AI Medical Education
Anki AnKing Step Deck vs Boards and Beyond
Scores are legacy evidence and documentation scores, not product-performance ratings. How it is computed
McGraw Hill announced a collaboration with AnkiHub in January 2025 that links AnKing Step Deck cards to Boards and Beyond and First Aid Forward content. Viewing that content inside the deck takes AnkiHub Premium at $10 per month plus a separate Boards and Beyond subscription, which runs $89 for one month or $249 for one year. The free Anki app costs $0, but free older copies of the AnKing deck circulate as frozen snapshots without errata fixes, according to a third-party guide, and AnkiHub Core at $6 per month keeps the updates coming.
A student already watching Jason Ryan's videos adds AnkiHub to turn them into cards. A student who has never used flashcards and wants a taught course starts with Boards and Beyond, 490+ Step 1 videos and 2,300+ questions. An iatrox audit finds no spaced repetition in it, so a student who needs spaced repetition from day one should not stop there.
Medical education · Reviewed November 1, 2026
On this page
Anki AnKing Step Deck
by AnkiHub
Free Anki flashcard app plus the community-made AnKing USMLE deck. AnkiHub is the paid sync service, with an AI chatbot on Premium.
Boards and Beyond
by McGraw Hill Education
Step 1 video course taught by Dr. Jason Ryan.
When to pick each one
Anki AnKing Step Deck
- Free Anki app, AnkiHub Core $6 per month
- Premium links cards to Boards and Beyond content
- Premium $10 per month adds AI chatbot
Boards and Beyond
- 490+ Step 1 videos, 2,300+ questions
- $89 for one month, $249 for one year
- Taught course by Dr. Jason Ryan
Score
Each row shows points earned of points available under the published rubric.
Anki AnKing Step Deck
Boards and Beyond
| Dimension | Anki AnKing Step Deck | Boards and Beyond | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peer-reviewed papers | 0 / 7 | 0 / 7 | 0 |
| RCT / meta-analysis / systematic review | 0 / 1.8 | 0 / 1.8 | 0 |
| Funding & adoption signal | 12 / 12 | 8.4 / 12 | +3.6 |
| Pricing transparency | 6.5 / 6.5 | 6.5 / 6.5 | 0 |
Scroll horizontally to see every column.
Pricing
Anki AnKing Step Deck
| Tier | Monthly | Annual | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anki (desktop, AnkiWeb, AnkiDroid) | Not stated | Not stated | Free and open source (Ankitects). AnkiMobile on iOS is a paid app. Its price is not confirmed. |
| AnkiHub Core | $6 | Not stated | Shared decks including the AnKing Step Deck, updates and suggestions. An older block on the same page still shows $5. |
| AnkiHub Premium | $10 | Not stated | Adds Smart Search, the AnkiHub chatbot and Boards & Beyond / First Aid Forward content (those need separate subscriptions). |
| AnkiHub Lifetime | Not stated | Not stated | Labeled "early access rate". The same page also shows $66 per year and an older $240 lifetime block. |
Boards and Beyond
| Tier | Billing period | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | 1 month, one-time | $89 | same price for Step 1 Preclinical and Steps 2-3 Clinical |
Show all 9 price pointsHide extra price points
| 3 months | 3 months, one-time | $149 | same price for both products |
| 6 months | 6 months, one-time | $199 | same price for both products |
| 1 year | 1 year, one-time | $249 | same price for both products |
| 18 months | 18 months, one-time | $349 | same price for both products |
| 2 years | 2 years, one-time | $399 | longest term |
| 1 week | 1 week, one-time | $24 | lowest price quoted on boardsbeyond.com/Pricing ('from $24 for one week') |
| Clinical Confidence2 price points | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical Confidence | 6 months, one-time | $149 | boardsbeyond.com quotes $149 for 6 months. Product not confirmed |
| Clinical Confidence | 1 year, one-time | $199 | boardsbeyond.com quotes $199 for a full year. Product not confirmed |
Verified October 14, 2026 from mheducation.com (opens in new tab).
Compliance and integrations
Documented from each vendor’s own pages.
| Spec | Anki AnKing Step Deck | Boards and Beyond |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes | No / unverified |
| HIPAA | No / unverified | No / unverified |
| SOC 2 Type II | No / unverified | No / unverified |
| EHR integrations | Not stated | Not stated |
| Founded | Not stated | Not stated |
| HQ | Not stated | Not stated |
Scroll horizontally to see both columns.
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USMLE prep (UWorld, AMBOSS, Anki), specialty learning (SketchyMedical, Pathoma, Boards & Beyond), CME (Healio AI, AMA Ed Hub). The most affiliate-rich category in healthcare AI.
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