# Panels vs Comic Garden

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Panels at 13K against Comic Garden's 1. Panels also leads on chart position (#146 vs unranked) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). Comic Garden's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Panels sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month and Comic Garden sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Comic Garden 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.

Panels ships an update every 9 days, Comic Garden every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Panels | Comic Garden |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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/comic-garden/id6762039297/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **13K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 70.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#146** | — |
| Size | 166 MB | 64 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Produkt Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1236567662) | [CHRISTIAN JOSHUA VELASQUEZ ZAVALA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1888819565) |

## What reviewers say

### Panels

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

**Currently charting:** #146 Top Free · Book, #171 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


### Comic Garden

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/comic-garden/id6762039297)

A social platform for comic enthusiasts. Creators can upload and organize their work, while readers can discover new comics, follow artists, and interact with content. Offers a premium subscription for access to exclusive comics.

**Highlights:** Upload comic panels, pages, and strips, Organize work into series by issue and page, Edit and replace uploaded artwork, Create character profiles, Discover comics, series, and creators, Follow creators and save posts, Interact via likes, comments, and messages

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Library Card | $4.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Panels free?

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

### Is Comic Garden free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Panels or Comic Garden?

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

### Do Panels or Comic Garden have ads?

Neither Panels nor Comic Garden shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Panels or Comic Garden?

Panels ships an update every 9 days, and Comic Garden every 3 weeks. Most recently, Panels was updated on October 30, 2026 and Comic Garden on October 25, 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.*