The honest answers first.
Where your data lives, what spaced repetition is, and how MagpieDeck differs from the alternatives.
Do I need an account to use MagpieDeck?
No. You can save, review, and study words without signing up — your data stays in your browser on this device. Create an account whenever you want your words to sync across devices and survive a cleared browser.
Where is my data stored?
Before you sign in, your words live only in this browser — nothing leaves your device. When you sign in, your words sync to our secure database, kept private to your account and never shared with anyone else.
What is spaced repetition, and what's FSRS?
Spaced repetition is a study technique that schedules reviews for the moment you're most likely to forget — short on first contact, longer as a memory consolidates. FSRS (Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler) is a modern algorithm that adapts to how you actually remember, instead of relying on fixed intervals like older SuperMemo/SM-2 systems.
Does MagpieDeck work offline?
Anonymous mode is fully offline today. Authenticated review queues need a network round-trip to fetch and submit ratings; a service-worker offline mode is on the roadmap.
How is this different from Anki?
Anki is a generic flashcard tool — powerful, but you build every card. MagpieDeck is purpose-built for vocabulary: it auto-fills definitions, etymology, and pronunciation, and it pairs every card with the source you found the word in (the sentence, the page). The review flow is one rating per word, no card-side management.
Is MagpieDeck free?
Yes. The current feature set is free, including spaced-repetition review. Paid tiers — if they come — will be for cloud sync limits, export formats, or advanced study analytics, never for core capture.
Can I export my words?
Export is on the roadmap. The data model is straightforward (word, definition, source, review history) so when export ships it will be in a portable format — CSV at minimum, ideally also JSON.