A free, open-source Migaku alternative
Miteiru is a desktop video player for Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Vietnamese immersion. If you came here because Migaku’s subscription is more than you want to pay — or because you watch files, not Netflix — this is the honest split.
Migaku is a commercial browser toolkit: overlays on streaming sites, a built-in SRS, and courses. Miteiru is a public GitHub project you install once and use on Windows, macOS, or Linux. Same immersion instinct. Different job.
Quick verdict
Use Miteiru when you have local video (anime rips, MKV dramas, downloaded lectures), YouTube URLs, or Cantonese you actually want jyutping on — and you do not want another monthly bill. Use Migaku when your library is Netflix / Disney+ / Viki in Chrome and you want their all-in-one card workflow.
Miteiru does not overlay Netflix. Migaku is not a local MKV player. Pretending otherwise helps nobody rank and helps you even less.
Miteiru vs Migaku
| Feature | Miteiru | Migaku |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to download and use. No trial clock. | Paid subscription after a short trial. Lifetime plan also sold. |
| Source code | Public on GitHub (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). | Proprietary commercial product. |
| Where it runs | Desktop app: Windows, macOS, Linux. | Chrome extension plus Migaku’s own apps and courses. |
| What you watch | Local files (MP4, MKV, and other Chromium formats) and YouTube URLs. | Streaming sites in the browser (Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Viki, and others). |
| Account | None. | Required for the product to work after the trial. |
| Readings on subtitles | Furigana, pinyin, and jyutping generated while you watch. | Readings and dictionary overlays on supported sites and languages. |
| Languages | Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese. | A broader catalog of languages in one subscription. |
| Dictionaries | Bundled JMDict, KanjiDic, CC-CEDICT, CC-Canto, VNEDict, pitch accent. | Migaku dictionaries and frequency data inside their ecosystem. |
| Flashcards | Export words or sentences to Anki. | Built-in SRS, plus export options depending on the current plan. |
| Courses | None — it is a player, not a curriculum. | Migaku Academy and structured beginner material. |
| Offline | Local video + bundled dictionaries work without Wi‑Fi. | Designed around the browser and an online account. |
| Netflix / Disney+ / Viki | Not supported. | Core workflow. |
Migaku pricing and supported sites change. Check migaku.com for current plans. This table describes the usual split learners actually hit: subscription browser suite versus free desktop player.
What “Migaku alternative” actually means here
People type that phrase when they want readings on subtitles, a click-to-define dictionary, and a path into Anki — without paying for an ecosystem. Miteiru covers that loop for files you own:
- Ruby overlays: furigana, pinyin, or jyutping generated while the line plays.
- Bundled dictionaries (JMDict, KanjiDic, CC-CEDICT, CC-Canto, VNEDict) so you are not hunting packs on day one.
- Dual subtitles so the target-language track stays up and a translation track sits underneath when you need it.
- Anki export from a word lookup or from Learn mode on a full sentence.
What it does not cover: screenshot-plus-audio mining from Netflix, Migaku Academy lessons, or a hosted SRS of its own. If those are the product you liked, keep Migaku — or pair Miteiru with Anki the way immersion people already do.
Where Miteiru is stronger
Local files and weird MKVs
Immersion from discs, torrents, and course video still happens on the desktop. Miteiru plays what Chromium can play, including many HEVC tracks, and will remux or pick an audio stream when a file has Cantonese and Mandarin sitting next to each other. That is a different problem than “inject a subtitle overlay into Netflix,” and browser extensions are not trying to solve it.
Cantonese
Jyutping on subtitles is a gap in a lot of Japanese-first immersion software. Miteiru treats Cantonese as a first-class stack, not a footnote: CC-Canto, jyutping ruby, and Learn mode notes aimed at the line you just heard.
No account, no meter
Downloads are free. Dictionaries ship in the installer. Local playback works offline. The license is CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, which is why the README calls it open source and why you can read every line on GitHub.
Where Migaku is stronger
- Streaming-site coverage inside Chrome, including Netflix and similar catalogs.
- A wider language list if you are not staying in JP / ZH / Yue / VI.
- Built-in reviews if you do not want to run Anki.
- Guided beginner courses. Miteiru will not teach you from zero; it rides along with native video.
If that is your week, paying for Migaku is a coherent choice. This page is for the people who only needed the video-plus-dictionary slice.
Miteiru vs Language Reactor and asbplayer
Language Reactor is the usual free Chrome overlay for Netflix and YouTube. Keep it for those sites. Miteiru is not competing there.
asbplayer is closer: a player aimed at mining from video, often in the browser, with a strong Anki story. Miteiru is an installable desktop app with its own tokenizers (Kuromoji, Jieba, optional MeCab) and bundled dictionaries, including Cantonese and Vietnamese. Some learners run both.
How to switch from Migaku in practice
- Install a build from the download section (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
- Pick Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, or Vietnamese on the home screen. Dictionaries are already there.
- Drop in a video and a
.srt/.ass/.vtt. Or paste a YouTube URL. - Click tokens for definitions. When a line is worth keeping, send it to Anki from the meaning box or Learn mode (Ctrl+Shift+L).
Subtitle files for a lot of anime still live on community indexes such as Kitsunekko. YouTube Japanese text only shows up when the video has Japanese captions, including auto-generated ones.
FAQ
Is Miteiru a free Migaku alternative?
Miteiru is a free, open-source desktop alternative for the part of Migaku people pay for most often: watching real video with readings, lookups, and Anki cards. It does not replace Migaku’s browser overlays on Netflix or Migaku Academy courses.
Is Miteiru affiliated with Migaku?
No. Miteiru is an independent project by Hocky Yudhiono. Migaku is a trademark of its owners. This site is not endorsed by or sponsored by Migaku.
Why would I pick Miteiru over Migaku?
Pick Miteiru if you watch local files (rips, MKV anime, downloaded dramas), want Cantonese jyutping, refuse a subscription, or want the source code. Pick Migaku if your library lives on Netflix and you want a polished all-in-one browser workflow.
Does Miteiru replace Yomitan or Language Reactor too?
Only for video on the desktop. Yomitan is still the usual popup dictionary for reading websites. Language Reactor is still the usual free overlay for Netflix and YouTube in Chrome. Many people run Miteiru for files and keep those browser tools for everything else.
Can I cancel Migaku and switch in one afternoon?
If your routine is “open a file, watch with furigana, mine a sentence,” yes. If your routine is “Netflix in Chrome with one-click cards that include a screenshot and audio snippet,” Migaku still covers that loop more tightly.
Migaku is a trademark of its respective owners. Miteiru is an independent project by Hocky Yudhiono and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Migaku.
Keep reading
Learn Japanese with anime
Furigana overlays, JMDict lookups, and sentence cards from the shows you already watch.
Cantonese with jyutping
Few immersion tools take jyutping seriously. Miteiru overlays it on your own subtitles.
Mine sentences into Anki
Tokenize a line, keep the reading and gloss, export a card, keep watching.