Comparison

Panels vs BookTracker

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

Head to head
About

Panels

Enhance your comic reading with advanced features and customization. Enjoy DRM-free titles, organize your library, and sync progress across devices. Supports various formats and OPDS servers.

Highlights
  • Universal comic format support (CBR, CBZ, PDF)
  • Cross-device reading progress sync
  • OPDS server streaming and downloading
  • Advanced library organization tools
  • Customizable reading presets
  • DRM-free comic store
Features
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

About

BookTracker

Features
Read full description

BookTracker makes it easy to track, log, and stay on top of your library. Set your reading target, add to your library and saved queues, and start reading! With BookTracker, you can add and organise your library into collections, see all of your book's information thanks to Open Library integration. Simply input the name, ISBN, or scan the barcode, and you can start logging: track your start and end dates, reading progress, completions, did-not-finishes, and more. And if Open Library doesn't have the book you want, you can manually add it into BookTracker. Rate books and write reviews, and dive into the statistics of your reading journey. BookTracker also features: - Split Reading Targets between Audiobooks and Physical/Digital Books - Reading Reminders - Reading Speed Tests - View Author Pages - Multiple Languages - Fully Customisable Information Pages and App Accent Colour - and more Featuring iCloud synchronisation between devices, BookTracker can be used on your iPhone, on your iPad, or on your Mac. It also has home and lock screen widgets, Control Centre widgets, and Apple Shortcuts support, so that you can use it how you want it. You can easily view and export your reading reports, showing your progress over time, and can export your library or collections in JSON, CSV, or PDF, for use outside of BookTracker. The basic version of BookTracker is free to use. Upgrading to BookTracker Pro is a simple, one-off purchase. One purchase unlocks BookTracker Pro for all of your devices, and allows the following: - Custom Covers - Customisable Activity & Book Symbol Colours - Expanded Font Selection for Reviews - Expanded Statistics - Tab Bar & Sidebar Customisation - Custom App Icons Please contact Support@LifeTracker.Studio with any concerns, bugs, issues, or suggestions, or visit LifeTracker.Studio for more information on BookTracker or any of our other apps. Happy Tracking!

Screenshots

Panels4 screens
BookTracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BookTracker at none against Panels's 5. BookTracker also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 8 days). Panels's advantage is chart position (#162 vs unranked) and device support (4 vs 2). On price 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. Panels sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. BookTracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Panels ships an update every 8 days, BookTracker daily. The most recent releases landed on November 14, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Panels versus BookTracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPanelsBookTracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (13K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews70.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings13K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#162 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size166 MB63 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperProdukt StudioEthan Milton Wilde

Bugs and requests

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

BookTracker

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

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
None

BookTracker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Panels free?
Panels is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is BookTracker free?
BookTracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Panels or BookTracker have ads?
Neither Panels nor BookTracker shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Panels or BookTracker?
Panels ships an update every 8 days, and BookTracker daily. Most recently, Panels was updated on November 14, 2026 and BookTracker on November 10, 2026.

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