The Best Paperback Alternative for iOS in 2026: Madomi (Mihon Sources, Android Too)

If you’re looking for a Paperback alternative, Madomi is the one to install. It’s a free source-based manga reader by Pawaka Labs, it’s on the App Store with every update going out to everyone, it pulls sources from the same Mihon-style extension repos the rest of the manga world uses, it tracks to AniList and MyAnimeList, and it follows you to Android and the browser on one account. It also translates raw manga while you read, which no other reader in this category does. Last checked on 13 September 2026.

Paperback is a source-based manga reader for Apple devices. If you’re here, something about it made you look around. Maybe your sources stopped loading. Maybe you bought an Android tablet. Maybe you just noticed the App Store version hasn’t changed in a while.

We looked at the reasons people give for leaving Paperback, and Madomi has an answer for each one.

Why people look for a Paperback alternative

1. The App Store version is stuck. The public App Store build of Paperback is 0.8.11, last updated in February 2025. Version 0.9 exists, but it’s a TestFlight beta you get by becoming a Patreon supporter or boosting their Discord. Everyone else waits.
2. The extension split. Paperback sources are its own TypeScript extensions, and they’re versioned: 0.9 sources don’t run on 0.8, and 0.8 extensions only have basic, experimental support in 0.9. App Store reviewers mention sources that simply disappeared.
3. It’s Apple-only. iPhone, iPad, Apple Silicon Macs and Vision Pro. No Android app, no browser version.
4. It doesn’t speak Mihon. The biggest source ecosystem, the Mihon and Tachiyomi extension repos, doesn’t work in Paperback, and neither do Mihon .tachibk or Tachimanga .tmb backups.
5. The language wall. Like every reader in this category, Paperback shows you chapters someone already translated. If a series is 60 chapters ahead in Japanese, Korean or Chinese, you wait.

Meet Madomi: the Paperback alternative that runs everywhere

Madomi isn’t a translator with a reader bolted on. The reader is the app, it’s source-based the way Paperback is, and it’s free. It’s on the App Store and Google Play, and every new version goes to every user the day it ships. No supporter tier for the good build.

• Sources from Mihon extension repos. Madomi ships with no repos. Paste the index URL of the repo you use (it ends in index.pb, or index.min.json for older repos) and install sources straight from it. One source format, one big pool, no version split to worry about.
• A proper reader. Five reading modes (left-to-right, right-to-left, vertical paged, webtoon, and continuous with gaps), Mihon-style tap zones, continuous chapter-to-chapter scrolling, colour filters, brightness control, a pure-black theme, custom accent colours, and auto scroll for long webtoons.
• Library features from the Tachiyomi family. Categories, a new-chapters Updates feed, global search across every installed source, saved filter presets, source migration when a source dies, and a “similar manga” row on every series pulled from AniList and MyAnimeList.
• Tracking built in. AniList and MyAnimeList sync as you read, no separate tracker extension to install. If you tracked from Paperback, your progress is waiting the moment you connect the same account.
• Backup import. Mihon .tachibk and Tachimanga .tmb files restore directly, library, categories, progress and tracker links included.
• Your own files and servers. CBZ, PDF and ZIP, plus a self-hosted Komga server, so the Komga library you had wired into Paperback comes along too.
• Cross-device sync. Your library and reading position follow your Madomi account between iPhone, iPad, Android and the Chrome or Firefox extension. Not just across Apple devices.
• Translation, when you want it. Open a raw chapter, tap one button, and Madomi reads every speech bubble and overlays your language on the page.

The free plan gives you 20 chapter downloads a day and free translation credits every month. Trackers, cross-device sync, unlimited downloads, auto scroll, read-ahead and custom themes are the one-time Madomi Reader purchase. That’s a lifetime unlock, not a subscription, and it’s 80% off until the end of September 2026. Translation credits are separate. If you never translate anything, you never pay for them.

Paperback vs Madomi

	Paperback	Madomi
Latest version on the App Store for everyone	No (0.9 is a supporter-only TestFlight)	Yes
Source-based reading	Yes (Paperback extensions, split between 0.8 and 0.9)	Yes (Mihon extension repos)
Imports Mihon .tachibk backups	No	Yes
Imports Tachimanga .tmb backups	No	Yes
AniList and MyAnimeList tracking	Via tracker extensions	Built in
Komga	Yes	Yes
Android app	No	Yes
Chrome and Firefox extension	No	Yes
Sync beyond Apple devices	No	Yes
Translates raw manga as you read	No	Yes

Verdict: Madomi is the Paperback alternative to install. It keeps the source-based workflow, swaps a split extension system for the Mihon repos everyone already uses, ships every update to everyone, and adds Android, the browser and translation on top.

Why Madomi wins even if you never translate a page

Translation is the headline feature, so let’s set it aside for a minute. As a plain reader, Madomi still comes out ahead of Paperback for most people.

• You always have the current version. No Patreon, no Discord boost, no waiting for a beta to go public. Update from the store and you’re on the same build as everyone else.
• Sources that don’t break on a version bump. Mihon repos are one format. When you update Madomi, your sources come with you.
• Your library isn’t locked to Apple. Read on your iPhone tonight, pick up on an Android tablet or in Chrome tomorrow. Same account, same page.
• Your Mihon or Tachimanga history comes with you. If you ever built a library in either one, the backup imports as-is.
• When you do unlock, it’s once. Madomi Reader is a lifetime purchase, and during the September sale it costs a fraction of the usual price.

The language wall, for everyone else

This is where Madomi stops being “a better Paperback” and turns into a different kind of app. Open a raw Japanese chapter, a Korean manhwa 80 chapters ahead of the English release, or a Chinese manhua nobody has picked up. Madomi reads the text inside every bubble with OCR built for manga fonts, then overlays the translation in your language as you scroll. The original art stays untouched. It’s rated 4.8 out of 5 from 270+ Chrome Web Store ratings with 10,000+ active users, the highest-rated manga translator extension there is.

If your untranslated backlog is Korean manhwa or Chinese manhua, we’ve written full walkthroughs. There’s also a wider look at iOS manga readers that translate. Leaving a different app? We’ve got guides for Aidoku and Tachimanga too.

How do I switch from Paperback to Madomi?

1. Get Madomi on the App Store (or Google Play). It’s free, and there’s no sign-up wall. The listing may still show the old name, Fakey. Same app.
2. Connect your tracker first. Settings, then Tracking, then sign in to AniList or MyAnimeList. If Paperback was syncing to the same account, every series and chapter number you were on is already there.
3. Add your repo. Settings, then Library & sources, then Extension repos. Paste the index URL of the Mihon repo you use and install the sources you want.
4. Re-add your series. Global search finds each title across every installed source in one go, and tracked series link back up to the progress from step 2.
5. Using Komga? Point Madomi at your server and your collection shows up.
6. Optional: open a raw chapter and watch it come out in your language.

Got a Mihon .tachibk or Tachimanga .tmb from another app? Import that under Backup and restore and skip step 4.

One reader, every device, every language

Madomi gives Paperback users the source-based reader they came for, with the Mihon source ecosystem, updates that reach everyone, Android and browser apps, built-in tracking, and translation nobody else offers. Grab it on the App Store and connect your tracker tonight.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best Paperback alternative for iOS? Madomi. It’s a free source-based manga reader by Pawaka Labs on the App Store that installs sources from Mihon extension repos, tracks with AniList and MyAnimeList, imports Mihon and Tachimanga backups, runs on Android and in Chrome and Firefox on the same account, and translates raw manga as you read.

Does Madomi use Paperback extensions? No. Madomi uses Mihon extension repos instead, the same source pool Mihon and Tachiyomi users have, so you’re not stuck waiting for sources to be rewritten for a new Paperback extension version. Paste a repo index URL and install what you want.

Is Madomi free? Yes. The reader is free: every reading mode, online sources, Komga, local CBZ, PDF and ZIP files, global search and 20 chapter downloads a day. The one-time Madomi Reader purchase adds trackers, cross-device sync, unlimited downloads, auto scroll and custom themes. Translation credits are separate, and the free plan includes some every month (1 credit per translated image), with Madomi Premium making it unlimited.

Do I need a Patreon or a TestFlight invite to get the latest Madomi? No. Every Madomi update ships to everyone through the App Store and Google Play. There’s no supporter-only beta and no Discord invite needed to be on the current version.

Can I move my Paperback library to Madomi? If you track with AniList or MyAnimeList, connect the same account in Madomi and your reading progress is already there. Then add a Mihon repo, install your sources, and re-add your series with global search. Mihon and Tachimanga backups import directly.

Does Madomi work on Android and desktop? Yes. Madomi has a native Android app, an iOS app for iPhone and iPad, and a Chrome and Firefox extension, and one account syncs your library and reading position across all of them. Paperback is Apple-only.