The manga app landscape changed a lot in the last two years: Tachiyomi shut down and was replaced by Mihon, Crunchyroll killed its manga app and then brought it back as a paid add on, and the official publisher apps became the cheapest legal way to read most big series. This list covers what is worth installing in 2026 on Android and iPhone, split into official apps (legal, translated, often free) and reader apps that pull from sources you add yourself.
In this article
Official manga apps (free or cheap, fully legal)
Manga Plus by Shueisha
Manga Plus is Shueisha’s own app, which means One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia, Chainsaw Man, Spy x Family and every other Jump title, with new chapters released at the same time as Japan. The first three and the latest three chapters of each series are free; a Manga Plus Max subscription (a few dollars a month) unlocks full back catalogues. English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Thai, Indonesian, Russian and Vietnamese. If you read Jump series and live outside the US, this is the app.
VIZ Manga
VIZ Manga is the US and Canada counterpart. VIZ merged its Shonen Jump app into VIZ Manga, so one app now has the Shonen Jump catalogue (simultaneous chapters, free for the newest ones) plus VIZ’s seinen and shojo lines. The subscription is $2.99 a month for unlimited reading of more than 15,000 chapters, which is the best value in legal manga. You can also buy volumes to own. Only available in the US and Canada; elsewhere use Manga Plus.
K Manga (Kodansha)
K Manga is Kodansha’s official app, so Attack on Titan, Blue Lock, Tokyo Revengers, Fairy Tail, Vinland Saga and the rest of the Kodansha catalogue, with simulpubs. It uses a points system: you get free points daily and can buy more. US only at the moment, and the point system is clunkier than a flat subscription, but it is the only place to read many Kodansha series legally on release day.
Crunchyroll Manga
Crunchyroll shut its original manga app in December 2023 and relaunched Crunchyroll Manga in October 2025 as an add on to a Crunchyroll subscription, with titles from Kodansha, Kadokawa, Square Enix and others. If you already pay for Crunchyroll for anime, check whether your plan includes it before buying anything else. Available on Android and iOS in supported regions.
Comikey
Comikey licenses manga and manhwa from smaller Japanese and Korean publishers that the big apps do not carry, with a lot of free chapters and a coin system for the rest. Worth having for series you cannot find elsewhere.
Webtoon and Tapas
Not manga strictly, but the two biggest legal apps for manhwa and webcomics. Webtoon (Naver) has Solo Leveling, Tower of God, Lore Olympus and thousands more, most free with a wait or a small coin fee for early access. Tapas has a larger indie and novel section. Both are on Android and iOS.
Kindle (Comixology)
Amazon folded Comixology into the Kindle app. If you prefer to buy and own volumes rather than subscribe, Kindle has the largest catalogue of English manga volumes, frequent sales, and a proper guided panel view. It is the best option for offline reading of complete series on a tablet.
Mangamo
Mangamo is a flat subscription (around $5 a month) for a catalogue of licensed series with no ads and no per chapter coins. The library is smaller than VIZ or Manga Plus but has a good mix of publishers. Android | iOS
Reader apps (bring your own sources)
These apps do not include manga. They are readers into which you add source extensions or your own files. They are legal to install; what you add to them is on you. They are the successors to Tachiyomi, which stopped development in January 2024.
Mihon (Android)
Mihon is the official continuation of Tachiyomi by the same community, and it works the same way: install the APK from mihon.app or GitHub (it is not on the Play Store), add extension repositories, then search, track and download. It supports offline downloads, reading progress sync with AniList and MyAnimeList, and reading local CBZ or folders. If you used Tachiyomi, migrate your backup to Mihon; the old app no longer gets extension fixes. Forks like TachiyomiSY and Aniyomi (which adds anime) also continue.
Aidoku (iPhone and iPad)
Aidoku is the closest thing to Mihon on iOS. It installs through TestFlight or AltStore, supports source extensions, downloads and trackers, and is actively maintained. Paperback, the older iOS reader, has become unreliable and its App Store listing is gone, so Aidoku is the one to use.
Local file readers
If you own CBZ or PDF volumes, Mihon reads them on Android. On iOS, the Kindle app, Apple Books, and any comic reader such as Panels handle local files.
Which manga app should you pick?
| You want | Use |
|---|---|
| Jump series (One Piece, JJK, MHA) free, outside the US | Manga Plus |
| Jump series plus a huge back catalogue, in the US or Canada | VIZ Manga ($2.99 a month) |
| Kodansha series (AoT, Blue Lock) on release day | K Manga |
| Manhwa and webcomics | Webtoon, Tapas |
| Buy volumes to own | Kindle |
| One reader app for everything, Android | Mihon |
| One reader app for everything, iPhone | Aidoku |
FAQ
Is Tachiyomi still available?
The app still runs if you have it, but development stopped in January 2024 and extensions are no longer maintained for it. Use Mihon, which is the same project under a new name.
What is the best free manga app?
Manga Plus. It has the biggest series, new chapters free the day they release, and it works in most countries.
Is Crunchyroll Manga back?
Yes, relaunched in October 2025 as part of Crunchyroll’s subscription in supported regions. It is a separate app from the anime app.
Which manga app works on iPhone?
All the official apps (Manga Plus, VIZ Manga, K Manga, Webtoon, Tapas, Kindle, Mangamo) are on the App Store. For a source based reader, Aidoku.
Are manga reader apps like Mihon legal?
The app itself is. It ships with no content; what you load into it depends on the sources you add. Official apps are the safe choice and are cheaper than most people expect.
