Anime Reference vs AniLib
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Anime Reference
Easily track, discover, and organize your anime and manga collections. Manage watchlists, monitor progress, and find new series with detailed information and seasonal updates.
- Track anime and manga progress
- Discover new and trending series
- Manage custom watchlists
- View detailed anime information
- Receive episode air notifications
- Customize app theme
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Track, discover, and organize your anime and manga — all in one easy-to-use app. Anime Reference helps you manage your anime watchlists, track your progress, and find your next favorite show. FEATURES Track Anime and Manga • Add anime and manga to your personal lists • Mark shows as Watching, Completed, Dropped, or Plan to Watch • View detailed anime information, characters, and recommendations • Track your anime watch stats Discover New Favorites • Browse top airing anime • Explore upcoming seasonal shows • Find hidden gems and trending series Manage Your Watchlists • Stay organized with your custom anime and manga lists • See what’s airing today or this week • Quickly search for any anime or manga title Upgrade with PLUS ULTRA • Unlock ratings and favorites • Get push notifications when new episodes air • Customize your app theme and appearance • Get early access to new features WHY ANIME FANS LOVE US • Simple and fast to use • Beautiful, clean design • Always up-to-date seasonal data • Built by anime fans, for anime fans Ready to take your anime obsession to the next level? Start tracking, discovering, and organizing your anime journey today with Anime Reference. Terms of Use EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
AniLib
Discover popular, new, and trending anime and manga. Browse content by category or search for specific titles. Features quick actions and dark mode for a streamlined experience.
- Explore popular anime and manga
- Track new and trending titles
- Browse by category
- Search for specific content
- Home Screen Quick Actions
- Dark Mode support
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Explore the world of anime and manga. The online encyclopedia of anime is at your fingertips. App features: - Look through the most popular anime and manga. - Keep an eye on the new & trending anime. - Find more fascinating content by category. - Search for what you are interested in. - Home Screen Quick Actions supported. - Dark Mode supported. - No ads.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Anime Reference at 75% against AniLib's 27%. Anime Reference also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.1). AniLib's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11) and update cadence (daily vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Anime Reference sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. AniLib asks for nothing beyond the download.
Anime Reference holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 80 and 28 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of Anime Reference's written reviews are positive against 27% of AniLib's.
Anime Reference ships an update every 2 months, AniLib daily. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 27, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Anime Reference | AniLib |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (80 ratings) — better | 2.1 (28 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better | 26.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 80 — better | 28 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 14.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 49 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Aaron Treinish | Boyang Yue |
Customer experience
Anime Reference
AniLib
In-app purchases
Anime Reference
- PLUS ULTRA Weekly3 Days trial$4.997 Days
- PLUS ULTRA 1 month$4.991 Month
- PLUS ULTRA 6 months$14.996 Months
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- PLUS ULTRA 1 year$29.991 Year
- Shonen Tip$0.99
- Weeb Tip$1.99
- PLUS ULTRA$2.99
Show 4 moreShow fewer
- Otaku Tip$4.99
- Sugoi Tip$9.99
- Sensei Tip$14.99
- Hokage Tip$19.99
AniLib
No in-app purchases
