AniList: The Complete 2026 Guide to the Anime Tracker That Refuses to Sell Out

Introduction

You spend hours watching anime and reading manga. Then you lose track of which episode you stopped on, which chapter you last read, and which series you meant to start next. AniList fixes that chaos with a free, independent platform that puts your entire media library in one clean dashboard. This guide breaks down every feature, explains why thousands of fans left MyAnimeList for it, and shows you exactly how to get started.

Why Does AniList Matter in 2026 and What Is It?

AniList is a free anime and manga tracking platform that serves over 500,000 media entries with character, staff, studio, and live airing data. The website and its companion AniChart both run entirely on the same public GraphQL API that developers use, which means the platform has no hidden backend magic — everything is transparent and accessible.

Three things separate AniList from every other tracker on the market right now:

• It remains independent. In May 2025, Tokyo-based Web3 and AI startup Gaudiy Inc. purchased MyAnimeList for about 531 million yen (~3.5 million USD). AniList was not.
• It banned AI-generated imagery from its platform. The moderation team made this rule explicit: AI imagery cannot be shared on AniList, except when users are discussing or critiquing AI artwork itself.
• It refuses to list AI-generated anime. When asked about adding “Twins Hinahima,” an AI-generated anime, the AniList team responded: “No, we have zero interest in adding AI-generated anime to the site. 95% non-human imagery is too much”.

These decisions matter. They tell you who AniList is built for: people who care about human-made art and community-driven data.

The MyAnimeList Exodus: What Actually Happened

In late March 2025, Media Do Holdings sold all of its shares in MyAnimeList to Gaudiy Inc.. Gaudiy is a Tokyo-based company focused on blockchain infrastructure and AI, with investors including Sony Group and Bandai Namco.

The anime community reacted fast. On MyAnimeList’s own forums, users described the acquisition as watching a beloved site “get sold off to an AI & NFT company”. A top-voted comment summarized the mood: “Now you get to watch in real time as MAL is pimped out to the wasteful NFT and AI slop”.

Gaudiy’s CEO Yuya Ishikawa tried to calm fears, stating that “using technology in a way that goes against that goal, or doing anything that would upset or disappoint fans, is not what we—or the Gaudiy team—ever intend”. “NFTs are scams, generative AI is ruining artists’ livelihoods, blockchain is hurting the world, web3 is a pipe dream” is how MAL’s lead administrator addressed the community’s worries.

Despite these reassurances, AniList traffic climbed as users who had already been considering a switch finally made the move. Achriom’s 2026 comparison calls AniList “the most-named beneficiary of that exodus”.

Russia Blocked MyAnimeList

Citing LGBTQ+ content, Roskomnadzor permanently prohibited MyAnimeList in Russia in October 2025. MAL has not stated that it will take down content in order to lift the restriction. AniList, which is still available in the area, saw an increase in users as a result.

AniList’s Anti-AI Policy: What It Means for You

AniList does not allow AI-generated imagery to be shared on its platform. The moderation team updated its rules in April 2024 to make this explicit: “AI imagery will not be allowed to be shared on our platform. An exception to this will be in cases where it is being shared for commentary such as a user talking about an artist being found out about using AI and sharing images to demonstrate it”.

The platform also refuses to list anime that are primarily AI-generated. AniList‘s policy requires that listed anime must include significant human contribution and preferably be made in Japan. This stance has earned the platform loyalty from artists, animators, and fans who view generative AI as a threat to the industry.

The GraphQL API: A Developer’s Dream

One of the most effective resources for tracking anime is AniList’s open API. It is a GraphQL API, which means clients define the exact structure of the data they need, and the server responds with data in that same structure. This eliminates both over-fetching and under-fetching problems that plague REST APIs.

All requests go to a single endpoint: https://graphql.anilist.co. You make POST requests with two objects in your payload: a query string and a variables object. The query defines the data and its shape. The variables object contains the values for variables used in your query, and while it is optional, using variables is strongly recommended.

Recommended Tools for the AniList API

• Apollo Studio: A powerful tool for exploring and testing GraphQL queries. It has a built-in schema explorer.
• GraphQL official documentation: A solid starting point if you are new to GraphQL.
• Generated typings: Skip service-specific API clients and generate always up-to-date typings for your language of choice.

The API exposes anime, manga, characters, staff, studios, users, activities, reviews, recommendations, and threads. The AniList and AniChart websites themselves run on this API, so almost everything you can do on the sites, you can do programmatically.

User-Voted Tags: The Feature MyAnimeList Cannot Match

AniList‘s tag system is entirely user-managed. Every user can add tags to an entry and vote on their relevance. The system shows a percentage next to each tag, and you can filter by “Minimum Tag Percentage” on search pages.

This creates a folksonomy that captures themes and elements traditional genres miss. Tags like “Anti-Hero,” “Tsundere,” “Time Manipulation,” and “Unreliable Narrator” appear with community-voted relevance scores.

How to use tags effectively:

• Hover over a tag to see a double-arrow icon. Click it to reveal vote options that adjust the tag percentage.
• Use the “Minimum Tag Percentage” filter on the search page to find entries where a tag is strongly relevant, not just loosely associated.
• If you spot an irrelevant tag, you can flag it through the edit screen and explain your reasoning in the submission notes.

The system is not perfect. Users have reported that the initial percentage for new tags can behave inconsistently, and filtering by tag relevance outside the main search page is limited. But it remains the most sophisticated community tagging system available on any anime tracker.

Third-Party Mobile Apps: The Complete Ecosystem

AniList does not have an official mobile app. Instead, a thriving community of developers has built clients for every major platform.

iOS

• Risuto for AniList: A beautifully designed client with Live Activities and Dynamic Island support for airing episodes, home screen widgets, and comprehensive media details.
• Ryuusei: A detailed, quick-to-use app for tracking, sharing, and discovering anime and manga.

Android

• Oujo: A lightweight Android client that provides essential functions for managing lists and titles on the go. It asks for notification permissions once on first launch.
• Aluminium: Includes forum support, activity feeds, and a convenient forum browser.
• AniTrend: Offers anime and manga lookup, tracking, and reference powered by AniList.

These apps reduce API calls to avoid throttling errors. Users with extremely long lists (400+ entries) may occasionally need to use the website for reliability. Despite these minor limitations, the mobile ecosystem for AniList is active and constantly improving.

How to Import Your MyAnimeList Data

Switching from MyAnimeList to AniList is straightforward, but the import process has one common pitfall: formatting.

The issue is the “wordage” used for the planning status. MyAnimeList exports use “Plan to Watch,” but third-party tools sometimes export “Planning.” AniList‘s importer expects the standard format.

Step-by-step fix:

1. Export your MAL list as XML.
2. Open the XML file in a text editor like Notepad (Windows) or Sublime Text.
3. Use find/replace (Ctrl+H on Windows) to change >Planning< to >Plan to Watch<. Include the angle brackets to avoid accidentally replacing the word “Planning” inside anime titles.
4. Save the file with a .xml extension.
5. Go to AniList Settings > Lists and scroll to the bottom. Import your file.

You have three options during import: delete your entire AniList first, leave your existing list and add only new entries, or tick the box to replace matching entries with the XML data.

Statistics That Actually Tell You Something

AniList transforms your viewing history into meaningful data. Your statistics page shows total episodes watched and chapters read, genre distribution across your entire list, watch time breakdown by format, contribution history, and score distribution patterns.

Third-party apps like Risuto offer optimized mobile statistics with graphs and breakdowns. The platform’s commitment to data transparency means you can also pull your own statistics through the API if you want custom analytics.

The Privacy Question: What AniList Does With Your Data

AniList‘s privacy policy states that personal data is processed and stored for as long as required by the purpose it was collected for, and may be retained longer due to legal obligations or user consent. The platform uses cookies and third-party tracking tools to provide its service.

One independent analysis flagged that personal data may be used for targeted third-party advertising. If privacy is your top priority, review the policy carefully before signing up. For most users, the trade-off is acceptable given the platform’s free access and robust feature set.

AniList vs. MyAnimeList vs. Kitsu: Quick Comparison

Frequently Asked Questions

What does AniList do that MyAnimeList does not?

AniList offers a modern GraphQL API, user-voted tags with percentage filtering, six scoring scales with weighted sub-scores, and a strict ban on AI-generated imagery and AI-generated anime listings.

Is AniList free?

Yes. AniList is completely free for tracking, list management, and API access. Third-party mobile apps may offer optional premium features, but the core platform requires no payment.

Why did people leave MyAnimeList for AniList?

The May 2025 acquisition of MyAnimeList by Gaudiy Inc., a Web3 and AI company, triggered widespread concern about NFTs, generative AI, and blockchain technology. Many users switched to AniList because it remains independent and has taken an explicit anti-AI stance.

Does AniList have an official app?

No. AniList does not have an official mobile app. The community has built clients for iOS (Risuto, Ryuusei) and Android (Oujo, Aluminium, AniTrend) that cover list management, airing schedules, and social features.

Can I import my MyAnimeList data to AniList?

Yes. Export your MAL list as XML, fix the “Planning” to “Plan to Watch” formatting issue, and import it through AniList Settings > Lists.

What is the AniList GraphQL API?

It is a public GraphQL interface that provides access to over 500,000 anime and manga entries, including character, staff, and live airing data. All AniList and AniChart website functions are powered by this same API.

Conclusion: Take Control of Your Anime Library Today

AniList gives you something rare in 2026: a platform that answers to its community, not to blockchain investors or AI hype cycles. It is fast, free, independent, and built on technology that developers and everyday fans can both use.

The choice is simple. If you want a tracker that respects human-made art, gives you granular control over your data, and keeps improving without selling your watch history to the highest bidder, AniList is the answer.

Create your free AniList account now. Import your existing list, set up your scoring system, and join the community that chose principle over convenience. Your next favorite series is one search away.