# Manga Reader ㅤ vs Character Lab

The clearest difference is ads: Character Lab at none against Manga Reader ㅤ's shown. Character Lab also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Manga Reader ㅤ's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and chart position (#137 vs unranked). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Manga Reader ㅤ sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Character Lab sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Manga Reader ㅤ ships an update monthly, Character Lab every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Manga Reader ㅤ | Character Lab |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.5 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/manga-reader/id1579203943/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **18K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 13.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Monthly** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#137** | — |
| Size | 69 MB | 72 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Manga Reader Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1776788975) | [Anita Dalibey](https://appshunter.io/developer/1852837433) |

## What reviewers say

### Manga Reader ㅤ

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/manga-reader/id1579203943)

**Currently charting:** #137 Top Grossing · Book, #166 Top Free · Book (US App Store)

Access a vast and ever-growing library of manga titles with seamless navigation and a smooth reading experience. Discover new stories, track your progress, and enjoy personalized recommendations. Download manga for offline reading and explore curated content.

**Highlights:** Massive manga catalog, New chapters added quickly, Fast and smooth reading, Personalized recommendations, Offline reading, Save favorites and progress

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

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscribe Monthly Lezardo | $4.99 | per month |
| Weekly Premium | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Manga Weekly | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Subscribe Weekly | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Manga Weekly | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Manga Weekly | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Subscribe For 3 Months | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Manga Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Subscribe Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Manga | $49.99 | per year |
| Manga Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Subscribe Yearly | $99.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Lots of manga options
- 👍 Clean and simple interface
- 🚀 Fast chapter loading

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Manga pages out of order
- 🐛 Chapters not loading properly
- 🔒 Paywall blocks content
- 🐛 Search function not working
- 🐛 Sync issues across devices

**Reported bugs**

- Blank pages when trying to read
- App crashes when switching chapters
- Disappearing search bar

**Requested features**

- Next chapter button
- Bookmark/resume reading feature
- More categories and sorting options
- Free trial period


### Character Lab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/character-lab/id6759547422)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Character Lab Pro - Mensuel | $5.99 | per month |
| Character Lab Pro - Semestriel | $22.99 | per 6 months |
| Character Lab Pro - Annuel | $34.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Manga Reader ㅤ free?

Manga Reader ㅤ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Character Lab free?

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

### Do Manga Reader ㅤ or Character Lab have ads?

Manga Reader ㅤ shows ads; Character Lab does not.

### Which is updated more often, Manga Reader ㅤ or Character Lab?

Manga Reader ㅤ ships an update monthly, and Character Lab every 3 months. Most recently, Manga Reader ㅤ was updated on October 18, 2026 and Character Lab on October 14, 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.*