Comparison

pixiv vs Lyra

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

pixiv

Explore a vast collection of over 160 million illustrations, manga, and novels from Japan's largest creative community. Discover new artists, browse trending content, and share your own creations. Personalize your feed with recommendations based on your preferences.

Highlights
  • Browse illustrations, manga, and novels
  • Post and share your artwork
  • Discover recommended and trending works
  • Search by keywords, tags, and creators
  • Follow favorite artists
  • View browsing history (Premium)
Read full description

Over 160 million illustrations, manga, and novels to explore right now! This is the official iOS app of pixiv, Japan's largest creative community with over 119 million registered users. With this app, you can easily discover and enjoy amazing works anytime, anywhere. pixiv is a platform designed to "accelerate creativity". From anime and manga to fine art, creators from all backgrounds share their work here. Start exploring and find your next favorites today! ■ About pixiv ▶ Illustrations ○ Browse Discover illustrations posted every day, and enjoy them in high quality! ○ Post Share your artwork with the world and collect Likes! ▶ Manga ○ Browse Enjoy original manga you can't read anywhere else! Don’t miss out on trending stories. ○ Post Post your manga and grow your audience! ▶ Novels ○ Browse From romance and fantasy to sci-fi and more, find stories that match your taste! ○ Post Share your writing on pixiv and connect with readers everywhere! ■ Key Features ○ Recommended Works ・View recommended works based on pixiv's most popular posts, ratings, and your own Likes and Bookmarks. ・The more works you like, the better pixiv learns what you love! ○ Rankings ・Browse what's trending across the community. ・Find trending works over the past day, week, or month. ・Enjoy various ranking categories such as "Popular with Males", "Popular with Females", and "Original Works". ○ New Works ・Check out new works from the users you're following. ・See new works from all pixiv users and spark your creative inspiration! ○ Search ・Search for works with your favorite keywords. ・Search illustrations by tags or titles and novels by tags or body text. You can even find stories featuring your favorite characters! ・Search for creators—your favorite artist might be on pixiv! Follow them to stay updated. ・Quickly access frequent searches from your history. ・See the latest trends on pixiv with "Featured Tags". ■ pixiv Premium ○ About pixiv Premium pixiv Premium is a subscription service that gives you access to the following features on pixiv: ・Search by Popularity: Find the most popular works from over 160 million submissions. ・Hide Ads: Enjoy a faster, cleaner viewing experience without ads. ・Browsing History: See a list of all the works you’ve viewed in the past 180 days. ・Mute: Hide works or tags you'd rather not see for a more comfortable browsing experience. To learn more, go to My Page > Join pixiv Premium or My Page > pixiv Premium Features in the pixiv app. ○ Pricing ・$4.99 per month auto-renewing subscription. ○ Subscription Period Your subscription is valid for one month from the date you sign up. Unless canceled at least 24 hours before the renewal date, your plan will automatically renew, and the subscription fee will be charged to your Apple ID. ○ How to Check or Cancel Your Subscription To check your subscription status or cancel auto-renewal: Go to the Settings app > Your profile icon > Subscriptions > pixiv Premium You can view or cancel your subscription from this screen. ○ Cancellations and Refunds Cancellations and refunds for the current month are not available. If you wish to cancel your subscription, please turn off auto-renewal before the next billing cycle. ○ Restoring Purchases or Re-subscribing to pixiv Premium pixiv Premium is linked to your Apple ID. You can only restore your subscription or re-subscribe using the pixiv account you originally registered with. To subscribe with a different pixiv account, you will need to use a separate Apple ID. ○ Terms and Conditions Please review the following before using pixiv Premium: ・Privacy Policy https://policies.pixiv.net/#privacy ・pixiv Premium Terms of Use https://policies.pixiv.net/

About

Lyra

Features
Read full description

Lyra - Your All-in-One Communication & Collaboration Solution Lyra is your comprehensive communication hub designed to seamlessly connect everything that matters. Whether you're messaging friends, collaborating with teams, or accessing government services, this secure app brings it all together in one place. Experience crystal-clear video calls with up to 32 participants, real-time file sharing, and instant messaging, all protected by end-to-end encryption. Connect with official government accounts for effortless access to public services, while keeping your personal and professional communications private and secure. With features like secure messaging, high-quality calls, calendar integration and task management, Lyra streamlines your digital interactions. Your data is safeguarded by a triple-layer encryption system, ensuring your conversations and files remain confidential. Take control of your privacy with customizable settings, manage access to your content, and enjoy complete transparency with no peeking, no sharing, and no exceptions. Lyra isn't just an app; it's your gateway to a more connected and secure digital world.

Screenshots

pixiv4 screens
Lyra4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lyra at none against pixiv's 5. Lyra also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). pixiv's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and chart position (#178 vs unranked). On price and device support 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. pixiv sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Lyra asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

pixiv ships an update weekly, Lyra every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
pixiv versus Lyra: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterpixivLyra
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (6.7K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews43.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings6.7K — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
Best chart rank#178 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB259 MB
Age rating17+4+
Developerpixiv Inc.北京创奇易科技有限公司

Bugs and requests

pixiv

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Blurry thumbnails on iPad
  • Inability to copy text
  • Pixiv links not opening in-app
  • Inconsistent behavior when liking/following

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved search and filtering options
  • Ability to save animated images
  • Sync bookmarks and settings across devices
  • Better support for non-Japanese users

Lyra

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

5 purchases

pixiv

Subscriptions5
  • pixiv Premium (no new users)$4.991 Month
  • pixiv Premium$4.991 Month
  • pixiv Premium$13.493 Months
Show 2 more
  • pixiv Premium$24.996 Months
  • pixiv Premium$45.991 Year
None

Lyra

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is pixiv free?
pixiv is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lyra free?
Lyra is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do pixiv or Lyra have ads?
pixiv shows ads; Lyra does not.
Which is updated more often, pixiv or Lyra?
pixiv ships an update weekly, and Lyra every 3 weeks. Most recently, pixiv was updated on November 6, 2026 and Lyra on October 30, 2026.

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