You can sell an Anki deck you created, provided you have the necessary rights to its content. The practical offer is an original learning resource with a clear scope, an importable deck, a sample and honest compatibility information. A payment page does not add copy protection or guarantee learning results.
The official Anki FAQ permits selling your own cards and explains that Anki has no DRM to prevent deck sharing. That does not grant rights to textbook illustrations, commercial course material or someone else's shared deck.
Here is a worked product example for an independent educational author. Every quantity, price and release choice below is hypothetical; this is not a deck we tested, sold or measured.
Define the example product before counting cards
Imagine an author preparing an introductory French vocabulary deck for English-speaking adults. The author writes 80 original vocabulary notes, each with one expression, an English meaning and a self-written example sentence.
For this example, each note generates two cards: French to English and English to French. Therefore:
There are 80 vocabulary entries, not 160 different words. The product description should state both counts so a buyer understands what repeats. If your note types generate different numbers of cards, count the actual output rather than apply this formula blindly.
Our example contains no recordings or illustrations. Adding pronunciation audio later would require rights, a delivery-size check and a revised description. Do not call a text-only deck “complete audio practice.”
Make the sample a subset, not extra inventory
Choose eight of the 80 notes for a free preview. With the same two directions, the sample contains 16 cards. The paid deck still contains 80 notes and 160 cards, including those eight notes.
| Release item | Notes | Generated cards | What the buyer should know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free sample | 8 | 16 | Subset of the paid deck |
| Full paid deck | 80 | 160 | Includes the sample vocabulary |
| Unique vocabulary entries | 80 | Not a separate deck | Two directions reuse each entry |
A preview should expose the teaching style, example quality and card layout. It should not imply a standardized proficiency level or exam endorsement you have not established. Have a qualified language reviewer check your material before selling it; this example is a product plan, not a language-validation result.
Decide what goes in the release package
The author plans one ZIP containing the deck package, a README and a license. This release manifest is an original planning asset you can adapt:
| File | Purpose | Release decision |
|---|---|---|
| french-starter-v1.apkg | The paid deck | Export only the intended deck |
| README.pdf | Installation and product scope | State tested app/version details after testing |
| LICENSE.txt | Buyer permission and redistribution limits | Include only permissions you can grant |
| CHANGELOG.txt | Dated changes | Describe actual released edits |
Download the editable release worksheet. It provides blank fields for your real counts, files, compatibility checks and support promise. It contains no study deck or claimed test result.
Anki's export manual distinguishes a deck package from a full collection backup. Use a deck export, include needed media and exclude your learning history when preparing material for other people. Avoid distributing a full collection backup, or a file named collection.apkg, as an ordinary product deck.
These are release decisions for the author to verify in Anki. PayRequest delivers the uploaded file; it does not build or validate the deck.
Treat updates as a product promise
Suppose version 1.1 corrects three example sentences without adding vocabulary. The count stays 80 notes and 160 cards. A changelog should describe those corrections rather than advertise an expanded deck.
Anki's package-import documentation explains how updates interact with existing notes and note-type changes. Do not promise that every future import will preserve every buyer customization. Keep a source copy, use a separate test profile and verify both a fresh import and the update path before making a compatibility claim.
Write down the tested application and version, date, expected counts and observed result. If you have not checked a mobile app, say that rather than describing the package as universally compatible. The example worksheet starts with unverified fields deliberately left blank.
Choose a support boundary too: correcting a broken export is different from tutoring, adding a curriculum or guaranteeing lifetime updates. A one-time file purchase does not automatically fund indefinite editorial work.
Calculate the example sale without calling it profit
Assume the author chooses a €12 one-time price, and the transaction qualifies as a standard payment on PayRequest Free.
The standard platform fee is €12 × 2% = €0.24, below the €25 per-transaction cap. That leaves €11.76 before payment-provider fees, applicable taxes, refunds, content review and production costs. It is not net profit.
Digital products remain available on Free. Active Premium (€5/month) and Business (€20/month) remove the standard platform fee, with provider fees and commission-payment exceptions separate. Check current plans for the actual payment route; choosing a plan at registration alone does not activate paid access.
The arithmetic does not forecast sales. A better first decision is whether the deck solves a learner's specific problem and whether your sample demonstrates its quality.
Offer the file through your own product page
For this example, the next step is selling a digital download through PayRequest. Create an account, finish setup and connect an eligible provider. Prepare a digital product and upload the supported ZIP containing your deck and instructions; do not assume the .apkg extension itself is accepted as a direct upload.
Describe the learning scope, note/card counts, sample overlap, files, required software, license and support window before the buyer pays. Review the actual download settings. File delivery is not an Anki account, a sync service or managed enrollment.
A specialist deck marketplace such as AnkiDecks offers another route to list a deck. A direct page means you must bring interested learners yourself. This article's worked example uses the direct-file route because its main job is defining and delivering the author's own release.
Use a release gate before promoting the link
Do not publish this hypothetical plan as if the checks already happened. For your real product, finish the content review, rights check, clean import and sample/full-deck count comparison. Open the actual downloaded ZIP and verify that it contains the intended release.
Only then record a pass in your worksheet and share the product link with the intended audience. Keep the source collection separate from the customer package and retain a dated release copy so you can investigate an import problem.
Editorial method: AI-assisted preparation; primary documentation reviewed on 9 November 2026. All product inputs and fee arithmetic are a labeled hypothetical example. No live payment, imported-deck test, student outcome or affiliation with Anki is claimed. The cover is illustrative.
