Hi there guys, so let me give my two cents on this. For context, I created Onigiri and some other small add-ons. Before reading, know that this is my personal opinion and not cardinal law.
To begin with, I’d like to draw a comparison: when we download PC games, we can choose between different platforms, such as Epic Games and Steam. Anki is also becoming a growing platform, largely thanks to add-ons, which give users much more flexibility over the app. Given this, keeping everything limited to AnkiWeb simply because it is the only official option feels, at this stage, more like a fear to embrace growth than a constructive stance. Opening space for additional, well‑run platforms would, in my view, better reflect how important add-ons have become to the ecosystem.
Anki add-ons have been growing at a very fast pace, in a way that AnkiWeb can’t really keep up with. We now have a new generation of add-ons that deserves more visibility, while others would benefit from better moderation or even being taken down. Unfortunately, AnkiWeb wasn’t originally designed for this current scale: it is still essentially a long list of add-ons that are often not maintained, sometimes low-effort copies of other projects, and occasionally even scams. On top of that, it doesn’t provide a good way to distinguish which reviews are actually useful and trustworthy, which makes it quite discouraging for developers to receive negative feedback that is not constructive or productive.
As an example, we’ve been having a lot of scam or fake Amboss add-ons (like this and this) mixed with “not free” add-ons, random add-ons like this and this (even if the Pointless Add-on is funny for the comments), obsolete add-ons, all grouped together in a single list, with very limited maintenance or filtering, which makes it much harder for users to discover and truly value the relatively few add-ons that are safe, free, actively maintained, and currently working.
When it comes to Anki being a non-profit and the relationship with users. First things first, we currently only have the “opposition” of users against paid add-ons because they are being published on AnkiWeb, which is part of the official Anki, that is known to be free for all, so promoting it there only enrages people when they see something there isn’t free, growing a generalized oposition against paid add-ons and decks for Anki. Even AnKing suffers from this, even doing very good quality products, being “forced” by the rigid system to have add-ons published like this.
An alternative website that could display both free and paid add-ons, similar to the Play Store or App Store, with proper comment moderation and better tools for developers to present their work, would open up a valuable new space: users would enter that environment already expecting to find both free and paid options. Since some add-on creators are already using Patreon or their own platforms to sell add-ons, wouldn’t it make more sense to have another “add-on store” that brings these paid projects together in a single place, where add-ons gaining traction can be highlighted in a smarter, more intentional way?
So, here are my two takes, quick TL;DR:
- I believe we should allow the creation of one or even two alternate add-on stores, allowing users to choose where they want to search for their add-ons just like we have the right to choose where to download games on pc or phone, letting users be well-aware that there are risks.
- I also do believe that the AnkiWeb store should be “reformed”, to either improve and embrace add-ons that currently are spread through Patreons and signature websites, or to be the official platform for 100% free add-ons, since AnkiWeb is FOSS.
Those are two separate issues that, in my view, should be discussed independently. That said, blocking the creation of a new store solely on the basis that everything should remain on the official AnkiWeb platform doesn’t feel right to me. If someone is willing to create and maintain a new website, support and highlight high‑quality add-ons, handle moderation, and cover the associated costs, that seems like a net positive for the community.
From the user’s perspective, the risk of downloading an add-on from AnkiWeb or from a third-party source is essentially the same — just like with Patreon add-ons. In all cases, users need to remain aware of what they choose to install.
Once again, these are just my two cents. I personally plan to create paid add-ons and decks in the future because, even though this is volunteer work, I’d like to take the quality of what I build to a higher level and offer freemium/premium options. I don’t see myself using AnkiWeb to publish those paid products, out of respect for people who rely on Anki as a completely free tool. For that reason, a reform of AnkiWeb and/or the creation of a new, officially recognized platform dedicated to this kind of ecosystem sounds very positive to me.