# Panels vs BDGest Mobile

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BDGest Mobile at none against Panels's 5. BDGest Mobile also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Panels's advantage is ratings volume (13K vs 1) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Panels sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. BDGest Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

BDGest Mobile holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Panels has 13K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 70% of Panels's written reviews are positive against 56% of BDGest Mobile's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Panels ships an update every 9 days, BDGest Mobile every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Panels | BDGest Mobile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/panels-comic-reader/id1236567663/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bdgest-mobile/id1598543984/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | **70.2% of reviews** | 55.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#146** | — |
| Size | 166 MB | 64 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Produkt Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1236567662) | [BDGest](https://appshunter.io/developer/1049234640) |

## What reviewers say

### Panels

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

**Currently charting:** #146 Top Free · Book, #174 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


### BDGest Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bdgest-mobile/id1598543984)

Manage your comic book collection on the go. Scan barcodes to add albums, track your wishlist, and organize your library. View detailed statistics on your collection's value and spending.

**Highlights:** Manage comic book collection, Scan barcodes to add albums, Track wishlist and series, Organize by shelf and location, View collection statistics, Offline access to collection, Sync with BDGest Online

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Panels free?

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

### Is BDGest Mobile free?

BDGest Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Panels or BDGest Mobile?

BDGest Mobile is rated higher. Panels averages 4.8 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while BDGest Mobile averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Panels or BDGest Mobile have ads?

Neither Panels nor BDGest Mobile shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Panels or BDGest Mobile?

Panels ships an update every 9 days, and BDGest Mobile every 6 weeks. Most recently, Panels was updated on November 7, 2026 and BDGest Mobile on November 3, 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.*