Comparison

Comics Book Reader vs Panels

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Comics Book Reader

This application is a robust viewer for various comic book formats, including CBZ, CBR, CB7, and CBT. It offers a highly optimized visualization system for mobile devices, ensuring maximum productivity and comfort. Enjoy an elegant design, extended functionality, and high speed for a pleasurable reading experience.

Highlights
  • Supports CBZ, CBR, CB7, CBT formats
  • Integrates with cloud services (Google Drive, Dropbox)
  • Supports network services (SMB, FTP, SFTP)
  • File manager with sorting and search
  • Wi-Fi and FTP transfer options
  • Page layout and effects customization
  • Bookmarks and quick preview
Features
Read full description

The BEST application for reading cbz, cbr, cb7 and cbt comics. All formats are thoroughly elaborated and are 100% supported by the application. The visualization system takes into account the specific character of the formats functioning on mobile devices (memory capacity, the number of general processor units etc.), Providing a maximum productivity and comfort when working with large documents. Elegant design, extended functionality, high speed and stability of work will make reading of your favorite literature a pleasurable experience. You can contact technical support and leave a comment without quitting the application. Comic Book Reader’s special features: ■ Compatible with all popular archive formats (rar, zip, 7z, gz, tar ...) ■ Integration with popular cloud services(Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, Yandex.Disk) ■ Integration with popular network services(SMB, FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, DLNA) ■ Open documents directly from cloud services and network services ■ Hight application stability ■ Automatic recovery bad and non standard files ■ User friendly navigation ■ Page layout option in documents(single page, double pages, double pages with cover) ■ Effects for documents(sepia, monochrome, color controls) ■ Brightness control ■ Rotation lock ■ Bookmarks ■ Quick preview ■ Page scaling ■ Auto scaling for adjacent pages ■ Opening documents from external applications ■ Last open document list ■ Web Browser and download manager ■ Wi-Fi transfer ■ FTP transfer File Manager Features: ■ Intuitive interface ■ iTunes integration ■ File sorting(by name, by extension, by size, by date) ■ Searching files in subfolders ■ Create, move, copy, rename, pack/unpack, delete file/folder options ■ File/folder search ■ Preview book cover Wi-Fi Transfer Features: ■ Intuitive interface ■ Create, move, rename, delete file/folder options ■ Downloading/uploading few media files with one click ■ Display upload progress Feel free to ask questions, report bugs or request new features: support@develsoftware.com

About

Panels

Enhance your comic and manga reading with a clean, customizable interface. Enjoy universal file compatibility, cross-device syncing, and advanced reading presets. Organize your library, secure your content, and import from various cloud services and local networks.

Highlights
  • Universal file compatibility (CBR, CBZ, PDF, ePUB)
  • Cross-device reading progress sync
  • iCloud Drive integration
  • Customizable reading presets
  • Right-to-left reading for manga
  • OPDS server support
  • Content security with password/Face ID
Features
Read full description

Improve your comic reading experience with Panels. Enjoy reading your favorite titles in a clean and delightful interface, with plenty of customization and advanced features — fully DRM-free, with first-class support for OPDS, your own library, and your own files. Key features: - Universal Compatibility: Support for most common comic types: CBR, CBZ, CB7, PDF and comic ePUB (not text eBook). Support for multiple image formats, including WebP. - Cross-Device Sync: Synchronize your reading progress across iPhone, iPad and Mac and resume reading exactly where you left off. - Full iCloud Drive support: store your entire library on iCloud and access it from different devices. - Library Organization: Effortlessly manage your comic library with intuitive tools for easy navigation, custom folder colors, logos and cover images. * Themes: support for Light and Dark modes, and many others. * Reading Presets: Choose from a multitude of reading presets or create your own, including horizontal, vertical, or panel-by-panel guided view. - Right to Left reading (manga): read any comic with Panels. * OPDS support: Stream, search and download comics from your OPDS compatible server (Komga, Kavita, Codex, Ubooquity and others). * Secure your content: Keep files locked using a password or Face ID for your collections and files. Use Incognito mode to keep your reading sessions hidden. * Live Text and Subject detection. * Experimental Features: Access experimental features like panel-by-panel navigation. Panels Store — DRM-free comics from independent creators: - Browse and buy comics directly inside Panels, no extra apps or accounts. - 100% DRM-free: every purchase is yours to keep, read offline and back up. - Creators keep 80% of revenue, so your purchases directly support the people making the comics. - Purchased issues are added to your library and sync across your devices automatically. Native support for importing files from: * iCloud Drive * Dropbox * Microsoft OneDrive - Substack * OPDS: Komga, Kavita, Codex and others * Local network shared files and folders via SMB and Embedded web server - iTunes - External drives - Airdrop - Drag&Drop from other apps Page Filters: * Reduce Noise * Increase Sharpness * Reduce Moiré * Crop Borders * Require an active subscription or a one-time purchase. • You may purchase an Auto-Renewing Subscription to unlock all the premium features while it\'s active; or a one-off purchase to unlock the current major version features forever. • Your subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew (at the duration selected) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Current subscription may not be cancelled during the active subscription period; however, you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase • Read our privacy policy and terms of use: https://panels.app/privacy / https://panels.app/terms

Screenshots

Comics Book Reader3 screens
Panels4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Panels at 4.8 against Comics Book Reader's 4.3. Panels also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (12K vs 214). Comics Book Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Comics Book Reader sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Panels sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Panels holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Panels has 12K ratings behind it against 214, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 75% of Comics Book Reader's written reviews are positive against 70% of Panels's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Comics Book Reader ships an update every 4 months, Panels every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Comics Book Reader versus Panels: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterComics Book ReaderPanels
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (214 ratings)4.8 (12K ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.1% of reviews — better70.1% of reviews
Number of ratings21412K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 8 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#157 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS10.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size158 MB165 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperLTD DevelSoftwareProdukt Studio

Customer experience

Comics Book Reader

All ratings214 ratings
Positive83.6%
Neutral3.3%
Negative13.1%
Written reviews369 reviews
Positive75.1%
Neutral8.1%
Negative16.8%

Panels

All ratings12,369 ratings
Positive95.4%
Neutral1.8%
Negative2.7%
Written reviews1,122 reviews
Positive70.1%
Neutral9.6%
Negative20.3%

User reviews

Comics Book Reader

From 214 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth performance
  • 📚 Supports various comic formats
  • 💾 Cloud storage integration
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🔍 Good file management

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
  • ⏰ Frequent ads interrupting reading
  • 💰 Expensive premium version
  • 📱 Compatibility issues with newer devices
  • 🔗 Cloud storage integration problems

Panels

From 12K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth and responsive
  • 👍 Clean and modern UI
  • 💡 Useful features like panel view and vertical scrolling
  • 🔒 No ads in paid version
  • 👍 Good import and organization options

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
  • 🔒 Useful features locked behind paywall
  • 🔒 Subscription model instead of one-time purchase
  • 🐛 Issues with page navigation and zoom
  • 🐛 Problems with reading right-to-left content

Bugs and requests

Comics Book Reader

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • Corrupted comic file downloads
  • Slow performance on older devices
  • Inability to access cloud storage
  • Incorrect page rendering

Requested features

5 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Ability to organize comics into folders
  • Seamless page-to-page navigation
  • More cloud storage providers support
  • Customizable reading experience

Panels

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes when opening large files
  • Issues with page order and navigation
  • Problems with zooming and scrolling
  • Syncing and importing bugs
  • Compatibility issues with older devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to create sub-folders and nested collections
  • Automatic sorting and organization of comics
  • Option to lock reading direction
  • Double-tap to zoom functionality
  • Progress tracking and bookmarking features
Show 1 more
  • Support for more file formats like ePub

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Comics Book Reader

One-time4
  • Thank the Developer$0.99
  • Appearance Customization$1.99
  • Additional Formats$3.99
Show 1 more
  • Pro Version$5.99
5 purchases

Panels

Subscriptions2
  • Panels+ Monthly7 Days trial$1.491 Month
  • Panels+ Yearly7 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time3
  • Panels 3 Upgrade$9.99
  • Panels 2$19.99
  • Panels 3$19.99

Questions

Is Comics Book Reader free?
Comics Book Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Panels free?
Panels is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Comics Book Reader or Panels?
Panels is rated higher. Comics Book Reader averages 4.3 out of 5 from 214 ratings, while Panels averages 4.8 from 12K ratings.
Do Comics Book Reader or Panels have ads?
Neither Comics Book Reader nor Panels shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Comics Book Reader or Panels?
Comics Book Reader ships an update every 4 months, and Panels every 8 days. Most recently, Comics Book Reader was updated on September 20, 2026 and Panels on September 29, 2026.

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