# Karatu — Native reader. Your sources.

> Native reader. Your sources. (iPhone/iPad app by Umar Rufai.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/karatu/id6765975970 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Umar Rufai](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895570634)
- Category: Books
- Price: Free
- Age rating: 17+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 2 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-05-04
- Data updated: 2026-10-06
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/karatu/id6765975970/reviews.md

## What is Karatu?

Karatu is a native iOS reader where you bring your own sources.

The app does not ship with a built-in catalog or library. Instead, you install small JavaScript source plug-ins from public repositories — exactly the same model as a media-server client like Plex or Jellyfin. The app is the reader; the content backend is up to you.


WHAT KARATU GIVES YOU

- A native iOS reader. Vertical (webtoon) and horizontal (paged) modes, pinch-zoom, double-tap to reset, tap-to-toggle full-screen, auto-advance to the next chapter.

- Per-page bookmarks, grouped by series.

- Offline downloads. Background URLSession keeps fetches running when the app is suspended; per-chapter status lives on the manga detail screen with a one-tap "Download all chapters."

- A real library. Sort by recently-read, recently-added, title, or chapters-read. Filter by currently-reading, has-downloads, unread-chapters-available, or by source.

- Reading history with per-chapter resume. Pick up exactly where you left off.

- Reading-time stats. Daily totals, current streak, longest streak, total time. Stored locally; nothing is sent anywhere.

- A clean settings screen with storage usage, per-source breakdown, and one-tap reset.


WHAT KARATU DOES NOT DO

- Ship sources. You provide them.
- Send any data anywhere. Karatu has no accounts, no telemetry, no third-party SDKs, no ads. The privacy manifest declares zero data collection.
- Verify, host, distribute, or endorse any source or repository. You are solely responsible for the content you choose to load.


FOR DEVELOPERS

Karatu's source SDK is a tiny JavaScript runtime: fetch, console.log, and registerSource. Sources implement four async methods (getPopular, search, getMangaDetails, getChapterPages) and return ordinary JSON. Anyone can write a source and host the manifest as a public file. See the project documentation for the full SDK contract.


PRIVACY

All app state — library, history, bookmarks, downloads, stats — is stored locally on your device. Karatu makes network requests only to URLs you have explicitly configured. There are no analytics, no tracking pixels, no third-party libraries that phone home. Uninstalling the app removes every byte.


REQUIREMENTS

iOS 17 or later. iPhone only.


## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 1.0.1 — 2026-05-05

• Downloaded chapters now open without an internet connection. The reader and library both fall back to your downloaded copies when offline.

### 1.0 — 2026-05-05

No release notes.

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-10-06.*