AniList vs MyAnimeList in 2026: Which Should You Use?
MyAnimeList was sold to Gaudiy in May 2025 and AniList's mobile apps are all third-party. A plain verdict, a fact table checked November 2026, and how to keep both lists.
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The choice comes down to ownership and apps: MyAnimeList was sold to Gaudiy in May 2025 and has its own official app, while AniList wasn’t part of that sale and its mobile apps are all third-party. If anime is one of several things you keep, you don’t have to choose: Achriom imports either list and re-syncs AniList every day, beside your movies, books and albums.
Gaudiy Inc. became MyAnimeList’s sole owner on May 7, 2025, according to Wikipedia’s timeline, and MyAnimeList’s own announcement says it is too early to say what will change. AniList’s scores come in five formats and its API is public; on a phone you use a client built by someone else.
Keep the one you use, and see what it says about you. AniList comes over by username and re-syncs every day. MyAnimeList comes over from the list file MAL lets you export. Ten titles is all your Taste Portrait needs, so it's made in the same sitting. Free, no item limit.
Connect my AniList → Bring my MAL list →Last verified: November 8, 2026 (AniList’s privacy policy and terms, MyAnimeList’s membership page, AniList’s public API schema and the AniHyou README).
The verdict in one table
| MyAnimeList | AniList | |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Gaudiy Inc., since May 7, 2025 | Not part of the Gaudiy sale |
| Mobile app | Official: MyAnimeList Official, App Store and Google Play | Third-party clients such as AniHyou, which calls itself unofficial |
| Price | Free; Supporter $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year | Free |
| Scores | Out of 10 | Five score formats (100-point, 10-point, 10-point decimal, 5-star, 3-smiley); the title average is weighted |
| Imports into Achriom | Yes, from MAL’s export file | Yes, by username, re-synced daily |
Sources are MyAnimeList’s announcement, about page and membership page, Wikipedia, AniList’s public GraphQL API schema (score formats and the weighted average), and the AniHyou README, which calls it “another unofficial Android AniList client” and links a separate iOS version.
Use both, or neither
You don’t have to pick. Achriom is a personal library for books, movies, shows, albums, anime, podcasts, games and manga, and its import dialog takes AniList (by username, re-synced daily), MyAnimeList and Kitsu. Keep logging on AniList if you like it there; your anime still shows up beside your movies, books and albums.
Watch status, an episode counter, priority and a star row on an anime title page, in the same library as your movies.
AniList and Kitsu by username, MyAnimeList by file, in the import window.
Coming from MyAnimeList? MAL gives you a file from its export page, and our guide shows where it is. Upload it and your list comes over. You can export it again any time as MAL or AniList XML.
Upload my MAL file →The limitation is that Achriom has no MAL-style forum boards and no seasonal airing charts. If weekly airing schedules or long forum threads are why you track anime, keep AniList or MyAnimeList for that.
At ten items Achriom builds a Taste Portrait, an archetype and the themes behind it, and with anime on the shelf next to books and movies the pattern can run across all of them.
What changed in 2025 and 2026
MyAnimeList was sold. According to Wikipedia, Gaudiy bought MEDIA DO’s stake in MyAnimeList in April 2025 and became the sole owner on May 7, 2025, when the remaining shareholders transferred their shares.
MyAnimeList’s announcement acknowledged the community’s concerns about NFTs, blockchain and AI. It said Gaudiy exploring AI and blockchain through its own product doesn’t mean they will reach MyAnimeList, and that development had slowed over the past year, with a renewed focus on unfinished features promised. It also said it was too early to say what would be tackled first. We found no blockchain or NFT feature on MyAnimeList as of this check.
Russia blocked MyAnimeList. According to Wikipedia, the site has been permanently blocked in Russia since October 2025, over what it describes as “extremist” LGBTQ+ content.
AniList’s mobile apps are third-party. We found no official AniList app. AniHyou (Android, with a separate iOS version) describes itself as unofficial, and the App Store listings for Silvianna and MyAniList say they aren’t affiliated with AniList.
MyAnimeList
It’s best for an official app, and a long-running site with a paid Supporter plan.
MyAnimeList launched on November 5, 2004. It has an official app, MyAnimeList Official, and a Supporter plan at $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year that covers cosmetic and quality-of-life extras such as custom profile styling, 20 favorites per category instead of 10, a badge, and no display ads (Crunchyroll and HIDIVE video ads stay).
The limitations are the Gaudiy ownership and the Russia block. The Supporter plan changes how your profile looks, not what you can track.
AniList
It’s best for scoring that bends to how you rate, and developers.
AniList lets you score in five formats: 100-point, 10-point, 10-point decimal, 5-star or three smileys. Its public GraphQL API is documented, and its schema describes the per-title averageScore as a weighted average of members’ scores.
The limitation is that we found no official app. On a phone you pick a third-party client such as AniHyou and rely on its developer.
Is AniList safe to use?
AniList’s privacy policy is the source for everything below, and it covers what the site collects and keeps. It doesn’t describe how well the servers are secured, and we haven’t tested that. The policy was last updated April 9, 2026.
| Question | What the policy says |
|---|---|
| Who runs it | AniList LLC, of Wilmington, Delaware. The listed contact for privacy is privacy@anilist.co |
| What an account stores | Email address, username, a hashed password, cookies that keep you logged in, your IP address, and avatar and banner images |
| Who can see it | The policy says email, IP address and password aren’t shared publicly. Your username, avatar and banner are what identify you on the site |
| What the email and IP are for | Email handles account confirmation and password resets. IP address is used for spam prevention and login sessions |
| Passwords | Encrypted and hashed, and never stored permanently in plain form |
| Text you type yourself | Anything in free-form fields such as a bio or comment is stored and shown where you put it. The policy advises against sharing personal details that way |
| Ads and outside services | Google Ads conversion tracking and Venatus for advertising, Cloudflare for traffic and spam protection, PayPal and Patreon for payments and supporter access, Mailgun for email, Backblaze B2 for backups |
| How long it keeps data | Until you ask for your data or account to be deleted. After a deletion, personal data is removed or anonymized within 30 days |
| Age | Not directed to children under 13 |
Sources are AniList’s terms page, which embeds the full privacy policy. Linking an AniList list to Achriom by username is a separate step. Achriom reads the public list, and your list has to be public for it to work.
The scores aren’t interchangeable
MyAnimeList scores are out of 10. AniList’s default per-title average is a weighted score out of 100 (members can choose another format for their own scores). A 78 on AniList and a 7.8 on MyAnimeList are different measurements, so don’t convert one into the other when you compare a show across sites.
Which should you use?
Use AniList if you’re starting fresh and want scoring that fits how you rate and a tracker outside the Gaudiy sale.
Use MyAnimeList if you already have years of history there, or if you want an official app and its forums.
Use both if you want AniList’s list and MyAnimeList’s reference pages. Logging in two places is the cost.
Use Achriom if anime is one part of a larger reading, watching and listening life, since it imports either list, keeps AniList in sync, and puts your anime with the rest.
The honest answer
If your anime is only one part of what you keep, skip the choice: Achriom takes either list, keeps your AniList in sync and exports your anime back out as MAL or AniList XML, so your history sits beside your movies, books and albums and goes nowhere you can’t leave. If anime is all you track, pick AniList if you want to stay clear of the Gaudiy question, or stay on MyAnimeList if your history and its official app are why you’re there; its own announcement says it is too early to know what Gaudiy’s ownership will change, and we found no blockchain or NFT feature there.
For how Kitsu compares, see AniList vs Kitsu. For the full anime tracker field, see Best Anime Tracking Apps. If you’re leaving MyAnimeList, Best MyAnimeList Alternatives and Best AniList Alternatives cover the options, and How to Export Your MyAnimeList Data walks through the file. Going the other way, How to Export Your AniList Data shows how to get your list out. The Achriom anime tracker page has the import details.
Common questions
Which is better, AniList or MyAnimeList, in 2026?
It depends on who you are. If you want an official app and a long history, MyAnimeList, founded in 2004, has both, though it was sold to Gaudiy in May 2025. If you want to score in five formats and stay outside that sale, AniList fits, though we found only third-party mobile apps for it. If anime is one of several things you keep, Achriom imports either list and re-syncs AniList every day.
Is AniList safe to use?
AniList’s privacy policy, last updated April 9, 2026, names AniList LLC as the owner. It says it stores your email, username, hashed password, cookies, IP address and avatar and banner images, and that email, IP address and password aren’t shared publicly. Data is kept until you ask for deletion, and after account deletion personal data is removed or anonymized within 30 days. The policy doesn’t say how well the servers are secured, and we haven’t tested that.
Should I leave MyAnimeList because of the Gaudiy acquisition?
You don’t have to. Gaudiy became MyAnimeList’s sole owner on May 7, 2025, and MyAnimeList’s own announcement says it is too early to say what will change. If the ownership bothers you, move your list; Achriom imports MyAnimeList and exports your anime as MAL or AniList XML, so nothing is trapped.
Does AniList have a mobile app?
We found no official AniList app. Third-party clients exist, including AniHyou, which describes itself as an unofficial AniList client for Android and has a separate iOS version.
Which has the better mobile app, AniList or MyAnimeList?
MyAnimeList has an official app, MyAnimeList Official, linked from its site on the App Store and Google Play. We found no official AniList app, so mobile use means a third-party client such as AniHyou.
Are AniList and MyAnimeList scores comparable?
Not directly. MyAnimeList scores are out of 10, while AniList’s default per-title average is a weighted score out of 100, so a 78 on AniList and a 7.8 on MyAnimeList come from different scales.
Can I move my MyAnimeList list to another tracker?
Yes. Achriom imports MyAnimeList, AniList and Kitsu lists from its import dialog, and you can export your anime again as MAL or AniList XML.
Is there an anime tracker that also tracks books and movies?
Yes. Achriom keeps anime, movies, shows, books, albums, games and podcasts in one library, keeps your AniList in sync, and at ten items makes a Taste Portrait that names the pattern across them.
Can I keep using AniList and still use Achriom?
Yes. Connect AniList by username and Achriom re-syncs your list every day, so you keep logging where you like.
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