Comparison

The Comic Book Reader vs ComicReader

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

Head to head
About

The Comic Book Reader

Organize and read your digital comic book collection with custom-designed bookshelves. Import comics and other items, then arrange them freely with a drag-and-drop system. Customize the appearance of your shelves and individual items for a personalized reading experience.

Highlights
  • Custom digital bookshelves
  • Drag-and-drop item placement
  • Template editor for customization
  • Supports PDF, CBZ, ZIP files
  • Organize with built-in file browser
  • Import via Drag&Drop or iTunes
Features
Read full description

Don't just read your comic books. Create your own digital comic bookshelves. Take your collection out of their folders and place them inside your own, uniquely designed racks to gape and read them. This app is perfect for you if you want to read comic books and/or have a place to visibly store all your digital comic books. The Comic Book Reader lets you freely design your own bookshelves and customize them down to the last detail. Main Features • Comic book reader • Create your own digital bookshelves and fill them with your imported comic books or other types of things • Custom-made drag and drop system that allows you to freely move and place items and rows where ever you want • There are many types of items you can place inside your rack (more will come) •• Create titles, color blocks, notes items, separators, etc. •• You can even put a rack inside a rack to play Inception • Every item can be customized • Template editor: Create and assign templates to your items that change their looks • Every comic book can be placed in as many racks as you want (each comic book item inside a rack has its own reading progress) • Set page ranges on your comic book items to only include the pages you want •• e.g. you can break a volume into their underlying issues • Supports PDF, CBZ, and ZIP comic book files (more will come) • Import all your comic books via Drag&Drop or iTunes File Sharing • Organize your collection using the app's built-in file browser The app is continuously being improved and there are many more things to come in the future! If you have any questions, ideas or if you have found bugs or glitches, please contact me: d3mueller@me.com!

About

ComicReader

Organize and read your digital comic collection with this app. Import files from local storage or cloud services, track your reading progress, and enjoy features like dark mode and widgets. Supports CBR, CBZ, and PDF formats.

Highlights
  • Import comics from local storage or cloud
  • Organize comics into collections
  • Track reading progress
  • Supports CBR, CBZ, and PDF files
  • Dark mode and widgets
  • Multi-window support on iPad
Features
Read full description

ComicReader is made for reading your comics, manga and graphic novels, simply. Import your files (CBZ, CBR, PDF), organize them the way you like, and enjoy smooth reading, true to the original. Comfortable, faithful reading • Pages turn smoothly, two-page spreads show on iPhone Duo and iPad, and manga reads right to left • Each comic keeps its own settings and picks up where you stopped • Bookmarks, and a thumbnail overview to find any page at a glance A tidy library • Your series grouped into stacks of covers, which open right on the next issue to read • Series spotted automatically, so your issues are easy to sort • Quick filters: unread, in progress or finished • Interactive covers with a holographic sheen Back to your comics in a blink • The comics you're reading stay right at the top of your library • Quick access from widgets, the Lock Screen, Control Center or the Action button • Works with Spotlight, Siri and the Shortcuts app • Reminders to get back to a comic later Privacy No ads, no tracking and no account needed: your files stay with you. Free to try, then your choice Download ComicReader for free and read up to 3 comics. To unlock unlimited reading, choose a subscription (monthly or yearly) or a one-time lifetime purchase. Even without full access, you always keep your library and your files. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. Manage or cancel your subscription in your Apple Account settings. Already bought the app? If you bought ComicReader before the switch to subscriptions, your full access is yours for life. There's nothing more to pay. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://siilver777.github.io/ComicReaderPrivacyPolicy/

Screenshots

ComicReader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ComicReader at 55% against The Comic Book Reader's 0%. ComicReader also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (12 vs 2). The Comic Book Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly). 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. ComicReader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. The Comic Book Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ComicReader holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ComicReader has 12 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of The Comic Book Reader's written reviews are positive against 55% of ComicReader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Comic Book Reader ships an update every 2 weeks, ComicReader monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
The Comic Book Reader versus ComicReader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Comic Book ReaderComicReader
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (2 ratings)4.7 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews54.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings212 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDennis MuellerJason Baracassa

Customer experience

The Comic Book Reader

All ratings2 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

ComicReader

All ratings12 ratings
Positive91.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.3%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral9.1%
Negative36.4%

In-app purchases

None

The Comic Book Reader

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

ComicReader

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$0.991 Month
  • Yearly$3.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$8.99

Questions

Is The Comic Book Reader free?
The Comic Book Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ComicReader free?
ComicReader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Comic Book Reader or ComicReader?
ComicReader is rated higher. The Comic Book Reader averages 1.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while ComicReader averages 4.7 from 12 ratings.
Do The Comic Book Reader or ComicReader have ads?
Neither The Comic Book Reader nor ComicReader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Comic Book Reader or ComicReader?
The Comic Book Reader ships an update every 2 weeks, and ComicReader monthly. Most recently, The Comic Book Reader was updated on November 2, 2026 and ComicReader on November 6, 2026.

Other comparisons