MyAnimeList
MyAnimeList Co., Ltd. operates the world's largest anime and manga community platform, serving 16 million registered fans with searchable title databases, personal list tracking, reviews, forums, and publisher-sponsored discovery campaigns.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What MyAnimeList does
MyAnimeList Co., Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo and founded in 2006, operates the largest global community platform dedicated to anime and manga, with 16 million registered members as of the most recent disclosed communications. The platform combines a comprehensive searchable database of anime and manga titles — including metadata on characters, voice actors, studios, staff, episodes, and licensors — with user-generated content systems for personal lists (Watching, Completed, On-Hold, Dropped, Plan to Watch), ratings, reviews, forums, clubs, interest stacks, and recommendations. Core products include the MyAnimeList web platform, official iOS and Android applications, the paid MAL Supporter premium membership, the MAL×Japan editorial vertical for industry news and features, the annual 'You Should Read This Manga' publisher-sponsored discovery campaign, the Honeyfeed-co-hosted MyAnimeList Writing Contest for aspiring manga/light novel authors, and the Manga Store e-commerce vertical for physical merchandise.
The company runs a community-led, freemium business model. The free tier is supported by display advertising and sponsored publisher content (e.g., Shueisha MANGA Plus, Yen Press, comici), with direct integrations to streaming partners (Crunchyroll for embedded playback, Netflix for availability links) and to music platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music) for anime soundtracks. The premium MAL Supporter tier removes ads and unlocks advanced list customization and statistics. Additional revenue streams include publisher writing contests with potential licensing/royalty exposure and merchandise e-commerce via the Manga Store. Distribution is overwhelmingly direct-to-consumer through the website and mobile apps, with publisher and streaming partnerships serving as both content and revenue channels rather than resold distribution.
Customer concentration on the B2C side is low by construction — the company serves millions of individual fans globally, segmented primarily by persona (anime/manga enthusiasts) and, on a secondary basis, by business unit (publishers and rights holders seeking promotional access). The company is venture-stage-equivalent in funding posture despite its maturity — it has raised approximately $10.4M cumulatively across disclosed rounds in 2021 (~8.5M across two rounds) and 2024 (~$1.9M from Animoca Brands Japan as part of the Anime Foundation Web3 initiative), with strategic investors dominated by Japanese IP conglomerates (KADOKAWA, Kodansha, Shueisha, Shogakukan, Akatsuki, DMM.com, The Anime Times Company).
MyAnimeList firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MyAnimeList
- Legal name
- MyAnimeList Co., Ltd.
- Website
- https://myanimelist.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- MyAnimeList Co., Ltd. operates the world's largest anime and manga community platform, serving 16 million registered fans with searchable title databases, personal list tracking, reviews, forums, and publisher-sponsored discovery campaigns.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MyAnimeList industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Anime and Manga Community Platform
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Comics, Manga & Serialized Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Reader Community, Serialization & Monetization Platforms (Web fiction, Subscriptions) (MPAJAJAM), Topic/Interest-Based Content Discovery Apps (MPACAKAB)
Keywords
Where MyAnimeList is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
MyAnimeList business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- MAL Supporter (Premium Membership): Premium membership tier offering enhanced features such as ad-free experience, advanced list customization, and additional functionality. The site displays 'Hide Ads' options indicating an advertising-supported free tier with paid premium option.
- Publisher Partnerships and Sponsored Content: Partnerships with publishers such as Shueisha (MANGA Plus), Yen Press, and comici Manga for sponsored content and promotions, including campaigns like 'You Should Read This Manga' featuring publisher-curated lists.
- Advertising Revenue: Display advertising on the platform, with ads visible to non-premium users. The site shows 'Hide Ads' options for premium subscribers, indicating an advertising-supported business model for free users.
- Writing Contest Partnerships: Partnerships with publishers and animation studios for writing contests that could lead to manga/light novel publication opportunities, potentially creating licensing or referral revenue streams.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free tier with ads and basic features |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
MyAnimeList product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MyAnimeList operates an online database and community platform for anime and manga where fans can track viewing and reading progress, rate and review titles, and participate in forums, clubs, and interest stacks. The platform aggregates detailed information on titles, characters, voice actors, and staff, and links users to legal streaming and manga reading services operated by third parties such as Crunchyroll, Netflix, and MANGA Plus. Supporting offerings include mobile applications, a premium membership tier (MAL Supporter), the MAL×Japan editorial vertical, an annual manga recommendation campaign, a writing contest, and a manga merchandise storefront.
Product overview
MyAnimeList operates as a comprehensive anime and manga database and community platform. The core offering is the MyAnimeList Platform, which provides searchable catalogs, user rankings, reviews, forums, clubs, blogs, recommendations, and seasonal guides. Supporting this are the MyAnimeList Mobile Apps for iOS and Android, the MAL Supporter premium membership tier offering ad-free and enhanced features, MAL×Japan editorial content covering industry news and interviews, the annual You Should Read This Manga curated recommendation campaign, the MyAnimeList x Honeyfeed Writing Contest for aspiring authors, and the Manga Store for purchasing manga merchandise.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- MyAnimeList Platform Comprehensive online database and community platform for anime and manga featuring searchable catalogs, user rankings, reviews, forums, clubs, blogs, recommendations, news, and seasonal guides; serves as a central hub for fans to track, discover, and discuss anime and manga content.
- MyAnimeList Mobile Apps
- MAL×Japan Editorial content vertical covering Japanese anime and manga industry news, interviews, and features, including business entertainment programming and industry coverage for the MyAnimeList community.
- Manga Store E-commerce vertical enabling users to purchase manga volumes and related merchandise directly through the platform, integrated with the anime and manga database.
Quantifiable outcome
- 16 million registered members globally
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use MyAnimeList
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
MyAnimeList technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature3 records
MyAnimeList partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- MANGA Plus by ShueishacoreMANGA Plus by Shueisha is a sponsor and partner for the 'You Should Read This Manga 2026' campaign, which curates manga nominations from passionate readers and promotes manga discovery on the platform.
- Yen PresscoreYen Press is a sponsor and partner for the 'You Should Read This Manga 2026' campaign, promoting English-language manga to the MyAnimeList community.
- comici Mangasupportingcomici Manga is a sponsor for the 'You Should Read This Manga 2026' manga discovery campaign on MyAnimeList.
- CrunchyrollcoreCrunchyroll provides video streaming for anime titles listed on MyAnimeList. The platform displays streaming availability information with direct links to Crunchyroll episodes.
- NetflixsupportingNetflix is listed as a streaming platform option for certain anime titles on MyAnimeList, with availability information displayed on anime pages.
- VIZ MediacoreVIZ Media is listed as a licensor for anime titles on MyAnimeList, indicating content licensing and distribution partnerships for English-language releases.
- HoneyfeedcoreMyAnimeList partners with Honeyfeed for the annual Writing Contest since 2021, offering aspiring authors opportunities to share stories, receive community feedback, and potentially publish work as manga/light novels through major Japanese publishers.
- Major Japanese Publishers and Animation StudioscoreIndustry partners for the MyAnimeList x Honeyfeed Writing Contest, offering professional representation, monetary prizes, and potential publication and anime adaptation opportunities for winning entries.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
MyAnimeList competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AniList: Direct anime/manga tracking platform with modern UI, social features, and active development - the most cited competitor to MyAnimeList among younger anime fans.
- Kitsu: Anime and manga tracking community with social features, reviews, and database functionality - directly competes with MAL for the same user base.
- Anime-Planet: Anime/manga database and community platform with integrated legal streaming links, offering a similar feature set to MAL with strong genre-based recommendations.
- AniDB: Long-established anime database with extensive metadata, user lists, and community features - serves a more enthusiast segment but overlaps with MAL's tracking functionality.
- MyDramaList: Asian drama tracking platform with the same community-driven tracking model as MAL, often mentioned together as part of the same media-tracking ecosystem for fans of Asian content.
Broad incumbents
- Goodreads: Largest book-tracking community with user lists, reviews, and recommendations - the analogous model for books that MyAnimeList represents for anime/manga.
- Letterboxd: Film-tracking community with user reviews, lists, and social features - mirrors MAL's community-tracking model for film enthusiasts and demonstrates commercial viability of niche media databases.
Emerging players
- Trakt: TV and movie tracking platform with watchlist and scrobbling features - shares MAL's tracking-and-discovery DNA but with broader mainstream TV/movie focus rather than anime/manga specialization.
Regional players
- Bangumi: Chinese-language anime, manga, and game tracking community with similar database and list-tracking features - the closest regional analog to MAL for Chinese-speaking audiences.
Others
- Crunchyroll: Largest anime streaming platform and existing MAL partner - while not a direct database competitor, Crunchyroll's growing community features (reviews, watchlists, forums) increasingly overlap with MAL's social functionality.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
MyAnimeList social profiles
Digital presenceMyAnimeList financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MyAnimeList leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
MyAnimeList funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MyAnimeList M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MyAnimeList
What does MyAnimeList do?
MyAnimeList operates an online database and community platform for anime and manga where fans can track viewing and reading progress, rate and review titles, and participate in forums, clubs, and interest stacks. The platform aggregates detailed information on titles, characters, voice actors, and staff, and links users to legal streaming and manga reading services operated by third parties such as Crunchyroll, Netflix, and MANGA Plus. Supporting offerings include mobile applications, a premium membership tier (MAL Supporter), the MAL×Japan editorial vertical, an annual manga recommendation campaign, a writing contest, and a manga merchandise storefront.
Is MyAnimeList a public or private company?
MyAnimeList is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was MyAnimeList founded?
MyAnimeList was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is MyAnimeList based?
MyAnimeList is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does MyAnimeList make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. MAL Supporter (Premium Membership) is the primary driver. The others are publisher Partnerships and Sponsored Content, advertising Revenue and writing Contest Partnerships.
Who are MyAnimeList's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AniList, Kitsu, Anime-Planet, AniDB and MyDramaList. Broad incumbents are Goodreads and Letterboxd. Trakt is listed as an emerging player. Bangumi is listed as a regional player. Crunchyroll is listed as an others.
Does MyAnimeList have an API?
No public API is recorded for MyAnimeList.
What industry is MyAnimeList in?
MyAnimeList's product category is Anime and Manga Community Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAJAJ, Digital Comics, Manga & Serialized Reading Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAJAJAM, Reader Community, Serialization & Monetization Platforms (Web fiction, Subscriptions). Its NAICS code is 516210.