# Outplayer vs Paperback

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Paperback at none against Outplayer's 1. Paperback also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Outplayer's advantage is review sentiment (86% vs 54%) and rating (4.6 vs 4.3). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Outplayer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Paperback asks for nothing beyond the download.

Outplayer holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 497 and 569 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Outplayer's written reviews are positive against 54% of Paperback's.

Outplayer ships an update every 3 weeks, Paperback every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Outplayer | Paperback |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (497 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outplayer/id1449923287/reviews)** | [4.3 (569 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperback-comicmanga-reader/id1626613373/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 497 | **569** |
| Positive reviews | **86.1% of reviews** | 53.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 39 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Stephen Salerno](https://appshunter.io/developer/866713970) | [Faizan Durrani](https://appshunter.io/developer/1626613375) |

## What reviewers say

### Outplayer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/outplayer/id1449923287)

A video player designed for iOS that prioritizes speed and simplicity. Enjoy seamless playback of various video formats with advanced features like 4K HDR and spatial audio. Easily manage your media with intuitive controls and file integration.

**Highlights:** 4K HDR playback with instant seeking, Spatial audio with head tracking, Picture in Picture support, Customizable subtitle styling, Play any video format (MKV, MP4, etc.), Integration with Files app for external drives

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Outplayer Advanced | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth playback
- 👍 Intuitive and clean UI
- 🚀 Supports wide range of video formats
- 🚀 Excellent codec support
- 🚀 Hardware decoding

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Audio glitches
- 🐛 Brightness/contrast issues
- 🐛 Restore purchases bug
- 🔋 Causes device heating
- 👎 Lacks external subtitle support

**Reported bugs**

- Restore purchases bug
- Audio glitches
- Brightness/contrast issues
- Causes device heating
- Incompatibility with older devices

**Requested features**

- Add next/previous episode buttons
- Implement Trakt integration
- Add WebDAV support
- Implement variable speed playback
- Add video/folder sorting options


### Paperback

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperback-comicmanga-reader/id1626613373)

This app provides an ad-free reading experience for comics and manga from a Komga server. It offers extensive customization through a scripting API, allowing users to extend its functionality with TypeScript or JavaScript.

**Highlights:** Ad-free reading, Komga server support, TypeScript/JavaScript scripting API, Extensible functionality

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fantastic app with great features
- 👍 Clean and efficient UI
- 🔒 No ads or in-app purchases
- 🎨 Customizable themes and settings
- 📚 Wide range of manga/comics sources

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Confusing setup and onboarding process
- 🔄 Unreliable library sync and update features
- 🕰️ Slow download and loading speeds
- 📱 Compatibility problems on some devices

**Reported bugs**

- JSON token errors when interacting with server
- Inability to add/remove manga from library
- Disappearing navigation UI elements

**Requested features**

- Bookmark/resume reading feature
- Panel-by-panel/smart panel reading mode
- Sync reading progress across devices
- Better documentation and support resources


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Outplayer free?

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

### Is Paperback free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Outplayer or Paperback?

Outplayer is rated higher. Outplayer averages 4.6 out of 5 from 497 ratings, while Paperback averages 4.3 from 569 ratings.

### Do Outplayer or Paperback have ads?

Neither Outplayer nor Paperback shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Outplayer or Paperback?

Outplayer ships an update every 3 weeks, and Paperback every 2 weeks. Most recently, Outplayer was updated on September 24, 2026 and Paperback on September 19, 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.*