# Paperback vs Tachimanga

The clearest difference is rating: Tachimanga at 4.8 against Paperback's 4.3. Tachimanga also leads on review sentiment (76% vs 54%) and ratings volume (5.3K vs 569). Paperback's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tachimanga sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Paperback asks for nothing beyond the download.

Tachimanga holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Tachimanga has 5.3K ratings behind it against 569, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of Paperback's written reviews are positive against 76% of Tachimanga's.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Paperback | Tachimanga |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (569 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/paperback-comicmanga-reader/id1626613373/reviews) | **[4.8 (5.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tachimanga/id6447486175/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 569 | **5.3K** |
| Positive reviews | 53.8% of reviews | **75.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 33 MB | 219 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Faizan Durrani](https://appshunter.io/developer/1626613375) | [Tekbrio LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/728246345) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Tachimanga

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tachimanga/id6447486175)

Explore a vast manga library with this reader app. It supports popular formats like ZIP/CBZ and EPUB, and can connect to self-hosted manga servers for a personalized reading experience.

**Highlights:** Supports ZIP/CBZ formats, Supports EPUB format, Reads from Komga server, Self-hosted manga server integration, Full-featured manga reader

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| Premium Lifetime | $24.99 | one-time |
| Premium Lifetime | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Smooth and intuitive user experience
- 🚀 Efficient manga/manhwa/manhua sourcing
- 🔒 Secure and private reading experience
- 💡 Customizable reading settings
- 👍 Seamless integration with tracking services

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional app crashes or freezes
- 🔋 High cache usage leading to storage issues
- 🔒 Premium features locked behind paywall
- 🐛 Inconsistent chapter update tracking
- 🐛 Duplicate chapter downloads from different sources

**Reported bugs**

- Issues with extensions not working after reinstall
- Chapters not showing up despite being available online
- Unexpected app behavior when switching between sources

**Requested features**

- Ability to backup/restore reading progress
- Option to compress downloaded files
- Improved chapter selection and navigation
- Manga/manhwa recommendation system
- Automatic cache management and cleanup


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Paperback free?

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

### Is Tachimanga free?

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

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

Tachimanga is rated higher. Paperback averages 4.3 out of 5 from 569 ratings, while Tachimanga averages 4.8 from 5.3K ratings.

### Do Paperback or Tachimanga have ads?

Tachimanga shows ads; Paperback does not.

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

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