Best Anime Tracking Apps in 2026: 5 Compared & Ranked
The best anime trackers in 2026, compared for how you actually watch: MyAnimeList, AniList, Anime-Planet, and Achriom, with free picks and an honest verdict on which fits you.
The best anime tracker depends on what you want from it. MyAnimeList (MAL) is best for sheer scale: the largest community, the deepest catalog, the default most viewers land on. Note that MAL was acquired by Gaudiy Inc., a Web3 and AI company, in May 2025. AniList is best for a modern interface, a proper API, and customizable list display. Achriom is best if you want anime tracked alongside live-action films, books, music, and TV, with an AI librarian that can recommend anime based on the novel you just finished.
If you want the biggest community and the manga side too, use MAL. If you want a clean UI and API access, use AniList. If you want anime understood in context with the rest of your taste, use Achriom.
Last reviewed: July 3, 2026.
How we picked: every app here is judged on the same six things: formats covered, platforms, whether you can export your data, AI features, privacy, and price. See the full media tracker comparison for all 17 trackers side by side.
Quick verdict:
- Best for scale and community: MyAnimeList
- Best modern UI and API: AniList
- Best for anime alongside your films, books, and music: Achriom
Track more than anime? Achriom keeps your anime next to your films, books, TV, and music in one library, with an AI librarian that connects them. Import your MyAnimeList export in one step. Free to start, no card.
Start free →What a serious anime tracker needs to do
Anime viewers have specific needs that generic TV trackers miss:
- Series, films, OVAs, and specials all first-class, not afterthoughts
- Episode-level progress with season/cour awareness
- Score calibration, because anime scoring is its own art form
- Seasonal releases: this season, next season, and your watchlist
- Connection to manga (for some viewers)
- Finding the next thing with recommendations that understand genre conventions
MAL covers most of these. AniList covers them with better UI. Achriom adds cross-media reasoning that no anime-only app provides.
MyAnimeList (MAL)
Best for: Scale, community, manga parity
MAL has been running since 2004 and remains the default for anime tracking. Millions of users, a score distribution everyone references, and deep integration with seasonal release tracking. Free (ad-supported).
What it does well:
- Largest anime and manga catalog
- Seasonal charts, airing schedules, recommendation threads
- Scores that have become cultural shorthand
- Forums that are actually active
The limitation: The UI has not been meaningfully redesigned in a decade. Ads are aggressive in the free tier. MAL was acquired by Gaudiy Inc., a Web3 and AI company, in May 2025. No blockchain features have appeared yet, but it is a forward-looking ownership concern. Russia permanently blocked the site in October 2025.
AniList
Best for: Modern UI, API access, customizable list views
AniList is the most modern of the big three. Clean design, a real API that third-party clients use, customizable statuses and displays. Free.
What it does well:
- UI that doesn’t fight you
- Proper API so third-party apps and agents can read your list
- Custom statuses beyond watched/watching
- Active development
The limitation: Catalog is slightly smaller than MAL. Community is smaller but generally nicer. If you’re weighing your options, see our full guide to AniList and MyAnimeList alternatives.
Kitsu
Status: Effectively inactive as of 2026
Kitsu’s Android app was removed from Google Play in April 2024. iOS availability is unclear. Web development has stalled (last meaningful update: early 2025) and the Stripe payment integration was removed from the codebase, suggesting the paid tier is no longer active. It still functions as a web tracker but is not being maintained.
The honest read: Do not start on Kitsu. If you are already there and it works for you, plan a migration to AniList. See MyAnimeList vs AniList vs Kitsu for the full breakdown.
Anime-Planet
Best for: Discovery-first browsing, tags, and recommendation threads
Anime-Planet has been running since 2001 and focuses more on discovery than logging. It has a detailed tag system and a “recommendations” engine built on user-submitted pairings: “If you liked X, watch Y.” The database is comprehensive across mainstream and obscure titles. Fully free.
What it does well:
- Recommendation engine built on direct user pairings (“fans of X also loved Y”)
- Detailed tagging beyond genre (mood, setting, themes)
- Seasonal charts and a watchlist that syncs across the site
- Large catalog with solid coverage of older and less mainstream titles
The limitation: Interface is dated and the community is smaller than MAL or AniList. Tracking features are thinner than the pure-tracker options. It’s a discovery tool first and a list tool second.
Achriom
Best for: Anime alongside your films, books, TV, and music, with an AI librarian
Achriom tracks anime in a single library with your live-action films, novels, albums, and TV shows. The librarian can answer “what should I watch if I loved Mushishi and The Remains of the Day” because it actually sees both sides of your taste. Free with unlimited items and 10 AI messages a month; Pro $9.99/month for 200. See the anime tracker page for the scoped pitch.
What it does differently:
- Cross-media recommendations connecting anime to live-action and books
- Conversational discovery in natural language
- Private by default, with no public profile and no score-culture pressure
- Series, films, and OVAs all first-class
The status model is the one MAL users expect: Plan, Watching, Done, On Hold, and Dropped, with an episodes-watched counter and per-series progress. The cross-media library does not cost you the anime-specific tracking you rely on.
The limitation: No MAL import or manga support. AniList import is supported (enter your username). Smaller anime-specific community than MAL or AniList.
Want all of it in one place? Achriom tracks your anime alongside your books, films, music, and shows, with an AI librarian that connects them. That is the part no anime-only tracker can do.
Try Achriom free →Quick comparison
| App | Scope | Community | AI | Manga | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyAnimeList | Anime + manga | Massive | No | Yes | Free (ads) |
| AniList | Anime + manga | Active | No | Yes | Free |
| Kitsu | Anime + manga | Inactive | No | Yes | Stalled (see note) |
| Anime-Planet | Anime | Discovery | No | No | Free |
| Achriom | Anime, films, books, TV, albums | Private | AI librarian | No | Free / $9.99 mo |
Which should you use?
Use MyAnimeList if: You want the biggest catalog, the most active forums, and manga parity. You’re comfortable with a dated UI.
Use AniList if: You want a modern UI and API access. You don’t need MAL’s scale.
Do not start on Kitsu. Apps are gone and development has stalled. Existing users should plan a migration to AniList.
Use Anime-Planet if: You want discovery-first browsing with user-curated recommendations and don’t need a full tracking dashboard.
Use Achriom if: Anime is part of a broader taste you want understood together. You read, watch live-action, and listen to albums, and you want an AI librarian that sees all of it.
The honest answer
- Scale and community: MyAnimeList
- Modern UI and API: AniList
- Discovery-first browsing: Anime-Planet
- Cross-media context: Achriom
MAL or AniList plus Achriom is a common combination. MAL handles anime-specific community; Achriom handles the big-picture taste.
More on tracking anime: If you are leaving MyAnimeList, read the best MyAnimeList alternatives. For the three-way breakdown, see MyAnimeList vs AniList vs Kitsu. And if anime is only part of a wider taste, Achriom keeps it beside your films, books, and music in one library, which no anime-only tracker does. See the best all-in-one media trackers for that whole category.
Related guides:
- AniList vs MyAnimeList: Which Anime Tracker Fits How You Watch?
- AniList vs Kitsu: Which Anime Tracker Should You Use?
Common questions
What is the best anime tracking app?
MyAnimeList for scale and community. AniList for modern UI and API. Anime-Planet for discovery. Achriom for cross-media tracking with an AI librarian. Kitsu is effectively inactive as of 2026.
Is there an anime tracker with AI?
Achriom is the anime tracker with a built-in AI librarian. Ask for anime similar to a favorite film or novel, and it reasons across your full media library to answer.
What is the best MyAnimeList alternative?
AniList is the direct modern alternative with better UI and a real API. Achriom is a cross-media alternative that tracks anime alongside films, books, TV, and music.
Can I import my AniList or MyAnimeList list into Achriom?
AniList import is supported: open the sidebar, tap Import, select AniList, and enter your username. MAL import is not yet available; for now, add titles via search or ask the librarian to add a list in natural language.
Does Achriom track anime films and OVAs?
Yes. Series, films, OVAs, and specials are all first-class. The librarian understands the distinction when reasoning about your watch history.
Does Achriom support manga?
No. Achriom tracks anime, films, books (including graphic novels), TV, and albums. Manga-specific tracking is handled better by MAL and AniList.