Comparison

ComicGlass vs Smart Comic Reader

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

Head to head
About

ComicGlass

This app offers a comprehensive comic reading experience for scanned manga and personal files. Enjoy seamless access to your library from various storage locations and customize your reading with advanced features. It supports a wide range of file formats and syncs your progress across devices.

Highlights
  • Scanned manga and comic reader
  • Access files from PC/Mac, NAS, cloud
  • Wide format support (ZIP, PDF, WebP, AVIF)
  • Effortless file transfer and syncing
  • Progress sync via iCloud
  • Network and cloud storage support
  • Customizable reading experience
  • Stream files without downloading
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The definitive comic viewer, loved by users since its release in 2010. Effortlessly enjoy your scanned books and personal files at home or on the go. Experience the rich features and seamless performance built on over 15 years of continuous development. ■ Why Choose ComicGlass? User-Centric Design: Packed with "must-have" features and granular settings for the ultimate daily reading experience. Access Anywhere: View files from your PC/Mac, NAS, or cloud storage instantly, no matter where you are. Broad Format Support: From standard ZIP and PDF to the latest WebP, AVIF, and 7-Zip, we’ve got you covered. Buy Once, Enjoy Everywhere: A universal app for both iPhone and iPad. Get the best experience on all your devices with a single purchase. ■ Powerful Features 【Versatile File Management】 Easy Transfer: Use our dedicated Windows/Mac tool for effortless syncing, or simply use OS-standard file sharing and cloud storage. Sync Your Progress: "Bookmarks" stay synced across devices via iCloud. Start reading on your iPhone outside and pick up right where you left off on your iPad at home. Network Ready: Supports SMB (Windows File Sharing), FTP, WebDAV, and various cloud services. Cloud Support: Google Drive / Dropbox / OneDrive / OneDrive for Business / Box / iCloud. 【Advanced Reading Experience】 Fully Customizable: Fine-tune your experience with double-page spread views, right-to-left/left-to-right reading directions, margin cropping, and more. Streaming: Stream files directly from your PC, NAS, or Cloud storage without the need for downloading them to your device. ■ Supported Formats Archives: ZIP, CBZ, RAR, CBR, 7-Zip Documents: PDF Images: JPEG, PNG, BMP, WebP, AVIF, TIFF, GIF

About

Smart Comic Reader

This app offers a unique comic reading experience by automatically detecting and zooming into individual panels. It allows for seamless navigation between panels with simple taps, optimizing the view for smaller screens. Import comics from various sources and organize them within your iCloud or local storage.

Highlights
  • Automatic panel detection and zoom
  • Seamless panel-to-panel navigation
  • Optimized viewing for small screens
  • Comic import from any source
  • iCloud sync and local storage options
  • Supports CBZ, CBR, and PDF formats
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

A different kind of comic reader that offers a better way to read comics on a smaller screen. How it works: 1. Import any comic into the app. 2. Double tap on a panel and watch the app automatically detect its boundaries and zoom in on it. 3. Tap on the side of the screen to easily move to the next panel. If needed, the app will rotate the comic to make maximum use of your screen space. Key Features ============ Smart Reader: - Automatically zoom in and move between panels for a smooth reading experience. - Works with any comic, western or manga, no matter the art style. Panels do not need well-defined edges to be detected. - Always stay in control, let the app guide you over the page while you can always manually zoom and pan. Comic Collection: - Import comics from anywhere and organize your comic collection. - Comics are stored in iCloud to save storage space and keep your collection in sync across devices. - Your Smart Comic Reader collection is a regular folder on your iCloud Drive that you can access and manage from any iCloud connected device, like a Mac, or a Windows device using iCloud for Windows. - Also works locally if iCloud is disabled. - Supports comics in CBZ/ZIP, CBR/RAR and PDF formats. And many more features to come! If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to send them to: support@vandijk.dev. Comics in video and screenshots: “Pepper&Carrot”, David Revoy, CC-By “Plastic Man”, Quality Comics, Public Domain “Say Hello to Black Jack”, Shuho Sato

Screenshots

ComicGlass3 screens
Smart Comic Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Smart Comic Reader at 4.9 against ComicGlass's 4.3. Smart Comic Reader also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (91% vs 74%). ComicGlass's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.3). On update cadence, ads, chart position 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

ComicGlass costs $3.99 and Smart Comic Reader $2.99 up front. ComicGlass sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Smart Comic Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Smart Comic Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Smart Comic Reader has 539 ratings behind it against 61, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 74% of ComicGlass's written reviews are positive against 91% of Smart Comic Reader's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ComicGlass ships an update every 3 weeks, Smart Comic Reader every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
ComicGlass versus Smart Comic Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterComicGlassSmart Comic Reader
Price$3.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.3 (61 ratings)4.9 (539 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.9% of reviews91.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings61539 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#125#72 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.3
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB54 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperRR SoftOnne van Dijk

Customer experience

ComicGlass

All ratings61 ratings
Positive78.7%
Neutral9.8%
Negative11.5%
Written reviews421 reviews
Positive73.9%
Neutral10.7%
Negative15.4%

Smart Comic Reader

All ratings539 ratings
Positive97.0%
Neutral0.9%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews217 reviews
Positive91.2%
Neutral2.3%
Negative6.5%

User reviews

ComicGlass

From 61 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great app for reading comics and manga
  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 💡 Customizable reading experience
  • 🔒 Password protection for folders

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes when reading from SMB
  • 🐛 Issues with opening password-protected folders
  • 🐛 Compatibility problems with certain file formats
  • 🐛 Rendering issues when switching between portrait and landscape modes

Smart Comic Reader

From 539 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Panel-by-panel reading mode
  • 👍 Seamless iCloud integration
  • 🔒 No ads or data collection
  • 👍 Clean, minimal UI
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional issues with panel detection
  • 🔀 Difficulty exiting panel view
  • 🔀 Inability to adjust cover size in grid view

Bugs and requests

ComicGlass

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes when opening certain files
  • Inability to change folder names
  • Issues with FTP and network file sharing
  • Problems with rendering double-page spreads

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for JPEG XL format
  • Implement vertical scrolling for manga/comics
  • Improve backup and sync functionality
  • Add iCloud integration for file management

Smart Comic Reader

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Deleted user's entire comic collection
  • iCloud sync not working for some users
  • Freezing/crashing issues on iPad

Requested features

6 requests
  • Page marking/bookmarking function
  • Built-in dictionary/translation tool
  • Vertical scrolling mode for webtoons
  • Ability to manually arrange reading order
  • Live Text integration for dictionary lookup
Show 1 more
  • Widgets for quick access

In-app purchases

1 purchases

ComicGlass

One-time1
  • MediaServer plus$1.99
None

Smart Comic Reader

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ComicGlass free?
ComicGlass costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Smart Comic Reader free?
Smart Comic Reader costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ComicGlass or Smart Comic Reader?
Smart Comic Reader is rated higher. ComicGlass averages 4.3 out of 5 from 61 ratings, while Smart Comic Reader averages 4.9 from 539 ratings.
Do ComicGlass or Smart Comic Reader have ads?
Neither ComicGlass nor Smart Comic Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ComicGlass or Smart Comic Reader?
ComicGlass ships an update every 3 weeks, and Smart Comic Reader every 5 weeks. Most recently, ComicGlass was updated on September 24, 2026 and Smart Comic Reader on September 22, 2026.
Which is more popular, ComicGlass or Smart Comic Reader?
ComicGlass currently peaks at #125 in the App Store charts, and Smart Comic Reader at #72. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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