Best Apps to Study With Friends: An Honest Comparison

The best apps to study with friends do one of three jobs: they put you on video together while you work, they keep everyone off their phones at the same time, or they help you quiz each other on the material. Few apps do all three well, so the right pick depends on what goes wrong when you study alone.

A note before the list: we make StudyDuo, and it's on this list. We've tried to describe every app, ours included, as it is: what it does well and where it falls short. Features and prices change, so check each app's own page before you decide.

Quick comparison

Apps to study with friends on video

Being on camera together is the closest thing to sitting at the same library table. You see each other start, and it's awkward to scroll your phone while someone's watching.

StudyDuo

StudyDuo is built around live video rooms, in the browser and on iPhone and Android. Focus Room is open 24/7: people study on camera with their task under their name, cameras on and mics off. Once a day, Study Hour brings everyone in at the same time. For one person at a time there are 1:1 sessions, which have sound, so you can check in. To study with friends, agree on a time and walk into Focus Room together.

• Good at: starting at any hour with real people around you, and building a habit with streaks and Study Hour.
• Falls short: it's made for working side by side, not for teaching each other: there's no screen sharing or whiteboard, and mics stay off in the big rooms. The free plan has an hour of video a day; new accounts get 14 days of Premium.

StudyStream

StudyStream is one of the best-known virtual study communities. It runs a large camera-on study room, with a Pomodoro timer, task tracking and a way to find study partners by country, subject and interests. It works on the web and has an iPhone app.

• Good at: a busy room and a large community.
• Falls short: the main rooms are public, so you'll be studying with strangers as well as your friends.

Discord

Make a server for your group, open a voice channel and turn on your cameras, or share a screen to work through a problem together. Add a timer bot if you want Pomodoro breaks. Large public study servers, such as Study Together, have people studying on camera at all hours.

• Good at: groups who already use it, screen sharing, and the price: it's free.
• Falls short: there's no structure unless you build it, and the chats and notifications that make Discord fun also pull you away from work.

Google Meet, Zoom or FaceTime

The simplest option is a plain video call with people you know. It's fine for a one-off revision session.

• Good at: no new app, no new account.
• Falls short: these apps weren't made for studying: no timer, no tasks. Free Zoom and Google Meet plans cut long group calls short, and it's easy for a call with friends to turn into a chat.

One-on-one sessions

Focusmate

Focusmate pairs you with another person for a booked video session of 25, 50 or 75 minutes. You each say what you'll work on at the start and how it went at the end. You can save people you liked working with to your favorites. It's free for up to three sessions a week, with a paid plan for more.

• Good at: deep work with a fixed start time and built-in accountability.
• Falls short: it's built around booking, usually with someone new each time; it feels more like a work meeting than studying with friends.

On StudyDuo, a 1:1 session works in a similar way: post a time for 30 to 120 minutes, now or later, or join someone who's already waiting.

Focus timers you run together

Not all apps to study with friends need a camera. Some just make sure everyone stays off their phone at the same time.

Forest

Forest grows a virtual tree while you stay off your phone. With its Plant Together mode, friends start a focus session at the same time, and if anyone leaves the app, the session fails for the whole group.

• Good at: friends in different places who mainly need to put their phones down.
• Falls short: no video, so nobody sees whether you're actually working; the price depends on the platform.

YPT (Yeolpumta)

YPT is a study timer from South Korea with study groups: members see each other's study time and who's studying right now.

• Good at: a group that's motivated by a bit of friendly competition.
• Falls short: no video, and comparing hours can turn into pressure, or into leaving the timer running.

Apps for quizzing each other and sharing notes

Quizlet

Make flashcard sets and share them with friends or your class, then quiz each other before the exam. The basics are free; some study modes need a paid plan.

Notion and Google Docs

Split the reading, write shared notes, and keep one study guide everyone can edit. Both have free plans.

These don't replace working together; they make the time you spend together count.

How to choose

• Your problem is starting: a live video room, where you see other people already working.
• Your problem is your phone: a shared focus timer like Forest.
• You need one fixed, focused session: a 1:1, on Focusmate or on StudyDuo.
• You're studying the same course: Discord or a call for explaining things, Quizlet for testing each other.
• Your friends are busy: a room of strangers works better than you'd think.

Most people end up using two apps to study with friends: one for working at the same time, and one for the material itself. If you'd rather work with one person on a regular schedule, read How to Find a Study Partner Who Actually Shows Up.