Mihon inherited Tachiyomi’s full codebase, extension system, and 19,000-plus GitHub stars — making it the closest thing to a drop-in replacement. Kotatsu (now discontinued, with Futon carrying the torch) skips extensions entirely. Paperback handles iOS. And Kavita turns any desktop into a self-hosted manga server. Two years after Tachiyomi’s shutdown, the ecosystem is more fragmented than before — but also more capable.
The original app stopped receiving updates on January 13, 2024, after Kakao Entertainment threatened legal action over the extension infrastructure that connected users to third-party manga sources. The development team archived the GitHub repository and walked away. What followed was a scramble of forks, spiritual successors, and entirely new projects all competing to fill the gap.
Some of those projects thrived. Others quietly died. The breakdown below covers which apps like Tachiyomi are genuinely maintained in 2026, which ones to avoid, and how to move your entire reading library without losing a single chapter.
Why Tachiyomi Shut Down and Why Forks Exist
Tachiyomi ceased development on January 13, 2024, after Kakao Entertainment Corp threatened legal action claiming millions in damages from the app’s extension ecosystem. The development team chose to shut down voluntarily rather than face prolonged DMCA litigation. The app itself was never illegal — the legal exposure came entirely from extensions that connected to unlicensed manga sources.
The Legal Pressure Behind the Shutdown
Kakao Entertainment, parent company of major webtoon platforms, targeted Tachiyomi’s extension infrastructure specifically. Extensions are add-on modules that let users pull manga chapters from dozens of third-party websites — some licensed, many not. Publishers viewed this as enabling piracy at scale, even though the core reader contained no copyrighted content.
According to the Mihon project’s GitHub repository (2024), the fork was created within days of the shutdown announcement and has since accumulated over 19,400 stars and 1,000 forks — a direct measure of how many developers and users migrated immediately.
“This is akin to banning VLC media player because people use it to play pirated movies. It doesn’t make any sense. By banning Tachiyomi, they just increased the direct traffic to the pirate websites.”
— r/manhwa, January 2024 (149 upvotes)
What Happens to Existing Tachiyomi Installs
If the app is still on your phone, it opens. The problem is underneath. Extensions receive no updates, no fixes, no new sources — and as manga sites change their structure, each source breaks permanently. A significant number of users are still running the original app out of inertia.
“I’ll just keep using Tachiyomi until I change phones.”
— r/manhwa, January 2024 (258 upvotes)
That approach works until it doesn’t. Staying on the original app means watching your manga reader slowly go dark, one broken source at a time, with no one to patch anything.
Best Apps Like Tachiyomi Compared (2026)
Mihon is the strongest direct replacement for most former Tachiyomi users — same codebase, same extension system, same UI, with active commits as recently as March 2026. Beyond Mihon, the best pick depends on your platform and how much setup you tolerate.
Feature Comparison Table
| App | Platform | Open Source | Extensions | Offline | Backup Import | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mihon | Android 8.0+ | Yes (Apache 2.0) | Yes (external repos) | Yes | Yes (.tachibk) | Power users wanting a 1:1 Tachiyomi replacement |
| TachiyomiSY | Android | Yes | Yes (enhanced MangaDex) | Yes | Yes (.tachibk) | MangaDex-heavy readers, NSFW content, advanced features |
| TachiyomiJ2K | Android | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (.tachibk) | Users wanting a polished UI and better library management |
| Kotatsu / Futon | Android | Yes | Built-in (no setup) | Yes | No | Beginners who want zero configuration |
| Paperback | iOS | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | iPhone/iPad users wanting full extension support |
| Aidoku | iOS | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | iOS users preferring a lighter, native-feeling reader |
| Kavita | Win / Mac / Linux | Yes | No (local files only) | Yes | No | Desktop readers with large self-hosted manga libraries |
| Suwayomi | Win / Mac / Linux | Yes | Yes (Tachiyomi-compatible) | Yes | Yes (.tachibk) | Desktop users wanting Tachiyomi’s extension system on PC |
Mihon — The Direct Tachiyomi Successor
Mihon is a direct fork of Tachiyomi’s final archived codebase. The extension system is identical, the library layout is virtually unchanged, and migration from a .tachibk backup takes under five minutes. The project has 19,490 GitHub stars, 1,036 forks, and received its most recent commit on March 30, 2026 — making Mihon by far the most actively maintained successor. The official download is available at mihon.app.
“If you liked normal Tachiyomi, get Mihon. It’s the same thing. If you didn’t like Tachi because of its UI or other reason, you can try the forks like J2K, AZ, or SY.”
— r/mangapiracy, February 2024 (22 upvotes)
This aligns with the Mihon project’s own positioning on GitHub, which describes itself as the “spiritual successor” to Tachiyomi with full backward compatibility for backups and extensions.
TachiyomiSY — Advanced Features and MangaDex Integration
TachiyomiSY is the fork that power users gravitate toward when vanilla Mihon feels too basic. Enhanced MangaDex support, built-in recommendation algorithms, the ability to merge duplicate manga entries, and automatic source migration tools set it apart. The trade-off is complexity — SY has more settings panels than most users will ever need.
TachiyomiJ2K — The Polished UI Fork
TachiyomiJ2K predates Tachiyomi’s shutdown and has been independently maintained for years. Standout additions include enhanced reading statistics, tighter AniList and MyAnimeList tracking integrations, and a visually refined interface. Users who always felt Tachiyomi was functional but rough around the edges tend to land here.
Kotatsu and Futon — Zero Setup Required
Kotatsu was the rare manga reader that skipped the extension system entirely — sources were built directly into the app, available on both F-Droid and the Google Play Store. No sideloading, no extension hunting, no broken repositories. Casual readers who bounced off Tachiyomi’s setup process found it immediately accessible.
Kotatsu was officially discontinued in early 2026, followed quickly by its successor Yukimi also shutting down. Futon, a community-maintained fork, has since picked up development with over 1,000 built-in sources. The ecosystem fragmentation is real — but for users who just want something that works without configuration, Futon is the current answer.
Paperback and Aidoku — Tachiyomi Alternatives for iPhone
iOS users have been chronically underserved by the manga app community. Paperback is the most established open-source option, offering a full extension system comparable to Tachiyomi’s and solid offline support. Aidoku is newer: lighter, faster, built with Swift-native architecture that feels more at home on modern iPhones.
Both require sideloading via AltStore or TestFlight since neither appears on the App Store. The recurring community frustration is clear — no iOS alternative fully matches the Android experience yet.
Kavita and Suwayomi — Desktop and Self-Hosted Options
For readers with large local manga collections, Kavita is a self-hosted server that runs on Windows, Mac, or Linux and streams your library to any browser — essentially Plex built specifically for manga, comics, and light novels. Kavita supports CBZ, CBR, PDF, EPUB, and over a dozen other formats, with reading progress tracking and multi-user support.
Suwayomi (formerly Tachidesk) takes a different approach: it runs Tachiyomi’s actual extension system on desktop, letting you use the same sources and even restore a .tachibk backup. The setup is more technical, but for users who want their phone reader’s library accessible on a PC, nothing else comes close.
How to Migrate Your Tachiyomi Library to Mihon
The full migration takes under ten minutes and preserves your entire library, reading history, categories, and tracking data. Mihon reads the native .tachibk backup format directly — no conversion tools, no third-party scripts required.
Step 1 — Back Up Your Tachiyomi Data
Open Tachiyomi, navigate to Settings → Backup → Create Backup. Select all data categories — library entries, reading history, categories, and tracking — then save the resulting .tachibk file to Google Drive or your local Downloads folder.
Step 2 — Install Mihon
Download the official APK from mihon.app. Avoid third-party mirrors. Mihon requires Android 8.0 or higher and must be sideloaded — allow installs from unknown sources in your device settings, then open the downloaded APK.
Step 3 — Restore Your Backup
Inside Mihon, go to More → Settings → Backup → Restore Backup, then select your .tachibk file. Library entries, reading progress, and categories all transfer cleanly. The restore typically completes in under two minutes depending on library size.
Troubleshooting Common Migration Issues
| Issue | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Missing cover images | Covers are not stored in the backup file | Long-press affected title → Refresh covers |
| Broken or missing sources | Old extension repo is offline | Add Mihon’s extension repo → reinstall extensions |
| Tracking data missing | Tracker session not re-authenticated | Settings → Tracking → re-link AniList or MyAnimeList |
| Extensions not installing | WebView outdated or blocked by device | Update Android System WebView via Play Store |
Actively Maintained vs. Abandoned Forks — What to Avoid
Mihon, TachiyomiJ2K, and TachiyomiSY are the three safest Tachiyomi-derived options right now — all have received commits within the last 60 days and maintain active issue trackers on GitHub. Every other fork deserves scrutiny before you invest time migrating your library into it.
How to Check if a Fork Is Still Alive
Head to the fork’s GitHub repository and check three things: the date of the most recent commit, whether open issues are receiving maintainer responses, and whether a release tag exists from the last two months. A fork with no commits in 90-plus days is effectively dead — extensions rot, source URLs break, and nobody patches security issues.
Forks to Approach with Caution
| Fork | Status (March 2026) | Risk |
|---|---|---|
| TachiyomiAZ | No recent development activity | Extensions likely broken, no maintainer responses |
| TachiyomiEH | Stagnant, niche NSFW scope | Single-purpose fork with declining source compatibility |
| Neko | MangaDex-only, limited scope | Entirely dependent on one source’s uptime |
| Yukimi (Kotatsu successor) | Officially discontinued (early 2026) | Development halted; use Futon instead |
“It will still be working — until Android makes another breaking change in the file system. Devs really pulled the correct move with allowing external sources for extensions. They know how Kakao will be doing bullshit anyway.”
— r/manhwa, January 2024 (712 upvotes)
Stagnant forks are not dangerous in a malware sense — they simply degrade silently. Stick with Mihon, TachiyomiSY, or TachiyomiJ2K, and re-run the GitHub commit check before installing anything else.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened to Tachiyomi and why did it shut down?
Tachiyomi shut down on January 13, 2024, after Kakao Entertainment threatened legal action over the app’s extension ecosystem that connected users to unlicensed manga sources. The development team voluntarily archived the project on GitHub. The app was never malware — it simply stopped receiving updates, meaning extensions and sources break progressively over time.
Is Mihon the same as Tachiyomi?
Mihon is a direct fork of Tachiyomi’s final codebase, maintained by independent developers. The interface is nearly identical, the extension system works the same way, and existing .tachibk backup files restore cleanly into Mihon. With 19,490 GitHub stars and commits as recent as March 2026, Mihon is the most actively developed successor.
What is the best Tachiyomi alternative in 2026?
Mihon is the strongest like-for-like replacement for Android users who want a familiar experience with zero relearning curve. Kotatsu’s fork Futon suits beginners who want built-in sources without extension management. For iOS, Paperback offers the most complete extension-based experience. For desktop with local files, Kavita is the leading self-hosted option.
How do I transfer my Tachiyomi library to another app?
Create a full backup inside Tachiyomi via Settings, then Backup, then Create Backup. Save the generated .tachibk file to cloud storage. Inside Mihon, navigate to More, then Settings, then Backup, then Restore Backup. Library entries, reading history, and categories all migrate cleanly. Suwayomi on desktop also accepts .tachibk backups.
Are there Tachiyomi alternatives for iPhone?
Paperback and Aidoku are the two primary open-source options for iOS. Paperback has a full extension system comparable to Tachiyomi’s, while Aidoku offers a lighter native experience. Neither requires a jailbreak — both install via AltStore or TestFlight. Tachimanga is another option frequently mentioned in community discussions as having an interface closest to Mihon’s.
Is the original Tachiyomi app still working in 2026?
The APK still installs, and the reader itself still functions. However, extensions are no longer maintained, meaning sources break as manga websites update their layouts. Many users report that the majority of their extension sources have stopped working. Migrating to Mihon preserves your full library while restoring access to maintained extensions.
What is a self-hosted manga alternative?
Kavita is a self-hosted manga server that runs on Windows, Mac, or Linux and streams your local library to any web browser — functioning like a personal media server built specifically for comics. Kavita supports CBZ, CBR, PDF, EPUB, and numerous other formats, with multi-user support and reading progress tracking. Suwayomi offers a different angle by running Tachiyomi’s extension system on desktop.
Conclusion
The post-Tachiyomi landscape is genuinely more diverse than the app it replaced — more platforms, more approaches, more specialized tools for different reading habits. Mihon remains the default for Android users who want continuity. TachiyomiSY and J2K cater to users who want more. Futon picks up where Kotatsu left off for anyone allergic to extension management. Paperback handles iOS. Kavita and Suwayomi cover desktop.
Every app listed here is actively maintained as of March 2026. Migrating from the original Tachiyomi takes under ten minutes, and your reading history comes with you. The longer you wait on a dead app, the more sources break without anyone to fix them.
