Best Manga Tracker in 2026 — The Complete Comparison
Updated March 27, 2026 · 10 min read
If you read manga, manhwa, or manhua, a good tracker is essential. It keeps your reading list organized, tells you when new chapters drop, and saves you from re-reading chapter 47 for the third time. But with so many options available in 2026, which tracker is actually the best?
We compared the five most popular manga tracking platforms — MangaTrack, MyAnimeList (MAL), AniList, Kenmei, and MangaUpdates — across features that actually matter to manga readers. No fluff, just facts.
What Makes a Great Manga Tracker?
Before diving into the comparison, here are the criteria that actually matter to manga readers:
- Manga database coverage — How many manga, manhwa, and manhua titles are in the catalog?
- Chapter-level tracking — Can you track exactly which chapter you're on, not just “reading” vs “completed”?
- Reading links — Can the tracker link you directly to where you can read the next chapter?
- Import/export — Can you bring your existing library from another platform?
- Update notifications — Does it alert you when new chapters are released?
- Motivation & gamification — Anything that keeps you engaged (XP, achievements, leaderboards)?
- Pricing — Free? Freemium? Subscription-only?
- Design focus — Is it built for manga readers, or is manga an afterthought?
The Trackers, Reviewed
1. MyAnimeList (MAL)
Founded: 2004 · Owned by: A Media Do International subsidiary (acquired from DeNA in 2022) · Users: ~18 million registered accounts
MAL is the grandfather of anime/manga tracking. It has the largest community and one of the biggest manga databases — over 70,000 manga entries. You can track reading status (reading, completed, on hold, dropped, plan to read) and log chapter progress. It supports manga, manhwa, manhua, light novels, and one-shots.
Pros:
- Massive community and database (70,000+ manga entries)
- Completely free for all tracking features
- Well-established — many import tools support MAL XML format
- Advanced search with 40+ genre filters and magazine-specific browsing
- Public profiles with statistics
Cons:
- Anime-first design — manga features are secondary in the navigation and UI
- No reading links — you track a series but still have to find where to read it yourself
- No gamification (no XP, no achievements, no leaderboards)
- The manga list UI received a refresh in 2019 but still feels dated compared to modern alternatives
- No real-time chapter update notifications (relies on community edits for chapter counts)
- API is functional but limited compared to AniList's GraphQL
2. AniList
Founded: 2014 · Users: ~4 million · Pricing: Free (donations accepted)
AniList is the modern alternative that many users switched to after MAL's 2018 API outage. It has a clean, modern interface, extensive customization (custom scoring systems, color themes, title format preferences), and a powerful GraphQL API that third-party apps love. The manga tracking is solid with chapter-level progress, custom list categories, and detailed stats.
Pros:
- Modern, clean UI with dark mode and full customization
- Customizable scoring system (10-point, 100-point, 5-star, smiley faces, or 10-point decimal)
- Great stats page showing reading habits, genres, formats
- Activity feed with social features (likes, replies)
- Powerful GraphQL API — many third-party clients (Mihon, Tachiyomi successors)
- Cross-platform with native mobile apps (iOS, Android, macOS, Windows)
- Completely free
Cons:
- Still anime-first in design — anime content gets more prominence
- No reading links — same problem as MAL, no way to jump to the next chapter
- No gamification or competition features
- Smaller database than MAL for obscure/older titles
- New chapter notifications depend on community data entry
3. Kenmei
Founded: ~2019 · Pricing: Freemium (limited free tier, paid plans for full features) · Focus: Cross-site manga tracking
Kenmei was one of the first manga-focused trackers that tracked reading progress across multiple scanlation sites. It could detect when you visited a chapter on supported sites and auto-update your progress. The core appeal was the cross-site tracking integration — something neither MAL nor AniList offered.
Pros:
- Manga-first design — no anime clutter
- Cross-site tracking across scanlation sites via browser extension
- Auto-detection of reading progress
- Import from multiple platforms
Cons:
- Limited free tier — core tracking features require a paid subscription
- Smaller database compared to MAL and AniList
- No public profiles or social features
- No gamification (no XP, achievements, or competition)
- Reliance on scanlation sites creates DMCA and availability concerns
- Development appears to have slowed significantly
4. MangaUpdates (Baka-Updates)
Founded: 2004 · Pricing: Free · Focus: Manga database and scanlation tracking
MangaUpdates is a comprehensive manga database and release tracker. It's especially strong for tracking scanlation releases and has detailed information about publishers, scanlation groups, and release schedules. It's more of a database than a personal tracker, though it does support reading lists.
Pros:
- Extremely detailed manga database with scanlation group info
- Release tracking for scanlation chapters
- Active community forums
- Completely free
- RSS feeds for series updates
Cons:
- Dated interface — hasn't been modernized
- Functions more as a database than a personal reading tracker
- No reading links, no chapter progress sync
- No mobile app
- No gamification, social feed, or modern UX
5. MangaTrack
Founded: 2026 · Pricing: Free forever (optional Pro upgrade) · Focus: Manga-first tracking with gamification and reading links
MangaTrack is the newest entrant and the only tracker built exclusively for manga, manhwa, and manhua from the ground up — no anime section at all. It combines tracking with community-powered reading links, XP and leveling, seasonal competitive leaderboards, achievements, and public reading profiles. Data is sourced from MangaDex and AniList APIs, giving it broad coverage from day one.
Pros:
- Manga-only design — zero anime clutter, everything is built for reading
- One-click reading links — community-submitted, voted, and moderated. Official sources (VIZ, MangaPlus, MangaDex) prioritized
- XP, leveling, and achievements for every chapter logged
- Seasonal competitive leaderboards
- Import from MAL (XML), AniList (JSON), MangaDex, Kenmei, or any CSV
- Real-time chapter sync via MangaDex API
- Public reading profiles with stats, badges, and activity feed
- Free forever — Pro is optional and adds instant sync and data export
Cons:
- New platform — community is still growing
- No mobile app yet (responsive web, mobile apps planned)
- Database size depends on MangaDex/AniList sources — some very niche titles may not be available at launch
Side-by-Side Feature Comparison
| Feature | MangaTrack | MAL | AniList | Kenmei | MangaUpdates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manga-first design | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| One-click reading links | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Community-voted chapter sources | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| XP & leveling system | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Seasonal leaderboards | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Achievements & badges | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Chapter-level tracking | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Manhwa & manhua support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Public reading profile | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Activity/social feed | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅* |
| Custom scoring system | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Import from MAL/AniList | ✅ | — | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Real-time chapter sync | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Free core features | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | Limited | ✅ |
| Modern UI | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Mobile app | Planned | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Open API | Planned | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
*MangaUpdates has community forums, not a social activity feed.
Which Tracker Should You Use?
You watch anime AND read manga casually
Use MAL or AniList. They handle both well, have massive communities, and are completely free. AniList has the better UI; MAL has the bigger database.
You primarily read manga and want a clean, focused tracker
Use MangaTrack. It's the only tracker built exclusively for manga/manhwa/manhua with reading links, gamification, and zero anime clutter. See our detailed MAL comparison.
You want to know where to read the next chapter
Use MangaTrack. It's the only tracker with built-in community reading links that take you directly to the chapter on VIZ, MangaPlus, MangaDex, and more.
You track scanlation releases and want database depth
Use MangaUpdates. It's unmatched for scanlation group tracking, release schedules, and deep metadata — though it's more of a database than a personal tracker.
What About Mihon (Tachiyomi)?
Mihon (the successor to Tachiyomi, which was discontinued in January 2024 after legal pressure from Kakao Entertainment) is a manga reader, not a tracker. It's an open-source Android app that lets you read manga from multiple sources. Mihon supports syncing your progress to MAL, AniList, and Kitsu — so you can use Mihon for reading and MangaTrack, MAL, or AniList for tracking.
If you want a breakdown of the differences between manga, manhwa, and manhua (which all these trackers support), check out our guide: Manga vs Manhwa vs Manhua — What's the Difference?
The Verdict
There's no single “best” tracker for everyone — it depends on what you read and what you care about. But if you're a dedicated manga reader who wants a modern, manga-first experience with reading links, competition, and gamification, MangaTrack is the strongest choice in 2026.
Already using MAL or AniList? You don't have to give them up. MangaTrack supports importing your entire library, so you can try it without losing anything. Learn how to organize your imported library.
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