Learning a word has three different stages: you recognize it, you can recall the translation, and you can actually say it yourself. Most tools only train the first two.
Anki is great for spaced repetition. If you want to keep translations in memory for a long time, it works really well. The problem: you mostly train recalling a translation from a card. And making decks by hand takes a lot of time.
Quizlet has lots of ready sets and games. It is convenient for teachers to share with students. But it is still mostly recognition, and teachers say the free plan got more limited recently.
How to actually get words into your speech? A word only sticks when you make your own sentence and say it out loud. You can do this completely for free: take 5 words you recognize, and say 5 sentences about your day using them. It is simple, but we get lazy))
Wispy tries to make this routine easier. You sort the Oxford 5000 list with swipes (don't know / recognize / speak), check words that go together, and answer prompts with your own sentences (checked by AI). Then you have a voice or chat conversation built around those words. A word only counts when you say it yourself. Downsides: iPhone only, meant for B1 and higher, conversations need a subscription (one free trial talk and a few daily checks).
Bottom line: use Anki or Quizlet to remember words, but make your own sentences out loud if you want to speak them.
What actually helped you move words from your passive memory into real speech?
Disclosure: I'm building Wispy, so I'm biased about that one.