- Category
- Productivity
- Rank
- No. 865Tools index
Previous survey · No. 857 ·
- Pricing
- Open Source
- Type
- APP
- Builder
- juliusbrussee
- GitHub
- 369 stars
- Latest release
- release
- Date
About
Local-first macOS study app with FSRS spaced-repetition review, decks, study guides, and exam mode.
What it does
Revu organizes serious study material into a desktop workspace, then schedules each card from recall history and user settings. It imports existing collections from Anki, spreadsheets, Markdown, or JSON, preserves media and hierarchy where possible, and keeps study records in an offline database.
Why it's ranked here
The case rests on practical depth, not novelty. Revu combines broad import support, conservative merge rules, workload forecasting, keyboard-focused study, and inspectable scheduling logic. It is unusually complete for a standalone desktop app, though its platform restriction and separation from the commercial product narrow its audience.
What's good
Imports converge on one document model, with stable identifiers preventing duplicate cards and timestamps protecting newer local edits. JSON exports preserve identifiers for reliable backups. Scheduler tests cover grade ordering, lapses, response-time tuning, retention targets, approaching deadlines, and same-day reviews. The storage tests exercise real temporary SQLite databases.
Tradeoffs
It requires macOS 14 or newer, and source builds require Xcode 16 or newer. The downloadable app is unsigned, so first launch needs a manual security step. Sync, AI features, and the latest updates belong to the separate commercial product. Import and export tests exist, but their entire suite is commented out.
How to use it well
Choose Revu when one Mac is your study center and you want local ownership, strong Anki migration, structured backups, and deadline-aware review planning. Generate or edit material in spreadsheets, Markdown, or external tools, then import it. Do not choose this repository when cross-device sync, account-based collaboration, or built-in AI is essential.
Technical notes+
README.md describes a Swift 6 SwiftUI application using MVVM, actor-isolated SQLite persistence, pure scheduling logic, and a DMG install surface. docs/architecture.md details the store split, offline bootstrap, service boundaries, and normalized import pipeline. docs/import-export.md specifies Anki, CSV, TSV, Markdown, and versioned JSON behavior, including stable-ID merges and newer-edit protection. RevuTests/SchedulerTests.swift and RevuTests/FSRSParametersTests.swift exercise scheduling behavior extensively; RevuTests/ConceptTracerTests.swift and RevuTests/StudyEventLogTests.swift use temporary SQLite stores. RevuTests/ImportExportTests.swift is fully commented out, while RevuTests/RevuTests.swift remains a placeholder.
Observed
- License
- GPL-3.0-only; the Revu name and logo are excluded from trademark reuse.
- Primary language
- Swift 6, with SwiftUI for the desktop interface.
- Platform
- macOS 14 or newer.
- Installation
- Distributed as an unsigned DMG; source builds use Xcode 16 or newer.
- Interface
- Standalone macOS desktop application, with no documented CLI, library, MCP, or network API.
- Persistence
- Local SQLite database with adjacent attachment and backup directories; no account or network dependency.
- Tests
- Swift Testing suite covers scheduling, models, hierarchy, concept tracking, event persistence, focus timing, and subdeck behavior; import/export tests are commented out.
Read from README.md, docs/architecture.md, docs/import-export.md, docs/ui-design-system.md, RevuTests/RevuTests.swift, RevuTests/DeckModelTests.swift, RevuTests/SchedulerTests.swift, scripts/make-dmg-background.py, RevuTests/ImportExportTests.swift, RevuTests/ConceptTracerTests.swift, RevuTests/DeckHierarchyTests.swift, RevuTests/StudyEventLogTests.swift, RevuTests/FSRSParametersTests.swift, RevuTests/PomodoroServiceTests.swift, RevuTests/SubdeckBehaviorTests.swift.
What it can do
Create and manage flashcard decks
User-created study content and flashcards → Organized flashcard decks for review
Schedule spaced repetition reviews using FSRS algorithm
Flashcard performance data and study history → Optimized review schedule for each card
Conduct flashcard review sessions
Scheduled flashcards and user responses → Updated card difficulty and next review timing
Generate study guides
Study materials and content → Structured study guides for learning
Run exam simulation mode
Selected deck or study material → Timed practice exam with scoring
Store study data locally
All user study content and progress → Local database of cards, decks, and performance metrics
Tags
Tech Stack
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Editorially curated, with community endorsements as a secondary signal. Corrections welcome.