# Panels vs MangaY

The clearest difference is rating: Panels at 4.8 against MangaY's 1.2. Panels also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 12 months). MangaY's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Panels sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and MangaY sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Panels holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Panels has 13K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Panels ships an update every 9 days, MangaY every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Panels | MangaY |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/panels-comic-reader/id1236567663/reviews)** | [1.2 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mangay-best-manga-reader/id1488191522/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 70.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 12 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#139** | — |
| Size | 166 MB | 63 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **9.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Produkt Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1236567662) | [Davis Lee](https://appshunter.io/developer/1403756834) |

## What reviewers say

### Panels

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

**Currently charting:** #139 Top Free · Book, #185 Top Grossing · Book (US App Store)

Enhance your comic reading with advanced features and a clean interface. Enjoy DRM-free titles, extensive file format support, and seamless cross-device synchronization. Organize your library and customize your reading experience.

**Highlights:** Universal comic format support (CBR, CBZ, CB7, PDF, ePUB), Cross-device reading progress sync, OPDS server streaming and downloading, DRM-free comic store with creator support, Advanced reading presets and page filters, Library organization with custom themes, Content security with password/Face ID

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo 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


### MangaY

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mangay-best-manga-reader/id1488191522)

Access and read thousands of manga titles for free across various genres. Discover new content daily, organize your favorites, and enjoy offline reading with customizable display options. Sync your library across devices.

**Highlights:** Massive manga library, Daily new manga additions, Offline reading support, Cloud sync with Google/Facebook, Customizable reading modes, Multi-language support

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Manga Pro | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Panels free?

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

### Is MangaY free?

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

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

Panels is rated higher. Panels averages 4.8 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while MangaY averages 1.2 from 6 ratings.

### Do Panels or MangaY have ads?

MangaY shows ads; Panels does not.

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

Panels ships an update every 9 days, and MangaY every 12 months. Most recently, Panels was updated on November 7, 2026 and MangaY on November 3, 2026.

---

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