Blue Eye Samurai is back for its final season, Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2 dropped a release date and a brutal trailer, and everyone’s watchlist is a mess again. Streaming services want you to only track their own titles. Community trackers do the opposite. These seven Android apps track anime episodes across every service, tell you when a new one lands, and remember where you stopped, without pushing a subscription.
What to look for in an anime tracker
Pick based on how you actually watch:
- Do you want one central watchlist or a per-service list?
- Does the app push notifications when a new episode airs in your zone?
- Can you sync progress from Crunchyroll or another player automatically?
- Does it include manga tracking too, or only anime?
- Does the community layer add value or just noise?
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Paid | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AniList | Modern, active community | Yes | Optional donation | Best social layer of the trackers |
| MyAnimeList | The oldest, deepest database | Yes | Free | Every series ever indexed |
| Kitsu | Cross-service progress sync | Yes | Pro plan | Kitsu API drives a lot of third-party apps |
| Shikimori | Russian and CIS anime community | Yes | Free | Local recommendations that Western apps miss |
| Simkl | Multi-media (anime, TV, movies) | Yes | Premium | Tracks anime, TV, and film in one list |
| Crunchyroll | Simulcast alerts on the source service | Yes | Ad-free premium | First to know about new episodes |
| AniTrend | AniList client with better mobile UX | Yes | Free | Uses AniList data with a nicer app |
The apps
1. AniList — best modern community-first tracker
AniList is where new anime fans mostly end up now. The community is active, reviews are thoughtful, and the mobile web app works well even without a native install. The API is open, which is why so many third-party apps use it under the hood.
Where it falls short: The official mobile experience is a web wrapper, not a native app, so notifications are worse than the third-party clients on top of the same data.
Pricing: Free. Donations optional.
Platforms: Web plus community clients.
Download: AniList on Aptoide (community wrapper)
Bottom line: The starting point most modern watchers pick.
2. MyAnimeList — best deepest database
MyAnimeList has been the reference database for two decades. Even shows you can barely remember from your teenage years are cataloged, with airing schedules, staff credits, and voice actor cross-references.
Where it falls short: UI feels dated. Mobile app has performance issues on lower-end phones. Recommendations are static.
Pricing: Free. Supporter tier available.
Platforms: Android 6.0 and up.
Download: MyAnimeList on Aptoide
Bottom line: The right pick when you want the widest possible catalog coverage.
3. Kitsu — best cross-service progress sync
Kitsu is the tracker whose API most cross-service tools rely on. Watch anywhere, update once, and every other tool that reads Kitsu (or lets you point at a Kitsu list) picks it up automatically. Manga tracking is included.
Where it falls short: Community is smaller than AniList’s. Mobile app has had UX regressions in the past year.
Pricing: Free. Pro plan available.
Platforms: Android 6.0 and up.
Download: Kitsu on Aptoide
Bottom line: The right choice when you use several different watchlist tools.
4. Shikimori — best for the Russian and CIS community
Shikimori is the largest anime and manga tracker in the Russian-speaking world, with database entries and reviews that Western trackers regularly miss. The recommendations engine picks up on regional taste in a way MyAnimeList does not.
Where it falls short: Interface is primarily Russian. English is available but incomplete.
Pricing: Free.
Platforms: Android 6.0 and up.
Download: Shikimori on Aptoide
Bottom line: The right tracker for anyone who watches from Russia or the CIS.
5. Simkl — best multi-media tracker
Simkl covers anime, live-action TV, and film in one watchlist. Cyberpunk Edgerunners 2, the new season of Blue Eye Samurai, and any live-action adaptation land in the same feed. Push notifications catch the moment an episode drops.
Where it falls short: Anime coverage is deep but sometimes lags AniList and MAL by a day for new listings.
Pricing: Free with ads. Premium: about $30 per year.
Platforms: Android 6.0 and up.
Download: Simkl on Aptoide
Bottom line: The right pick if you also watch live-action series and films.
6. Crunchyroll — best simulcast alerts on the source service
Crunchyroll ships push notifications for series you follow the moment a new simulcast episode is available. For anime that airs first on Crunchyroll (a lot of it), this is the fastest heads-up on the market.
Where it falls short: Only tracks what Crunchyroll carries. A tracker like AniList or Kitsu is still needed for the full library.
Pricing: Free with ads. Premium: about $12 per month.
Platforms: Android 6.0 and up.
Download: Crunchyroll on Aptoide
Bottom line: Pair with a cross-service tracker for full coverage.
7. AniTrend — best mobile client for AniList data
AniTrend is a native Android client that reads and writes AniList data with a mobile-first UX. Season calendar, streaming links, and airing-time notifications land more cleanly than the AniList web experience.
Where it falls short: AniList-only. Requires an AniList account. Some app screens have UX rough edges.
Pricing: Free, open source.
Platforms: Android 6.0 and up.
Download: AniTrend on Aptoide
Bottom line: The right daily driver for anyone whose main list lives on AniList.
How to pick the right one
- If you are just starting: AniList.
- If you want the deepest catalog: MyAnimeList.
- If you use multiple watchlist tools: Kitsu as the source of truth.
- If you watch anime plus TV plus film: Simkl.
- If you watch mostly on Crunchyroll: Crunchyroll’s own alerts plus a tracker.
- If AniList is your data but the web UI is painful: AniTrend.
FAQ
Which app catches new episodes fastest? Crunchyroll for its own catalog. Simkl and AniTrend push notifications within minutes of a listing update from the databases they use.
Can I sync progress across services? Kitsu is the closest to a universal sync. Third-party bridges (Anime-List-Sync, Taiga on desktop) also mirror progress across MAL, AniList, and Kitsu.
Do these apps stream anime, or only track? Trackers only, mostly. Crunchyroll is the exception. For streaming, use the streaming apps and track separately.
Which app has the best manga tracking? AniList and Kitsu both handle manga cleanly. MyAnimeList’s manga side is comprehensive but heavier to navigate.
Is there a Letterboxd for anime? AniList is the closest. Backloggd’s approach is starting to inspire similar builds in the anime space.
Do any of these work offline? Progress caching works offline in Kitsu and Simkl. Push notifications need a connection to arrive.
