# Panels vs KomiX

The clearest difference is price: Panels at Free against KomiX's $1.99. Panels also leads on rating (4.8 vs 2.8) and update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months). KomiX's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5). On review sentiment, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Panels is free to download; KomiX costs $1.99 up front. Panels sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. KomiX asks for nothing beyond the download.

Panels holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Panels has 12K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Panels's written reviews are positive against 67% of KomiX's.

Panels ships an update every 8 days, KomiX every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and June 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Panels | KomiX |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $1.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (12K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/panels-comic-reader/id1236567663/reviews)** | [2.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/komix-comic-book-reader/id1411491471/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **12K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | **70.1% of reviews** | 66.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#163** | — |
| Size | 165 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Produkt Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1236567662) | [Jason Santos](https://appshunter.io/developer/413331243) |

## What reviewers say

### Panels

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/panels-comic-reader/id1236567663)

**Currently charting:** #163 Top Free · Book, #190 Top Grossing · Book (US App Store)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Panels+ Monthly | $1.49 | per month |
| Panels+ Yearly | $14.99 | per year |
| Panels 3 Upgrade | $9.99 | one-time |
| Panels 2 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Panels 3 | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### KomiX

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/komix-comic-book-reader/id1411491471)

Organize and read your digital comic collection with features like thumbnail views, customizable stacks, and in-comic page navigation. Supports CBR, CBZ, and PDF formats, with options to edit pages and export comics.

**Highlights:** Thumbnail collection view, Customizable comic stacks, In-comic page navigation, Supports CBR, CBZ, PDF, Page editing and rearrangement, Comic database with search, Persistent zoom option

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Panels free?

Panels is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is KomiX free?

KomiX costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Panels or KomiX?

Panels is rated higher. Panels averages 4.8 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while KomiX averages 2.8 from 4 ratings.

### Do Panels or KomiX have ads?

Neither Panels nor KomiX shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Panels or KomiX?

Panels ships an update every 8 days, and KomiX every 2 months. Most recently, Panels was updated on September 29, 2026 and KomiX on June 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*