AnkiHub has four plans: Free ($0), Core ($6/month), Premium ($10/month) and Lifetime ($450 one time). Free gets you a tutorial deck and a few community decks. Core is the plan you need for the updated AnKing Step Deck. Premium adds AI search, a chatbot and Boards & Beyond / First Aid Forward content inside AnKing. The scholarship program is paused as of August 2026.
Prices checked September 2026 on ankihub.net.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Getting Started with Anki tutorial deck, free community decks such as the Dermki deck |
| Core | $6/month | Everything in Free, plus hundreds of maintained decks including the AnKing Step Deck, and build-your-own deck features |
| Premium | $10/month | Everything in Core, plus Smart Search, the AnkiHub Chatbot, and Boards & Beyond and First Aid Forward content inside the AnKing Step Deck |
| Lifetime | $450 once | Same features as Premium, no recurring charge. Listed as an "early access rate" |
Source: the plan table on ankihub.net/step-deck, checked September 2026. AnkiHub's FAQ still mentions a $5 monthly fee from launch; the plan table is the current price.
One catch with Premium: the Boards & Beyond and First Aid Forward content only shows up if you also pay for those resources separately. AnkiHub's homepage says a Premium subscription plus a First Aid Forward and/or B&B subscription is required to view it. If you don't use either, Premium's extra value is Smart Search and the chatbot.
The free plan is an account, the Getting Started with Anki tutorial deck, and a small set of free community decks. The Dermki dermatology deck is the example AnkiHub names. It does not include the AnKing Step Deck or the other maintained decks, which is what most people sign up for.
For the current version, yes. AnkiHub's FAQ says future updates to the AnKing deck are published only through AnkiHub. Older free copies still circulate, but they are frozen snapshots: no errata fixes, no new cards, no updated tags. AnkiHub's position is that the deck itself is free and the subscription pays for the platform and the people maintaining it.
For what's in the deck and how to set it up, see our AnKing deck guide.
AnkiHub used to offer scholarships to students who couldn't pay. As of August 15, 2026, the program is paused and not accepting new applications, with no timeline for reopening. Applications already submitted stay on file. Source: AnkiHub Community announcement, checked September 2026.
AnkiHub has four plans: Free ($0), Core ($6 per month), Premium ($10 per month) and Lifetime ($450 one time, listed as an early access rate). Prices checked on ankihub.net in September 2026.
There is a free plan, but it only includes the Getting Started with Anki tutorial deck and free community decks such as the Dermki deck. The AnKing Step Deck and the other maintained decks need Core or higher.
Core ($6 per month) syncs hundreds of maintained decks, including the AnKing Step Deck, and adds build-your-own deck features. Premium ($10 per month) adds Smart Search, the AnkiHub Chatbot and access to Boards and Beyond and First Aid Forward content inside the AnKing Step Deck, which also needs a separate subscription to those resources.
To get the current, updated AnKing Step Deck, yes. AnkiHub says future AnKing updates are published only through AnkiHub, so a free copy you find elsewhere is an old snapshot without recent fixes.
Yes. Lifetime is $450 as a one-time payment and includes everything in Premium. AnkiHub labels it an early access rate, so it may change.
Not right now. AnkiHub paused its scholarship program in August 2026 and is not accepting new applications. Pending applications stay on file.
For a student using the AnKing Step Deck daily for USMLE prep, Core at $6 per month is usually worth it for the updates alone. Premium is worth it mainly if you already pay for Boards and Beyond or First Aid Forward. If you are not using a large maintained deck, you probably do not need it.
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