This note ranks open-source manga and comic translators by GitHub stars. manga-image-translator leads at 9,700 stars. koharu has 3,000 and comic-translate has 2,500. cotrans is the web platform at 270 stars. TachiyomiAT is the Android reader at 179 stars. Top picks then group tools by best quality, most features, easiest use, local-first privacy, and Android.
Overview
A comparison table of open-source manga/comic translation tools, ranked by stars (popularity).
Main Comparison Table
| # | Tool | Stars | Language | License | Platform | Input Formats | Inpainting | OCR | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | manga-image-translator | 9,700 | Python | GPL-3.0 | Web/CLI/API | Images | LaMa, SD | 48px, MangaOCR | 20+ translators (Sugoi, DeepL, ChatGPT, NLLB, Qwen2...) |
| 2 | koharu | 3,000 | Rust | GPL-3.0 | Desktop | Images, PSD | LaMa, AOT | PaddleOCR-VL, MangaOCR | Local LLMs (Gemma, Qwen, Sakura) + Cloud |
| 3 | comic-translate | 2,500 | Python | Apache-2.0 | Desktop | Image/PDF/Epub/CBR/CBZ | LaMa, AOT-GAN | manga-ocr, Pororo, PaddleOCR | GPT-4.1, Claude-4.5, Gemini-2.5 |
| 4 | cotrans | 270 | TypeScript | GPL-3.0 | Web | Images | manga-image-translator backend | manga-image-translator backend | manga-image-translator backend |
| 5 | cameronkinsella/manga-translator | 148 | Go | MIT | Desktop | Images | None (overlay) | Google Cloud Vision | DeepL, Google Cloud Translation |
| 6 | MangaTranslator (grinnch) | 175 | Python | Apache-2.0 | Web/CLI | Images, ZIP | Flux.2/Kontext, OpenCV | LLM-based | 10+ cloud providers (Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepSeek...) |
| 7 | TareHimself/manga-translator | 105 | Python | AGPL-3.0 | Web/CLI | Images | DeepFillv2, LaMa | General | OpenAI-compatible |
| 8 | dalelyunas/manga-translator | 103 | Python 2.7 | N/A | CLI | Images | OpenCV basic | Tesseract | Google Translate (npm) |
| 9 | JMTrans | 90 | Python | AGPL-3.0 | Desktop | Images, URLs | SickZil | Google Drive OCR, Windows OCR | ezTrans XP, Google Translate |
| 10 | manga-translator (Android) | 76 | Java | N/A | Android | Images | Canvas | ML Kit | ML Kit, Microsoft Translate |
| 11 | TachiyomiAT | 179 | Kotlin | Apache-2.0 | Android | Manga chapters | None (overlay) | N/A | ML Kit, Google Translate, Gemini, OpenRouter |
| 12 | MangaQuick | 84 | Python | Apache-2.0 | Web | Images | LaMa | manga-ocr, EasyOCR | DeepL, Google, Ollama |
| 13 | pedguedes090/Manga-Translator | 58 | Python | MIT | Web | Images | OpenCV | Manga-OCR, Chrome Lens | Gemini, Ollama/LM Studio, NLLB |
| 14 | ImageTrans (docs) | 126 | N/A | Commercial | Desktop | Multiple | Proprietary | Multiple | Multiple |
| 15 | comic-translator | 33 | JavaScript | GPL-3.0 | CLI | Images, Website | N/A | N/A | API-based |
| 16 | AutoScanlate-AI | 21 | Go+Python | Custom NC | Web | Images | OpenCV | MangaOCR | Qwen 2.5 7B (local) |
| 17 | Manga_Translator (Whalefishin) | 19 | Jupyter | AGPL-3.0 | Notebook | Images | Segmentation | Manga-OCR, Tesseract | Google Cloud Translation |
| 18 | BallonsTranslator-Pro | 15 | Python | MIT | Desktop | Multiple | LaMa, SD/SDXL/FLUX, MAT | 30+ OCR engines | Google, DeepL, ChatGPT, Qwen_MT, Sugoi... |
| 19 | NyanTranslate | 13 | Python | MIT | Web | Images | Basic | Manga-OCR | Google Translate |
| 20 | AntonRls/Manga-Translator | 29 | C# | N/A | Desktop | Images | Manual selection | Manual | DeepL, Google, OpenAI |
| 21 | onyx-manga-translator | 5 | Python | MIT | Desktop | Images | Built-in | Manga-OCR | Google Translate |
| 22 | Komic | 8 | Java | N/A | Android | MangaDex | None | ML Kit | ML Kit |
| 23 | MangaReader | 6 | Python | GPL-3.0 | Desktop/Web | Local manga | N/A | N/A | LLM-based |
| 24 | manga-translator-project | 4 | Python | N/A | Web | Images | N/A | PaddleOCR | Google Generative AI |
| 25 | oomol-flows/manga-translator | 1 | Python | N/A | Workflow | Image/CBZ/CBR/EPUB/PDF | manga-image-translator | manga-image-translator | OOMOL translation service |
| 26 | brainatron GitLab | N/A | Python | GPL-3.0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Classification by Use Case
Desktop Apps
| Tool | OS | GUI Framework | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| koharu | Win/Mac/Linux | Tauri | Local-first, Rust, PSD export |
| comic-translate | Win/Mac | PySide6 | LLM translation, multi-format |
| BallonsTranslator-Pro | Win/Mac/Linux | PyQt5/6 | 30+ OCR, 15+ inpainters, 370 fonts |
| MangaQuick | Web (Streamlit) | Streamlit | Academic project, LaMa inpainting |
| AutoScanlate-AI | Web | Next.js | Microservices (Go+Python+Next.js) |
| JMTrans | Win | PyQt5 | URL download, Korean-focused |
Mobile Apps
| Tool | Platform | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| TachiyomiAT | Android | Mihon fork, auto-translate chapters |
| manga-translator (wiryaimd) | Android | ML Kit, 60+ languages |
| Komic | Android | MangaDex reader + ML Kit |
Web Platforms
| Tool | Type | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| cotrans | Online platform | Collaborative, browser extension |
| MangaTranslator (grinnch) | Web UI (Gradio) | Flux.2 inpainting, 59 languages |
| pedguedes090/Manga-Translator | Web (Flask) | Gemini + context memory |
| NyanTranslate | Web (Flask) | Simple, 23 languages |
| AI Manga Translator | Commercial SaaS | Chrome extension, paid service |
Libraries/Pipelines
| Tool | Type | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| manga-image-translator | Pipeline | Most comprehensive, modular |
| TareHimself/manga-translator | Pipeline | YOLO + DeepFillv2 |
| oomol-flows/manga-translator | Workflow | No-code, based on manga-image-translator |
| dalelyunas/manga-translator | Script | Classic, Python 2.7 |
Classification by Translation Method
| Method | Tools |
|---|---|
| LLM API (Best quality) | comic-translate (GPT-4.1/Claude/Gemini), MangaTranslator-grinnch (10+ providers) |
| Local LLM | koharu (Gemma/Qwen/Sakura via llama.cpp), AutoScanlate-AI (Qwen 2.5) |
| Hybrid | manga-image-translator (online + offline options), MangaQuick (DeepL + Ollama) |
| Free API | Detopall/manga-translator (Google), NyanTranslate (Google) |
| On-device | TachiyomiAT (ML Kit), manga-translator-Android (ML Kit), Komic (ML Kit) |
| Specialized | JMTrans (ezTrans XP for Korean), Sugoi (offline Japanese) |
Top Picks by Need
Best Translation Quality
- comic-translate - SOTA LLMs (GPT-4.1, Claude-4.5)
- MangaTranslator (grinnch) - 10+ cloud providers, Flux inpainting
- koharu - Fine-tuned translation models (Sakura, Sugoi, vntl)
Most Features
- manga-image-translator - Most modular pipeline
- BallonsTranslator-Pro - 30+ OCR, 15+ inpainters, 370 fonts
- koharu - PSD export, MCP server, headless mode
Easiest to Use
- cotrans - Web-based, no install needed
- TachiyomiAT - Mobile, integrated reader
- comic-translate - Desktop installer
Privacy / Local-first
- koharu - All models run locally, Rust performance
- AutoScanlate-AI - Local Qwen 2.5 LLM
- manga-image-translator - Offline translators (NLLB, Sugoi, Sakura)
Android
- TachiyomiAT - Full reader + translation
- manga-translator (wiryaimd) - Standalone translator
- Komic - MangaDex reader + translation
References:
- See the detailed notes for each tool: Manga Image Translator, Koharu, Comic Translate, Cotrans, Tachiyomi AT
- Reddit r/mangapiracy discussion
See also: Manga Translator Others · Manga Image Translator · Koharu