Anki is great, but it's easy to use wrong. It can't be overstated how important it to design your flashcards well. Do it wrong and you'll quickly be frustrated and overwhelmed by the work you have to put towards memorizing the info.
The best guidelines I've found on writing flashcards are Supermemo's 20 rules: https://www.supermemo.com/en/articles/20rules. Honestly, this is a seminal work that anyone jumping into SRS or flashcards in general should read.
As far as Anki itself is concerned: Make sure to check out some of the add-ons that are out there – they can really improve your workflow and motivate you to keep on going: https://ankiweb.net/shared/addons/
> Another problem (with the algorithm, not Anki itself) is that it's very easy to forget what you've just learned if you don't keep using the app. It's super easy to learn hundreds of vocabulary within a short period of time and pass the exam, but you need to keep reviewing the deck for at least a year, otherwise you'll forget it as quickly as you've learned it.
Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that this is a problem with human memory in general?
That's a clozed-source knockoff of Anki. With SRS it's important that you choose a solution that will still be working in 5, 10, or even 20 years. Anki being open-source and sporting an open format fits that bill. Also, it has a proper desktop app, so you never need to worry about losing access to your data ahead of an important exam, etc.
The best guidelines I've found on writing flashcards are Supermemo's 20 rules: https://www.supermemo.com/en/articles/20rules. Honestly, this is a seminal work that anyone jumping into SRS or flashcards in general should read.
I also found this recent discussion about spaced repetition on HN to be very helpful: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17706776
As far as Anki itself is concerned: Make sure to check out some of the add-ons that are out there – they can really improve your workflow and motivate you to keep on going: https://ankiweb.net/shared/addons/