A content pipeline versus a review engine
LingQ combines a reading-and-listening library, an import workflow, and a review system. Its built-in content includes Mini Stories, graded courses, news feeds, and books, and it can import texts, ebooks, and other content. The review system lives within that content environment.
Anki is the inverse proposition: a pure SRS tool without a built-in content library. Its value is the review engine, deck ecosystem, and control over how material is organized and reviewed. The user has to supply or choose the material separately.
What the review choice means
If the reading pipeline itself is the barrier, LingQ reduces the number of steps between finding content and working through it. If the goal is only a configurable review engine, Anki keeps the focus on cards and scheduling rather than a broader content platform.
These approaches can coexist, but their integration should not be assumed. LingQ is designed as a closed loop; Anki users typically keep the two separate unless a particular export or integration is expressly verified.
Cost is paying for different things
Anki is free. LingQ has a free tier with a hard cap of 20 saved LingQs total and 5 imported lessons; Premium starts at $8.99 per month on the 24-month plan, $10 per month billed annually, or $14.99 month to month. That subscription pays for LingQ's content library and import engine as well as its review workflow, not merely for flashcards.
Who should choose which
Choose LingQ when reading and listening are the center of the routine and a content library plus import pipeline is useful. Choose Anki when the existing material is already in hand and the priority is a pure SRS workflow with direct deck control.
The better choice is the one that removes the actual bottleneck. Buying a platform does not solve a card-review problem, and configuring a pure SRS tool does not create a reading pipeline.