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

This application is designed for iPad users with extensive comic collections. It offers a polished interface to manage and read thousands of comics without performance issues. Import comics via iTunes, Wi-Fi web server, or the Files app.

Highlights
  • Polished interface
  • Handles large comic collections (1500+ comics)
  • Background comic import
  • No pre-processing required
  • Supports CBR, CBZ, and PDF
  • Multiple import methods (iTunes, Wi-Fi, Files app)
Features
Read full description

Bring your own comics to iPhone and iPad. ComicReader reads PDF, CBZ/ZIP and classic CBR/RAR files. Build a library, enjoy imported comics offline and keep your place as you read. Reading, ordinary imports, browsing, current-page text recognition and optional iCloud sync are free. READ FOR FREE • Import supported files with the system file picker, Finder/iTunes File Sharing, the local-network uploader or WebDAV. • Organize comics into collections and sort them by name, date or reading status. • Zoom into artwork and keep each library comic's read status and current page. • Recognize text on the current page on your device, or use embedded PDF text when available. Select, copy and share the result. Recognition quality varies with language, scan quality and lettering. MADE FOR IPHONE DUO Open the screen for more artwork, then continue on the outer display. Your page and relative zoom stay with you as the display changes. Pages, covers and controls adapt around the active fold. Duo support is free. OPTIONAL ICLOUD SYNC Choose whether to sync library comic files, read status and current page across iPhone, iPad and Mac. Sync stays off until you turn it on and uses your personal iCloud Drive storage. Sufficient storage and an internet connection are required. OPEN AND BROWSE ON YOUR TERMS Visit websites in ComicReader, save shortcuts, keep a normal website session between visits or use a separate private session. Browsing and website-data controls are free. Websites must provide supported downloadable files; sign-in, availability and downloads depend on each site. ComicReader includes no comic catalog, bundled comics or DRM removal. On Mac, open a PDF, CBZ/ZIP or classic CBR/RAR file directly from Finder without importing it. Choose Add to Library when you want a library copy with saved progress and optional iCloud sync. COMICREADER PLUS — ONE OPTIONAL PURCHASE Plus adds tools for readers with larger libraries: • Website Imports download supported files into a chosen collection with validation, duplicate detection and a visible queue. Keep ComicReader open until imports finish. • Comic Search & Quotes builds a persistent text index for the current library comic, searches indexed pages and saves editable quotes linked to their source page. • Reading Lists & Smart Queues arrange a reading order without moving files and gather Continue Reading, Unread and Read Again. • Named Page Bookmarks return to memorable pages. • Image Filters provide Clear Ink, Grayscale and Warm Paper display options without changing the original file. ComicReader Plus is one non-consumable purchase, not a subscription. The App Store shows your local price before purchase. Restore Purchases is available on iPhone, iPad and Mac with the same Apple Account. Existing Plus owners keep access to the current Plus tools. Search covers the current library comic, not the whole library. Search indexes, quotes, lists and bookmarks stay on each device and are not included in iCloud sync. Saved quotes remain readable and shareable if Plus is no longer active. ComicReader is based on ComicFlow and is open source under GPL v3. Bring your own comics; screenshot sample comics are not included.

Screenshots

ComicReader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ComicReader at 3.5 against The Comic Book Reader's 1.0. ComicReader also leads on ratings volume (51 vs 2) and review sentiment (13% vs 0%). The Comic Book Reader's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, ads and monetization model 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 1 one-off in-app purchase. The Comic Book Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ComicReader holds the better App Store score, 3.5 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ComicReader has 51 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 13% of ComicReader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Comic Book Reader ships an update every 2 weeks, ComicReader weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
The Comic Book Reader versus ComicReader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe Comic Book ReaderComicReader
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (2 ratings)3.5 (51 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews12.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings251 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB3 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperDennis MuellerPablo Clemente

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 ratings51 ratings
Positive56.9%
Neutral11.8%
Negative31.4%
Written reviews24 reviews
Positive12.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative75.0%

In-app purchases

None

The Comic Book Reader

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

ComicReader

One-time1
  • ComicReader Plus$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 3.5 from 51 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 weekly. Most recently, The Comic Book Reader was updated on November 2, 2026 and ComicReader on November 7, 2026.

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