Quizlet is a popular study aid website for learners of all ages. It features flashcards and other learning tools to help students understand and memorize content.
While Quizlet is free, there are many features that are hidden behind a paywall, and you can only access them by subscribing to Quizlet Plus and paying a monthly subscription fee.
However, is Quizlet Plus even worth it? As a student, you likely have a tight budget, and any extra expenses must be carefully considered.
That is what I will address in this article. I will compare the free and paid versions of Quizlet, go over the specific premium features you will get with Quizlet Plus, and conclude whether the price is worth what you will get.
The short version: Yes, Quizlet Plus is worth it, especially if you sign up for the annual plan. Fortunately, you can try it out without a commitment by signing up for the free trial.
Read on for the details!
What Does Quizlet Offer for Free?
First, let’s start by quickly discussing the free version of Quizlet.
If you’re reading this article, you’ve likely already tried the free version of Quizlet, hence why you are wondering whether it’s worth upgrading. Nevertheless, a quick overview will help us better contrast the two versions to understand what you are actually getting when you upgrade.
Flashcards
The main benefit of using Quizlet for free are its flashcards, also called study sets. There are flashcards in a wide range of subjects, such as math and science, with each set focusing on a specific topic.
There are different ways to use flashcards. For example, you can turn a study set into a test, using the flashcards as a basis for a quiz with which to test your knowledge.
However, as a free user, you can only take one free practice set per study set. This isn’t always enough, especially if you don’t do well on your first test and discover that you need additional study to improve your knowledge.
The flashcards are intuitive and easy to use, and they offer a lot of value to students of all ages.
Another way to use flashcards is in match mode, a gamified learning mode that requires you to match corresponding flashcards to make them disappear. If you match the wrong flashcards, they won’t disappear.
Gamified learning helps make education fun.
You can save your study sets in folders, thus organizing them just like you would organize a physical box of flashcards. You can create a new folder for different subjects, for example.
While Quizlet is best known for flashcards, it offers a lot more than that. Here are some of the other features you can use on the free plan.
Limited Expert Solutions
Quizlet’s Expert Solutions are detailed explanations of solutions to textbook problems.
A wide range of textbooks on many subjects are available, and the Expert Solutions are step-by-step solutions to the problems and exercises in those textbooks.
However, on the free plan, you will not have access to all solutions. For many textbooks, you will only get access to one solution for free, and you will have to upgrade to access the other solutions, as shown in the following screenshot.
Limited Access to Q-Chat
Q-Chat is an AI chatbot tutor built on ChatGPT’s API.
The tool allows you to ask questions about topics you don’t understand and get in-depth explanations of specific ideas you are struggling with.
You can choose a study prompt or even ask the AI tutor to quiz you on the material you were studying. Alternatively, ask it to challenge you to apply the knowledge you just learned.
Q-Chat is a fun and interactive learning tool that allows you to learn in an engaging way. Studying textbooks can quickly become monotonous, but what if you can chat with an AI chatbot and learn in the process?
However, on the free plan, you only get limited access to Q-Chat. While you can start a conversation for free, it will only give you a sample of what you will get with Quizlet Plus.
You will be required to sign up for Quizlet Plus for the full experience.
Is Quizlet’s Free Plan Sufficient to Study?
Absolutely.
Now, this does not mean that Quizlet Plus is not worth it – we’ll get to that.
However, Quizlet’s free plan is absolutely enough to gain a lot of benefit and enrich your knowledge. If you can’t afford to pay for Quizlet Plus, don’t despair.
The main benefit you will get out of the free version of Quizlet are the flashcards. Using flashcards is a tried and tested method of retaining knowledge.
It operates on the concept of spaced repetition.
When you see a flashcard, you have to actively try to recall the concept discussed in the flashcard.
The more times you do it, the better. It helps bring the knowledge from your short term to your long term memory.
Not only that, but Quizlet takes flashcards to a whole new level. You can, first of all, carry them wherever you are, accessing them via the Quizlet mobile app.
That makes it easy to study while you are on the train or just bored at a friend’s house.
In addition, you can use the different learning modes with flashcards, such as the test or match modes, which help make your learning more engaging as well.
Quizlet Plus: What Will You Get?
With that said, let’s discuss some of the features you can expect to get when you sign up for Quizlet Plus.
Unlimited Solutions
If you liked the step-by-step textbook solutions you got while you were on the free plan, the premium plan could be worth it. You will get access to millions of solutions from thousands of textbooks in all types of subjects.
These solutions are uploaded by different authors, though. This is important to note because while you might like the teaching style of one author and understand each solution and each step, it might be more difficult for you to understand the teaching or writing style of another author.
The textbook solutions are very helpful when you are studying a textbook but finding it difficult to complete the exercises. Sometimes, you just need that extra explanation to understand things fully.
Unlimited Q-Chat Access
You also get unlimited access to the Q-Chat chatbot. This can be a very helpful tool.
Of course, ChatGPT itself is free. But ChatGPT is not geared primarily for education, although it can be used for it.
The Q-Chat tool is designed exclusively for education, which makes it a better tool than ChatGPT for optimizing your learning experience.
Quizlet Learn
Signing up for Quizlet Plus will give you access to Quizlet Learn. Quizlet Learn is a tool that helps you create a customized learning plan.
It starts by asking you about your learning goals. What do you want to study, and what do you hope to get out of your study sessions?
The tool then uses machine learning, based on the study sessions of other students in the database, and cognitive science to create a personalized study template for you.
It can give you personalized reminders so that you don’t forget to study, which can be very helpful if you have a busy schedule or otherwise find it hard to create time to study.
Custom Study Sets
Quizlet’s flashcards have helped many students retain their knowledge, revise their studies, and prepare for exams. However, Quizlet Plus takes study sets to a whole new level, allowing you to create customized study sets, a feature which isn’t available on the free plan.
There are ready-made study sets on almost every topic imaginable, uploaded by Quizlet users. However, what if you have a unique area of study, and you can’t find flashcard sets that work for you?
Or, what if you simply prefer to create your own flashcards?
Quizlet Plus allows you to do that. You can upload images for your flashcards as well as diagrams and other media.
You can even import data from Excel, Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and other sources and turn them into flashcard sets.
Scan to Create
Another feature of Quizlet Plus is the ability to scan your handwritten notes using the Quizlet app and transform them into flashcard sets.
This feature makes it a lot easier to create sets. You don’t have to manually input the information if you already have physical notes or flashcards, saving you a lot of time.
Offline Learning
Another benefit of Quizlet Plus is the ability to download learning materials to be studied offline on the mobile app.
If you frequently move around without access to mobile data, this will help you learn on the go. If you only have the free version of Quizlet, you will need an active internet connection at all times to use the app.
Unlimited Tests
In test mode, you can turn a study set into a test.
You only get one free practice test per set on the free plan. Quizlet Plus gives you unlimited tests, so you can keep testing your knowledge until you are satisfied that you are ready for your actual exam.
Taking practice tests is a great exam prep method.
Smart Grading
Smart Grading is available in the US for sets in English, French, German, and Spanish. It helps grade your knowledge and understanding of a subject as opposed to focusing solely on your memorization skills.
It uses advanced technology to determine this.
According to Quizlet, smart grading has helped a lot of students complete their studies. When you get an answer marked as incorrect, it discourages you – and when too many answers are marked as such, many students abandon their studies, even if they did actually understand the subject matter.
Smart grading removes that problem.
Spell Mode
Spell Mode is part of Learn Mode and available to Quizlet Plus subscribers. It prompts you with audio and tests your spelling skills.
You will be listening to audio and transcribing it.
When you misspell a word, it will be highlighted for you. You can always slow down the audio.
What are the applications of Spell Mode? The most obvious one is learning a new language.
There are 18 languages available, and Spell Mode will help you learn how to spell properly in either of them. You can also learn advanced words in your own language if you want to improve your vocabulary.
No Ads
When you use Quizlet for free, you will have to deal with ads, which can be quite annoying. Ads pop up all the time, and they can interfere with your study sessions, distracting you from your learning.
There are ways to get around them, of course. If you have a good ad blocker, you can usually avoid seeing those ads.
Still, it’s a bit of a hassle.
When you sign up for Quizlet Plus, you will not see ads. That makes the learning process smoother, with few distractions that can prevent you from learning properly.
How Much Does Quizlet Plus Cost?
Before we determine whether Quizlet Plus is worth it, we must first take a look at pricing. Currently, there are two Quizlet Plus plans.
The monthly plan costs $7.99/month. This is billed monthly, and you can cancel anytime to avoid being billed and charged the next month.
The second plan is the annual plan, which is charged at $35.99 per year. That averages to around $3/month, which is a significant amount of savings if you plan on using Quizlet for an entire year.
With the monthly plan, just five months will already cost more than $35.99.
Since pricing is subject to change, I recommend checking the upgrade page for additional information.
Is There a Free Trial for Quizlet Plus?
Yes, but only for the annual plan.
If you signed up for the annual plan, you will get a free seven-day trial, and you will only be billed $35.99 after the seven days are up. You will have to provide a valid billing method to qualify for the free trial; this could be a credit/debit card or PayPal.
If you cancel the plan before seven days are up, you will not be charged, but your premium access will expire at the end of the seven days.
You can cancel your subscription in your settings at any time.
If you sign up for the monthly plan, there is no free trial option. You will have to pay $7.99 right away, and you will be billed $7.99 each month following it.
Is Quizlet Plus Worth the Price?
Yes, I would say that Quizlet Plus is worth it, but only if you sign up for the annual plan. The annual plan makes it significantly cheaper and gives you a full year of access without worrying about paying every month.
Paying around $36 a year is actually pretty good value for what you get, in my personal opinion. The ability to get detailed, step-by-step solutions to unlimited textbook exercises is the biggest thing for me.
These solutions are kind of what you would get with Chegg, which is another popular homework help solution.
I also enjoyed the other aspects of Quizlet Plus, particularly the custom sets and the ability to take unlimited practice tests.
Preparing for tests can often be pretty nerve wracking. I don’t enjoy studying for exams, and you probably don’t either.
It helps to have some level of confidence before your exam, and successfully passing practice tests is one way to get that. Unfortunately, there aren’t always enough practice tests available for all topics, so the Quizlet practice tests are a big help.
For me, Quizlet Plus was worth it. However, if you can’t afford it, don’t despair.
Like I said, the free version of Quizlet is still extremely helpful, and you can learn a lot. There are even limited textbook solutions and practice tests available, so you can get a taste of premium without paying anything.
Will Quizlet Plus be worth it for you? Fortunately, there is an easy way to find out, and that’s by signing up for the free trial.
Try it out for a few days and see if it’s helping you make further strides in your learning.
If it’s not, you can simply cancel the subscription, and you won’t be charged. There’s no real risk (unless you forget to cancel your subscription before the trial is over, which is why I recommend setting up an alarm or calendar reminder to remind you to).
What About Quizlet Plus for Teachers?
Quizlet Plus for Teachers is a premium plan for educators. It comes with additional features such as the ability to create live games for the classroom or remote learning, sort of like Kahoot.
Teachers can also automatically generate live games from the hundreds of millions of existing study sets. They can also track class progress.
Quizlet Plus for teachers is a useful tool for educators, and I think it is worth it as well. It costs the same as Quizlet Plus, but pricing is per student – in other words, for one student it is $35.99/year.
If you purchase it for multiple students, you can get a discount of up to 15%. See updated pricing here.
Wrapping It Up – Is Quizlet Plus Worth It?
Yes. In my opinion, Quizlet Plus offers excellent value for money, at least for the annual plan.
That goes both if you are an individual student and if you are a teacher buying Quizlet Plus for your class.
Since the annual plan offers a free trial, I recommend trying it out to see if Quizlet Plus might be worth it for you.
