, no AI key: a subscription pays for the AI.
- The Anki add-on: Notosaurus runs on the computer, inside Anki desktop, and you use it from the phone on the same Wi-Fi. Free, with your own key for an AI service.
| Android app | Anki add-on | |
|---|---|---|
| What you need | An Android phone, AnkiDroid | A computer with Anki desktop, a phone on the same Wi-Fi (Android or iPhone) |
| iPhone | No: Android only | Yes: the page in Safari, the cards reviewed in AnkiMobile |
| The AI | Google’s Gemini, through the Notosaurus service | The service you choose: Gemini, Claude, OpenAI, OpenRouter, or a model at home |
| What it costs | A subscription through Google Play, after a free trial | Free; the AI service bills you directly, from a fraction of a cent to a few cents per lesson |
| The lessons | Kept on the phone | Kept on the computer |
| The cards | Straight into AnkiDroid | Into Anki desktop, then to the phones by AnkiWeb; or as a .apkg file |
| Several children | A card per child | A card per child, and an Anki profile per child if you like |
Both at once? The app can also work with your computer: it then shows the add-on’s page, and the lessons, the AI and the cards stay on the computer, for free.
- The Android app: see The Android app.
- The Anki add-on: see Getting started with the add-on, then On the phone.
- On a home server, without the add-on: see Advanced installation.
Then everything else is the same: Photos and PDFs, Instructions, Reviewing the cards.