Comparison

Interchange vs Panels

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

Head to head
About

Interchange

Convert and read a wide variety of ebook formats, including DRM-protected files. Offers extensive customization for reading, note-taking, and book management. Supports multiple import methods and file decompression.

Highlights
  • Multiple ebook format conversion
  • DRM removal for Kindle books
  • Customizable ebook reader layout
  • Note-taking and bookmarking
  • Customizable book covers
  • Multiple page-turning methods
  • Comic reading support
  • Advanced book management
Features
Read full description

Functional Features 1. Supports multiple format conversions: txt, epub, mobi, azw, azw3, prc, pdf, markdown, docx, htmlz, fb2, etc. For txt files, automatically extract chapter directories. 2. Support removing DRM protected book files (Kindle DRM). 3. A comprehensive e-book reader that supports multiple formats: txt epub、mobi、azw、azw3、prc、pdf。 Powerful custom layout layout, including line spacing, paragraph spacing, first line indentation, top and bottom spacing, left and right spacing, custom background, custom font, global progress drag, and global search. Rich note taking and bookmarking functions. 4. Support custom book covers, online search, and album selection, even txt can have beautiful covers. Simultaneously editable, cropped, and filtered. 5. Provide multiple page turning methods, including overlay, translation, simulation, scrolling, automatic scrolling reading, landscape reading, and dual column reading. 6. Supports comic reading, with maximum screen ratio and maximum clarity for reading comics. Support scrolling mode for reading comics. 7. Powerful book management function, supporting grouping, renaming, sorting, dragging and merging groups, batch deletion, and moving operations. 8. Support modifying book element data such as title, author, ASIN, ISBN, time, publisher, etc. 9. Multiple file transfer methods, importing book files through WiFi, computer, Baidu cloud storage, local devices, and other application sharing methods for convenience and ease. 10. Quickly decompress compressed files such as zip, rar, 7z, etc. 11. Password protection function, can set gesture password, facial recognition unlock. 12. There are more features waiting for you to explore. [Automatic Subscription Instructions] --Subscription period: 1 month --Price: ¥ 18 --Subscription auto renewal, unless auto renewal is closed at least 24 hours before the end of the current term. --Payment will be charged to iTunes account upon confirmation of purchase --The account will receive renewal fees within 24 hours before the end of the current period, and the renewal fees will be determined --Subscription can be managed by users themselves, and automatic subscription can be disabled by entering their personal account on the App Store after purchase --If any unused portion of the free trial period is provided, it will be forfeited upon the user's purchase of the publication's subscription (if applicable) --Subscription period: 1 year --Price: ¥ 30 --Subscription auto renewal, unless auto renewal is closed at least 24 hours before the end of the current term --Payment will be charged to iTunes account upon confirmation of purchase --The account will receive renewal fees within 24 hours before the end of the current period, and the renewal fees will be determined --Subscription can be managed by users themselves, and automatic subscription can be disabled by entering their personal account on the App Store after purchase --If any unused portion of the free trial period is provided, it will be forfeited upon the user's purchase of the publication's subscription (if applicable) --Service Terms: http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_a02518890102xuoh.html --Privacy Policy: http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_a02518890102xtq4.html

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
Currently charting
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

Interchange4 screens
Panels4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Panels at free with in-app purchases against Interchange's subscription. Panels also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (12K vs 212). Interchange's advantage is iOS requirement (12.2 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads 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. Interchange sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $2.49 per month 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 212, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 73% of Interchange'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

Interchange ships an update every 6 days, Panels every 8 days. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Interchange versus Panels: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterInterchangePanels
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (212 ratings)4.8 (12K ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.2% of reviews — better70.1% of reviews
Number of ratings21212K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#168 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS12.2 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size103 MB165 MB
Age rating17+4+
Developer小龙 刘Produkt Studio

Customer experience

Interchange

All ratings212 ratings
Positive83.0%
Neutral2.4%
Negative14.6%
Written reviews112 reviews
Positive73.2%
Neutral3.6%
Negative23.2%

Panels

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

User reviews

Interchange

From 212 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and quick conversion speeds
  • 👍 Easy to use interface
  • 📁 Supports multiple file formats
  • 💰 Free version available
  • 📧 Can send files to Kindle

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and crashes on cover changes
  • 😤 Intrusive and excessive advertising
  • ❌ Poor conversion quality for PDFs
  • 🔤 Confusing and non-intuitive UI
  • 🌐 Inconsistent English localization

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

Interchange

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App crashes when changing covers
  • Ad close buttons are too small or non-functional
  • Converted files show as 0 bytes
  • App crashes when deleting empty files
  • Pro version features still require upgrade prompts
Show 6 more
  • Converted PDFs have missing images and jumbled text
  • Files vanish after sending to Kindle
  • Conversion fails despite payment
  • App shows ads instead of converting files
  • Cover metadata not preserved in conversions
  • Right-to-left text displays incorrectly

Requested features

8 requests
  • Batch conversion capability
  • Right-to-left text support for Arabic books
  • Proper cover image inclusion in conversions
  • Unlimited conversions
  • iPad Pro landscape orientation support
Show 3 more
  • Ability to send files to Kindle over WiFi
  • Bookmark synchronization across devices
  • Better ad implementation with working close buttons

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

9 purchases

Interchange

Subscriptions2
  • UNLOCK ALL FEATURES, REMOVE AD$2.491 Month
  • UNLOCK ALL FEATURES, REMOVE AD$4.991 Year
One-time7
  • REMOVE ALL ADS$1.99
  • Conversions+50$1.99
  • All formats2 variants$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Conversions+600$2.99
  • Conversions+1000$3.99
  • ALL ACCESS, REMOVING AD$9.99
  • All advanced features$9.99
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 Interchange free?
Interchange 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, Interchange or Panels?
Panels is rated higher. Interchange averages 4.3 out of 5 from 212 ratings, while Panels averages 4.8 from 12K ratings.
Do Interchange or Panels have ads?
Neither Interchange nor Panels shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Interchange or Panels?
Interchange ships an update every 6 days, and Panels every 8 days. Most recently, Interchange was updated on September 25, 2026 and Panels on September 25, 2026.

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