MyAnimeList Alternatives

MyAnimeList has been the default anime tracker for well over a decade, but it’s far from the only option. Here’s an honest, up-to-date look at the main alternatives, starting, shamelessly, with us. For each one we’ve broken down what it is, what it does well, where it falls short, and at the bottom we’ve put together a short recommendation list to help you pick.

The platforms

AniTrack Our pick

That’s us, the one you’re on right now.

A modern, fast anime tracker built on top of the AniList GraphQL API with a clean, distraction-free interface. Personal watchlists, progress tracking, seasonal schedules and shareable profiles, without the clutter.

The good

  • Snappy, modern UI with a proper dark theme
  • Seasonal calendar and weekly airing schedule baked in
  • Import from MyAnimeList and AniList so switching is painless
  • Free, no ads, and actively developed

The bad

  • Smaller community than the veteran sites
  • Social features are still growing

MyAnimeList (MAL)

The granddaddy of anime tracking.

Visit site →

The largest and longest-running anime database on the web, with a huge community, forums and reviews. If you’ve been in the hobby for a decade, you probably already have an account.

The good

  • Massive, near-exhaustive database
  • Huge user base, with reviews and discussions on almost every title
  • Industry-standard scoring most sites reference

The bad

  • UI feels dated and slow in places
  • Ad-heavy unless you pay for MAL Supporter
  • Moderation and data updates can be slow

AniList

The data-rich, developer-friendly pick.

Visit site →

A modern tracker with a powerful GraphQL API, rich statistics and good social features. Popular with people who want graphs, activity feeds and a more contemporary UI than MAL.

The good

  • Beautiful stats and activity pages
  • Excellent public GraphQL API (it powers us too)
  • Active, friendly community

The bad

  • Can feel overwhelming for brand-new users
  • Mobile experience lags behind the desktop one

Kitsu

Clean, social, and beginner-friendly.

Visit site →

A polished tracker with a focus on discovery and social features. Nice-looking out of the box and easy to get started with, especially if you’re coming from MAL and want something prettier.

The good

  • Friendly onboarding and clean visual design
  • Built-in discussions and social feed
  • Good mobile apps

The bad

  • Smaller catalogue than MAL or AniList
  • Metadata occasionally lags behind new releases

Anime-Planet

The recommendation engine.

Visit site →

One of the oldest anime sites, best known for its hand-curated recommendations and tag-based discovery. Great if you want to find your next show rather than just log the last one.

The good

  • Excellent recommendations and “if you liked X…” lists
  • Detailed tag system for mood-based browsing
  • Covers both anime and manga equally well

The bad

  • UI shows its age
  • Tracking features are less flexible than competitors

Shikimori

The power-user’s playground.

Visit site →

A feature-packed tracker originally from the Russian anime community, now widely used internationally. Deep filtering, clubs, reviews and a very active userbase.

The good

  • Extremely detailed filters and stats
  • Strong club/forum culture
  • Free and ad-light

The bad

  • Interface can feel dense if you’re not used to it
  • Some content still skews Russian-language

AniDB

The metadata obsessive’s choice.

Visit site →

A non-profit, community-run database obsessed with getting the metadata exactly right. Loved by automation tools (Plex, Jellyfin, Sonarr) for its precise episode and release data.

The good

  • Unmatched accuracy of episode and release metadata
  • Integrates with home-media tooling
  • Run by the community, not a company

The bad

  • UI is the definition of utilitarian
  • Tracking/social features are minimal

What we recommend

There’s no single right answer. It depends on what you actually want from a tracker. In rough order, here’s how we’d suggest picking:

  1. If you want the best balance of speed, design and features → AniTrack

    A modern UI, AniList-powered data, seasonal schedules and MAL/AniList import make it the easiest place to land today, especially if you’re tired of clunky, ad-laden alternatives.

  2. If you care about community size above all → MyAnimeList

    Nothing beats MAL for sheer volume of reviews and forum activity. Just be ready for the dated UI and the ads.

  3. If you love stats, graphs and a modern API → AniList

    Great data visualisation and a first-class GraphQL API. A solid daily-driver for data nerds.

  4. If you want something friendly and sociable → Kitsu

    Probably the easiest tracker for a total newcomer to pick up and enjoy.

  5. If you need recommendations more than tracking → Anime-Planet

    Its tag-based discovery and curated lists are still hard to beat.

  6. If you’re a power user who wants every knob → Shikimori

    Deep filters, clubs and reviews for people who live inside their tracker.

  7. If you automate your anime library → AniDB

    The right pick when metadata accuracy matters more than UI polish.