Aidoku Alternatives for iOS: Your Options If You're Leaving Aidoku

Aidoku is a source-based manga reader for iPhone, iPad and Mac. It works a lot like Tachiyomi did on Android: you add sources, browse and search them, build a library, and read inside the app. It can also read local files and connect to a media server, and it has no ads.

Most people who search for an Aidoku alternative aren’t unhappy with the reader itself. They’re usually running into how it’s installed, which sources it can use, or the fact that it only runs on Apple devices. This post covers those reasons and the other apps worth looking at.

Why people look for an Aidoku alternative

It isn’t on the App Store. Aidoku’s own getting-started guide lists three ways to install it: a TestFlight beta (you request access in their Discord), AltStore or SideStore, or sideloading an IPA from the GitHub releases page. If you’re comfortable with that, it’s not a problem. If you just want an app that installs and updates like any other, it can be a hassle, and sideloaded apps can stop opening when their signing certificate expires.

It uses its own source format. Aidoku sources are .aix packages made for Aidoku, added either by importing them or through source lists in settings. Extensions written for Mihon and Tachiyomi don’t run in it, so the sources you can use depend on what has been made for Aidoku specifically.

It’s Apple-only. There’s no Android or browser version. If you read on an Android tablet or a Windows laptop as well, your Aidoku library stays on your Apple devices.

Backups don’t move between apps. Aidoku has its own backup format, and its backup guide says nothing about restoring a Mihon .tachibk or Tachimanga .tmb file, so if you’re coming from one of those apps (or going to one) you’ll be rebuilding your library. If you use AniList or MyAnimeList, connecting the same account in the new app gets your chapter progress back, even if you have to re-add the series.

Other source-based readers on iOS

Paperback

Paperback is the other long-running source-based reader on iOS. Unlike Aidoku, it has an App Store version, but that build is 0.8.11 from February 2025. The newer 0.9 builds come through TestFlight for Patreon supporters and Discord members. It uses its own extension system rather than Mihon’s, supports external trackers and offline downloads, and runs on iPhone, iPad and Apple Silicon Macs. We go through it in more detail in our Paperback alternatives guide.

Tachimanga

Tachimanga is on the App Store and is closest in spirit to the Tachiyomi workflow, since it uses Mihon-compatible extensions. It also reads ZIP, CBZ and EPUB files and connects to Komga. It’s iOS-only, and some features sit behind a paid Premium tier. We compared the two in Tachimanga vs Madomi and covered the wider field in Tachimanga alternatives for iOS.

Madomi

Madomi is our app, so weigh this section accordingly. It’s a source-based reader on the App Store and Google Play, plus a Chrome and Firefox extension. It adds online sources through Mihon / Tachiyomi-compatible extensions (you add your own extension repo), reads CBZ, CBR, ZIP, EPUB and PDF files, connects to Komga, and imports Mihon .tachibk and Tachimanga .tmb backups. The reader is free, and so is tracker sync with seven services, AniList and MyAnimeList among them. Cross-device sync and unlimited downloads are part of a one-time paid unlock. It also has AI translation for raw chapters, which uses credits, with 100 free each month. The listing may still show its old name, Fakey.

How the options compare

	Aidoku	Paperback	Tachimanga	Madomi
On the App Store	No (TestFlight, AltStore or sideload)	Yes (0.8.11); 0.9 via TestFlight	Yes	Yes
Source format	Aidoku .aix sources	Paperback extensions	Mihon-compatible extensions	Mihon-compatible extensions
Platforms	iPhone, iPad, Mac	iPhone, iPad, Apple Silicon Mac	iPhone, iPad	iPhone, iPad, Android, Chrome, Firefox
Local files and servers	Local files and media servers	Komga	ZIP, CBZ, EPUB, Komga	CBZ, CBR, ZIP, EPUB, PDF, Komga
Imports Mihon .tachibk backups	Not in its docs	Not in its listing	Yes	Yes

Which one makes sense for you

If sideloading doesn’t bother you and the sources you read exist as .aix packages, there’s no strong reason to leave Aidoku. If the install method is the problem, any of the three App Store apps fixes that. If you want the same sources you used in Mihon on Android, Tachimanga and Madomi both use that extension format. If you also read on non-Apple devices, check which apps actually run there before you move your library.

If you’re coming from Android rather than leaving Aidoku, our post on whether there’s a Mihon for iOS covers that move, including how to bring a .tachibk backup across.

Read more anime and tech blogs.