Legado with MD3: a Material Design 3 rebuild of the Legado reader, and who it actually fits
使用 Material Design 3 全新设计的阅读 3.0
At a glance
- What is it?
- HapeLee/legado-with-MD3 is a GPL-3.0 Kotlin fork of the Legado reader that replaces the theme system with Monet and migrates the UI toward Jetpack Compose. It adds reading records, comic and audiobook views, and tablet layouts, while dropping official themes and dynamic colour on Android 12 and below.
- Who is it for?
- Adopt Legado with MD3 if you already use Legado, read on Android 12 or newer, and want the timeline reading records, comic and audiobook screens, or the tablet layouts the README lists as branch-only. Skip it if you depend on official Legado themes, need dynamic colour on an older Android device, or want a stable release rather than the beta line.
- Can I use it commercially?
- Yes, with conditions. GPL-3.0 is a copyleft licence: if you distribute software that includes it, you must release that software's source code under the same licence. Running it internally without distributing it does not trigger that obligation.
- Is it still maintained?
- Yes. The repository received new commits within the last day.
- What is it written in?
- Mainly Kotlin, according to GitHub's language statistics.
Answers come from the project's GitHub data, last synced on September 30, 2026, and from our analysis. They are not legal advice.
Editorial analysis
What the fork changes and who it is for
Legado with MD3 is a Material Design 3 restyle of the open source reader Legado, built by HapeLee and licensed GPL-3.0. The README describes it as a refactor of the UI on top of the upstream project, with branch-only features layered in and a gradual move from the traditional View system to Jetpack Compose. The stated goal is a more consistent reading experience, not a new reading engine.
The audience is narrow and specific. If you already run Legado, keep your book sources and rules in the app's local storage, and want a different interface, this is the fork to look at. If you have never used Legado, the README's core feature list is the upstream feature set: local TXT and EPUB reading, smart scanning of local files, adjustable fonts, backgrounds, line and paragraph spacing, bolding, simplified and traditional Chinese conversion, ad removal and content replacement rules, and multiple page-turn modes including cover, simulation, slide and scroll.
What the branch adds on top of that is UI and bookkeeping. The README lists a new Material Design 3 interface with predictive back gestures and shared element animations, a more configurable reading screen and menus, detailed reading records with a timeline and per-chapter statistics, fuller comic, audiobook and discovery screens, more bookshelf layouts with tablet-specific tuning, plus book notes, companion grouping that sorts read and unread titles, and gamepad page turning.
The Monet theme system is the real architectural break
Most of the branch features are additive, but the theme system is a replacement, and that is where the fork diverges most sharply from upstream. The README states that the theme system was rebuilt on the Monet engine, and that official Legado themes no longer work in this version. There is no compatibility layer described, so a theme you built or imported for upstream Legado is not something you should expect to carry over.
The second constraint follows from the first. On devices below Android 12, custom themes and dynamic colour are not available at all. The README attributes this to the incomplete Jetpack Compose migration and says the limitation will be resolved once that migration finishes, adding that the process will take a long time because the developer's time is limited. That is an honest statement of a trade-off rather than a bug report, and it should shape your decision more than any individual feature on the list.
The repository layout backs up the claim that this is a real migration in progress rather than a reskin. The top level contains an app/ module alongside a separate modules/ directory and a baselineProfile/ directory, which is the structure you would expect from a multi-module Gradle project that is being split apart for Compose and startup profiling. The README also credits MaterialKolor for the Compose colour extraction implementation and Reorderable for drag-to-reorder, both Compose libraries, which is consistent with a codebase moving off View-based widgets.
Installing Legado with MD3 and taking a first pass at the reading screen
The README does not give build-from-source instructions. It points to GitHub Releases for downloads and notes that the newest version is published automatically to the Telegram group. The release list shows a beta line, with 3.26.16-beta.39, 3.26.16-beta.38 and 3.26.16-beta.37 published in September 2026, so what you install from Releases is a pre-release build, not a stable channel.
The repository ships a Gradle wrapper and two helper scripts, avd.bat and avd.sh, at the top level, along with gradlew and gradlew.bat. The README does not document any of them, so their contents are the only description available. Installing the APK from GitHub Releases is the path the README actually supports.
Once installed, the first thing to check is the theme setting, because it is the feature most likely to surprise a returning Legado user. The README says custom themes and dynamic colour require Android 12 or above, so on an older device expect the default appearance only. From there, the reading record view is the branch feature worth opening first: the README describes it as offering a timeline and per-chapter statistics, which is a different way of looking at progress than a simple percentage.
Where the fork gets in your way
The clearest limitation is the theme break. Anyone with a curated set of Legado themes loses them, and the README offers no migration path. That is a deliberate cost of moving to Monet, but it is still a cost, and it lands on the users most invested in customising the app.
The Android 12 floor is the second. Custom themes and dynamic colour are simply absent below that version, with no workaround documented, and the README is explicit that the fix depends on finishing the Compose migration, which it says will take a long time. If your reading device is an older phone or tablet that will never see Android 12, this fork gives you the new layouts and reading records but not the colour system that defines its look.
The third issue is release discipline. Every release in the recent list is a pre-release beta. The README directs users to the Telegram group for the newest version and to GitHub Releases for downloads, and does not describe a stable track. If you want a build that has sat through a soak period, this repository does not currently offer one.
Finally, the README's disclaimer is worth reading in full before you install. It describes the software as a configurable local web content browsing tool that ships with no third-party site content, data or parsing rules by default, and places responsibility for any rules a user creates, imports or shares on that user. It also notes that third-party statistics or crash analysis services such as Firebase Crashlytics may be integrated for anonymised crash logs and device information.
Legado with MD3 against upstream Legado and other forks
The honest comparison is with upstream gedoor/legado, because this project is a fork of it and the README credits it first in the acknowledgements. Upstream is the reference implementation: its themes work, its View-based UI is mature, and it is not mid-migration. Legado with MD3 trades that stability for a Compose rewrite in progress, predictive back gestures, shared element animations, and the extra screens the README lists.
A second reference point is Luoyacheng/legado, also credited in the README for providing more extension features. Where this fork's identity is visual and structural, that one is described as an extension fork, so the two are not competing for the same user. If what you want is more functionality bolted onto Legado, the README itself points you elsewhere.
For interface ideas the README credits komikku-app/komikku for Compose controls and FoedusProgramme/Gramophone for the View-based cover colour extraction method. Those are sources of inspiration and code, not alternatives you would install instead of this app.
One thing worth noting about the search terms people use: queries like Legado Tauri, Legado harmonyos and Legado iOS appear around this name, but nothing in the README, the repository layout or the release list describes a desktop, HarmonyOS or iOS build. The project is an Android application written in Kotlin, and the top-level entries are Gradle, Android and tooling files.
Licence, maintenance and what an upgrade costs you
The licence is GPL-3.0, which is the same family as the upstream project. If you only install and use the app, the practical effect is that the source is available and the app carries no ads. If you intend to redistribute a modified build, GPL-3.0 obligations attach to that distribution; that is a question for your own legal review, not something the README resolves.
The maintenance signal is strong on the surface. The repository is not archived, the last push was on 2026-09-21, and three beta releases shipped in the week before that. There is also a CHANGELOG.md at the top level and a .github/ directory, so release notes and automation exist. The README's own caveat is the counterweight: it says the Compose migration will take a long time because the developer's time is limited, which is a direct statement that the Android 12 theme limitation is not going away soon.
Upgrade cost depends on where you sit. If you are on the beta line, each release may change UI behaviour as more screens move to Compose, and the README gives no rollback instructions, so keeping a copy of the APK you are happy with is the only rollback the documentation supports. If you are coming from upstream Legado, the one-time cost is your theme collection. Neither the README nor the release notes describe a data migration step between the two apps.
Editorial conclusion
Adopt Legado with MD3 if you already use Legado, read on Android 12 or newer, and want the timeline reading records, comic and audiobook screens, or the tablet layouts the README lists as branch-only. Skip it if you depend on official Legado themes, need dynamic colour on an older Android device, or want a stable release rather than the beta line. Before installing, check the release page for the current 3.26.16-beta build and confirm your device's Android version, because the README ties both theme customisation and dynamic colour to Android 12 and above until the Compose migration finishes.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my existing Legado themes in Legado with MD3?
No. The README states that because the theme system was rebuilt on the Monet engine, themes from the official version no longer work in this version. There is no migration path described.
Why is dynamic colour missing on my Android 11 device in Legado with MD3?
The README says custom themes and dynamic colour are not available on devices below Android 12, and that this will be resolved once the Jetpack Compose migration is complete. It also notes that migration will take a long time because the developer's time is limited.
Where do I download Legado with MD3?
The README points to GitHub Releases, and says the newest version is published automatically to the Telegram group. The releases currently listed are pre-release builds in the 3.26.16-beta line.
Does Legado with MD3 work on iOS, HarmonyOS or desktop?
Nothing in the README, the repository layout or the release list describes an iOS, HarmonyOS or desktop build. The project is an Android application written in Kotlin, with Gradle and Android tooling at the top level.
Official sources
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