# Crunchyroll vs Kurozora

The clearest difference is ads: Kurozora at none against Crunchyroll's shown. Kurozora also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Crunchyroll's advantage is ratings volume (1.5M vs 375) and rating (4.8 vs 4.6). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Crunchyroll sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month and Kurozora sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Crunchyroll holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Crunchyroll has 1.5M ratings behind it against 375, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 47% of Crunchyroll's written reviews are positive against 50% of Kurozora's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Crunchyroll ships an update weekly, Kurozora every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Crunchyroll | Kurozora |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crunchyroll/id329913454/reviews)** | [4.6 (375 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kurozora/id1476153872/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.5M** | 375 |
| Positive reviews | 47.1% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#4** | — |
| Size | 247 MB | 120 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Vision Pro | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Crunchyroll, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/329913457) | [Khoren Katklian](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476153871) |

## What reviewers say

### Crunchyroll

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crunchyroll/id329913454)

**Currently charting:** #4 Top Grossing · Entertainment, #10 Top Grossing, #41 Top Free · Entertainment (US App Store)

Stream a vast library of anime shows and movies, including new episodes and exclusive originals. Enjoy ad-free viewing in high quality, with options for offline downloads and multi-device streaming. Access exclusive music videos and concert performances from top artists worldwide.

**Highlights:** Largest anime library, Ad-free streaming, Offline viewing, Simulcast episodes, Crunchyroll Originals, Music videos and concerts, Crunchyroll Game Vault

**Features:** SharePlay, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Anime Membership | $7.99 | per month |
| Fan | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Premium+ Membership | $11.99 | per month |
| Mega Fan  Monthly | $13.99 | per month |
| Fan Manga Bundle | $13.99 | per month |
| Mega Fan Manga Bundle | $17.49 | per month |
| Ultimate Fan | $17.99 | per month |
| Crunchyroll Premium Membership | $99.99 | per year |
| Mega Fan  Annual | $139.99 | per year |
| Ultimate Fan Annual | $179.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app for watching anime
- 👍 Huge variety of anime content
- 👍 Affordable premium subscription
- 🚀 Smooth app performance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💥 Too many ads for free users
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Logging out issues and account problems
- 🔍 Limited content selection compared to other services

**Reported bugs**

- Subtitles not working or out of sync
- Video playback issues and freezing
- Login/logout problems and account management bugs

**Requested features**

- Add skip intro/outro feature
- Improve ad placement and reduce frequency
- Implement user profiles and watch history management
- Expand content library with more anime titles


### Kurozora

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kurozora/id1476153872)

Discover and track your favorite anime, manga, music, and games. Organize your progress with customizable lists, set release reminders, and connect with a community of fans. Explore a vast library and never miss a new episode or release.

**Highlights:** Anime and manga discovery, Progress tracking (watchlist), Customizable lists (in-progress, completed, etc.), Release countdowns and reminders, Community timeline and global feed, Discussion forums

**Features:** Family Sharing, Apple Watch app, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kurozora+ 1 Month | $3.99 | per month |
| Kurozora+ 6 Months | $11.99 | per 6 months |
| Kurozora+ 12 Months | $18.99 | per year |
| Wolf tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Tiger tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Demon tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Dragon tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| God tip | $19.99 | one-time |
| Extraterrestrial tip | $49.99 | one-time |
| Eternal tip | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 App looks good
- 👍 Nice graphics and icons
- 👍 Variety of filters
- 👍 Good for tracking anime
- 👍 Anime calendar widget

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Cannot watch anime
- 🐛 Login issues (Google login missing)
- 🐛 Difficulty watching anime
- 🐛 Sign-in errors (401 response)
- 🐛 Username character restrictions

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot watch anime
- Login with Google not available
- Unable to sign in with error code 401
- Username validation issues
- Redirects to Crunchyroll when trying to watch

**Requested features**

- Allow users to watch anime
- Add login with Google option
- Improve user guidance on watching anime
- Fix sign-in errors and response codes
- Address username character restrictions


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Crunchyroll free?

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

### Is Kurozora free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Crunchyroll or Kurozora?

Crunchyroll is rated higher. Crunchyroll averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.5M ratings, while Kurozora averages 4.6 from 375 ratings.

### Do Crunchyroll or Kurozora have ads?

Crunchyroll shows ads; Kurozora does not.

### Which is updated more often, Crunchyroll or Kurozora?

Crunchyroll ships an update weekly, and Kurozora every 3 weeks. Most recently, Crunchyroll was updated on November 12, 2026 and Kurozora on November 6, 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.*