Is Tachiyomi Still Working in 2026?
Tachiyomi did not crash. It was not hacked. A South Korean publisher named Kakao Entertainment sent legal threats to volunteer developers in January 2024, and the nine-year-old project shut down eleven days later.
The app still runs. Extensions still load if you add the right repository. And the original team already moved to a better project called Mihon. Here is everything you need to know.
What Happened to Tachiyomi?
On January 13, 2024, arkon one of Tachiyomi’s core contributors posted an announcement that stopped the manga community cold.
The core Tachiyomi project was shutting down. Not pausing. Not taking a break. Shutting down permanently.
The decision came after Kakao Entertainment Corp the South Korean media conglomerate that owns several major manhwa publishers sent legal threats directly to individual developers on the team. Not to the project as an abstract entity. To named people personally.
The developers had a choice: fight an expensive legal battle as unpaid hobby developers with no revenue and no corporate structure, or walk away. They walked away unanimously.
As arkon wrote in the official announcement: the project had been a hobby developed without financial incentives, and no one on the team was in a position to absorb the legal risk that came with continuing.
The GitHub repositories were closed. Social media accounts were shut down. The official Discord was repurposed into a general community space. Nine years of development, ended in eleven days.
Here is the part Kakao probably did not anticipate: daily GitHub stars for Tachiyomi doubled after the threats began, rising from an average of 15.87 to 43.92 per day, according to TorrentFreak. The Streisand Effect the phenomenon where attempting to suppress something makes it more visible, played out in real time.
Why Did Tachiyomi Stop Development?
The direct cause was legal pressure from Kakao Entertainment Corp. But the full story is more complicated and worth understanding.
Tachiyomi itself never hosted pirated content. The app was a reader, not a host. Think of it like a browser a browser does not host websites, it just lets you visit them. Tachiyomi let users install extensions that pointed to third-party manga sites. What those sites hosted was entirely outside the app’s control.
Kakao’s complaint was that some of those third-party sources sites like NewToki, S2Manga, and others hosted pirated manhwa. Their position was that Tachiyomi’s extension system made those sites easy to access, causing them financial damages in the millions.
On January 2, 2024, Kakao’s representatives contacted the Tachiyomi team with their demands. The team actually cooperated, they removed the disputed extensions and offered to help Kakao file DMCA takedown notices directly against the offending websites.
Kakao escalated anyway.
Despite receiving full compliance, Kakao’s anti-piracy account publicly labeled Tachiyomi a “virus risk” on social media. Community Notes on Twitter/X flagged this claim as disputed. But the reputational damage was done, and the personal legal threats remained.
The developers were volunteers. Building a free app in their spare time. Facing personal liability for content they did not host. They shut the project down.
The irony is hard to miss. Tachiyomi’s shutdown arguably pushed more users toward untracked, harder-to-monitor piracy methods. And the community response a surge in forks, successors, and new users discovering the codebase meant the content Kakao wanted removed became more distributed, not less.
But here is the part that surprises most people: the app itself never actually disappeared.
Did Tachiyomi Shut Down?
Yes. officially and completely, as of January 13, 2024.
What ended:
- Active development and all future updates
- Bug fixes and security patches
- Official extension support and repositories
- The core GitHub repository
- All official social media accounts
- Official Discord support
What did not end:
- Your existing installation on your phone and the app was never remotely deactivated
- The open-source code it was forked before deletion and lives on in successors
- The community which regrouped and built something better
The crucial detail most articles miss: the app can still open. The extensions cannot. Since Tachiyomi relied entirely on extensions to pull manga from various sources, and those repositories were taken down, the app became a reader with nowhere to read from.
The first time most users discovered this was not from a news article. They opened the app, tapped Extensions, and found a blank screen. No error. No explanation. Just nothing. It took the community days to fully understand what had happened and weeks for most casual users to find out at all.
What happened next and whether the app is actually gone for good is a different question.
Is Tachiyomi Dead?
The original Tachiyomi project is dead. The spirit of it is very much alive.
Because Tachiyomi was open-source under the Apache 2.0 license, the code could not simply disappear. Multiple forks branched off immediately after the shutdown. Some were created within days of the announcement.
The most significant is Mihon built by developers who came directly from the Tachiyomi ecosystem. Mihon launched in early 2024 and has been in active development through 2025 and 2026. As of mid-2026, the Mihon GitHub repository has over 20,000 stars and 1,100 forks clear signals of an active, healthy project.
These forks and successors are not unofficial pirate copies. They are separate open-source projects that inherited the same codebase and continued where Tachiyomi left off, under new names that sit outside Kakao’s original legal demands.
So is Tachiyomi dead?
The brand is. The community is not. And that community has built something better.
The question is whether what they built is actually safe to use, because not everything calling itself a Tachiyomi successor is.
Can You Still Use Tachiyomi in 2026?
Technically yes. Practically no.
If you still have the original Tachiyomi APK installed and never uninstalled it, the app can still open. But without working extension repositories, you cannot install new manga sources, update existing extensions, access any online source through the original extension system, or receive security patches for newer Android versions.
Many users who tried opening Tachiyomi after the shutdown went through the same sequence: app opens fine, library looks intact, click on a source error. Click on Extensions blank. Try to install something new if nothing loads. The app shell is alive. The content pipeline is dead.
The fix that still works: the Keiyoushi community repository.
Community developers created an unofficial extension repository to fill the gap left by the official shutdown. Adding it takes about two minutes:
- Open Tachiyomi
- Go to More → Settings → Browse → Extension Repos
- Tap the + button
- Paste this URL exactly:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/keiyoushi/extensions/repo/index.min.json - Tap Add, then restart the app
After adding it, your extensions tab populates with hundreds of sources including MangaDex, MangaKakalot, and many others.
But here is the honest reality: running a years-old, unmaintained app with third-party extension repositories in 2026 is not a stable long-term setup. Android updates regularly break older APKs in ways that will never be patched. Source websites change their code structure and break extensions with no one to fix them. Security vulnerabilities go unaddressed indefinitely.
If you want the Tachiyomi experience in 2026, use Mihon. It is what Tachiyomi would have become. Migration takes about ten minutes and your entire library transfers cleanly.
Is Tachiyomi Safe to Use?
This question has two parts that need separate answers.
Is the original Tachiyomi app itself safe?
The original v0.15.3 build, downloaded from a verified source, is safe. The code is fully open-source anyone can read it. No hidden trackers, no malware, no ad injections exist in the genuine build. It has not received security updates since January 2024, which means vulnerabilities discovered after that date go unpatched but the app itself is not malicious.
Is downloading a Tachiyomi APK in 2026 safe?
This is where the real danger lives.
Since the original team shut everything down, dozens of websites have registered domains claiming to be official Tachiyomi sources. Names like tachiyomiapk.com, tachiyomiapk.net, tachiyomiiapk.com, and dozens of variations flood search results and look convincing.
Security researchers and community members have identified multiple Tachiyomi-branded APKs circulating online that contain injected advertising code, background tracking scripts, modified permission requests, and in some cases cryptocurrency miners.
The rules are simple:
- The last legitimate version is v0.15.3 nothing beyond that number is official
- Any APK labeled “Tachiyomi Pro,” “Tachiyomi Plus,” “Tachiyomi Mod,” or “2026 Updated” is not from the original team
- The original developers explicitly warned in their shutdown post: “Anything new called Tachiyomi or claiming to be its successor have no relation to the original developers”
- If there is no verified GitHub link, do not install it
The safest path: skip original Tachiyomi entirely and install Mihon directly from github.com/mihonapp/mihon. Same experience, active maintenance, no verification burden.
Best Tachiyomi Alternatives
The community did not disappear when Tachiyomi did. It built a mature ecosystem of successors, here is what actually works in 2026.
Mihon — Best Overall Replacement
Mihon is the closest thing to Tachiyomi that exists. Built by developers who understood exactly what made Tachiyomi work, it preserves the same extension-based architecture, the same interface logic, and the same reading experience.
What works well: Tachiyomi backup imports cleanly. The interface is immediately familiar to any former Tachiyomi user. Extensions work through community repositories including Keiyoushi. Library management, offline reading, and tracker integration with MyAnimeList and AniList all function correctly.
What it lacks: Native cloud sync. Backups are manual exports rather than automatic uploads.
Best for: Former Tachiyomi users who want maximum familiarity with minimum friction during migration.
Download: github.com/mihonapp/mihon
Aniyomi — Best for Manga and Anime Together
Aniyomi expanded the Tachiyomi concept to include anime streaming alongside manga reading. One app, both formats, unified library management.
What works well: Manga and anime in a single interface. More sync configuration than Mihon. Actively maintained with regular updates.
What it lacks: The added complexity creates a steeper learning curve. More layered than Tachiyomi’s original clean interface.
Best for: Readers who also watch anime and want a single unified app rather than separate tools.
TachiyomiSY — Best for Power Users
TachiyomiSY existed before the shutdown as a feature-extended fork and continues to be maintained. It adds enhanced library management, improved tracking options, and deeper metadata customization beyond what original Tachiyomi offered. It now branches from Mihon.
Best for: Readers managing large libraries who want maximum control over organization and filtering.
TachiyomiJ2K — Best for Modern Android
A redesigned version of Tachiyomi built with a Material You interface targeting Android 12 and above. Better visual design, same extension ecosystem.
Best for: Android 12+ users who want a visually updated experience.
Kotatsu — Best for Simplicity
Kotatsu takes a different approach entirely. No extension system. It ships with built-in source support for a curated set of manga sites, which means no repository setup, no extension management, and no third-party repo URLs to track down.
What it lacks: Does not support Tachiyomi backup imports and switching means rebuilding your library manually. Narrower source selection than extension-based apps.
Best for: New manga readers or former Tachiyomi users willing to start fresh in exchange for a simpler ongoing experience.
Neko — Best for MangaDex Users
Neko is a MangaDex-specific fork with deep integration into MangaDex’s tracking and community features. If your library lives primarily on MangaDex, Neko is purpose-built for that workflow.
Best for: Readers whose primary source is MangaDex who want native integration rather than a general-purpose reader.
Legal Alternatives Worth Knowing
MANGA Plus by Shueisha offers free access to the first and latest chapters of major Jump titles One Piece, My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen are fully licensed and ad-supported.
VIZ Manga provides subscription-based access to a large licensed library including Naruto, Bleach, and the full Shonen Jump catalog.
Webtoon covers official webtoons and manhwa directly from creators and publishers, with a large free-to-read library.
These are not Tachiyomi replacements for readers who want broad source access. But for readers following major titles, official apps have improved significantly and are worth using alongside any extension-based reader.
For detailed compariosn visit: Best Tachiyomi Alternatives in 2026
Final Verdict
Tachiyomi is gone. That is the honest truth and no amount of nostalgia changes it.
The original project shut down in January 2024 after nearly a decade of development, ended by legal threats it could not absorb. The old APK technically opens, but without working extensions it is an empty shell. And the ecosystem of fake “Tachiyomi” APKs circulating online makes downloading the original increasingly risky for anyone who does not know exactly where to look.
What replaced it is not a void. Mihon handles migration from Tachiyomi better than any other option, imports your backup cleanly, and continues active development in 2026. Export your library from Tachiyomi, install Mihon from its official GitHub page, import the backup, add the Keiyoushi extension repository in ten minutes, and you are reading again.
The community that built Tachiyomi did not disappear when the project did. They kept building. What they built is worth using.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Tachiyomi still working in 2026?
The original Tachiyomi app can still open if previously installed, but it no longer functions properly. Official extension repositories were shut down in January 2024, which means the app cannot access manga sources out of the box. Adding the Keiyoushi community repository restores some functionality, but the app receives no security updates or compatibility fixes. Mihon is the actively maintained successor that works correctly in 2026.
What happened to Tachiyomi?
Tachiyomi shut down on January 13, 2024, after Kakao Entertainment Corp sent legal threats to individual members of the development team. The developers the unpaid volunteers who built the app as a hobby project unanimously chose to cease development rather than face personal legal liability. The GitHub repositories, social media accounts, and official extension support were all closed on the same day.
Why did Tachiyomi stop development?
Kakao Entertainment Corp, a major South Korean entertainment company with publishing rights to significant manhwa content, threatened Tachiyomi’s individual developers with legal action. The team had actually complied with Kakao’s initial demands of removing disputed extensions and offering to assist with DMCA filings but Kakao continued the legal pressure anyway. Faced with personal risk on a project that generated no revenue, the team shut it down.
Is Mihon the same as Tachiyomi?
Mihon is the spiritual successor to Tachiyomi, not the identical app. It was built by developers from the Tachiyomi community using the original open-source code as a foundation. It supports Tachiyomi backup imports, uses the same extension architecture, and maintains a comparable interface. For practical purposes, migrating from Tachiyomi to Mihon is the most seamless transition available and the experience is nearly identical.
Is it safe to download Tachiyomi APK from third-party sites?
No. The original developers explicitly warned in their shutdown announcement that anything new calling itself Tachiyomi has no connection to the original team. Many sites distribute modified APK files under the Tachiyomi name that contain malware, tracking scripts, or injected ads. The only safe download for the Tachiyomi successor is Mihon, from its official GitHub repository at github.com/mihonapp/mihon.
Can I transfer my Tachiyomi library to Mihon?
Yes. Export a backup from Tachiyomi through the app’s backup settings, then import that file into Mihon. Reading progress, library organization, and categories transfer correctly. You will need to set up extension repositories separately in Mihon, but the core library migration is clean and takes about ten minutes.
What is the best Tachiyomi alternative in 2026?
Mihon is the best alternative for most former Tachiyomi users closest to the original experience, supports backup migration, and actively maintained. Aniyomi is the best choice for readers who also want anime streaming. Kotatsu works well for users who prefer simplicity over a broad source library. For MangaDex-focused readers, Neko integrates deeply with that platform. For readers following major licensed titles, MANGA Plus and VIZ Manga have improved significantly as official options.
