# SideBooks vs Manga Viewer

The clearest difference is ads: SideBooks at none against Manga Viewer's shown. Manga Viewer's advantage is review sentiment (83% vs 74%) and ratings volume (349 vs 97). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SideBooks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Manga Viewer sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for SideBooks against 4.8 for Manga Viewer. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 97 and 349 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 74% of SideBooks's written reviews are positive against 83% of Manga Viewer's.

SideBooks ships an update every 9 days, Manga Viewer weekly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | SideBooks | Manga Viewer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (97 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidebooks/id409777225/reviews) | **[4.8 (349 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/manga-viewer-cbzcbr-reader/id1309007086/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 97 | **349** |
| Positive reviews | 73.7% of reviews | **82.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 33 MB | 95 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | +4 |
| Developer | [Tatsumi-system Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/409777230) | [kim juyoung](https://appshunter.io/developer/918406157) |

## What reviewers say

### SideBooks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidebooks/id409777225)

This app offers a high-performance PDF and comic viewer with realistic paper-turning animations. It supports various viewing directions, enhanced bookshelf management, and secure password protection for your documents. Easily import files from multiple sources and enjoy a customizable reading experience.

**Highlights:** Realistic paper curl animation, Multiple viewing directions, Enhanced bookshelf management, Password protection, Dropbox and iTunes file import, Supports PDF, ZIP, CBZ, RAR, CBR

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Thema extension Add-On | $0.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth page turning
- 📚 Great for reading comics and manga
- 🗂️ Excellent folder organization
- 🔍 Useful search and table of contents features
- 💻 Seamless Dropbox integration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes when loading large files
- 🚫 Limited file format support (no CBZ/CBR)
- 🔍 Difficult to find and delete books
- 🔒 Requires Dropbox access, no local file support
- 🔍 Small thumbnail size makes it hard to browse

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when opening certain PDF files
- Corrupted files cause repeated crashes
- Dropbox integration issues on some devices

**Requested features**

- Add support for ePub and other popular formats
- Implement iCloud/Google Drive integration
- Allow manual rearrangement of bookshelf
- Add dark mode and customizable background options
- Improve bookmark and annotation features


### Manga Viewer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/manga-viewer-cbzcbr-reader/id1309007086)

This app allows you to view comic and fictional image archives on your smartphone. It supports various compressed file formats and image types, with options for cloud import and PC transfer via WiFi. Enjoy features like page view modes, image filters, and iCloud sync for a seamless reading experience.

**Highlights:** Supports zip, rar, 7z, cbz, cbr, cb7 compressed files, PDF and TIF/TIFF file support, Upload via PC web browser (WIFI), Import from cloud apps (iCloud, Dropbox, Box), FTP and SSHFTP support, One page and two page view modes, Night mode and image brightness adjustment

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sponsor 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sponsor 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove app ads | $1.99 | one-time |
| Sponsor 3 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Sponsor 4 | $7.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SideBooks free?

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

### Is Manga Viewer free?

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

### Which has better reviews, SideBooks or Manga Viewer?

Manga Viewer is rated higher. SideBooks averages 4.6 out of 5 from 97 ratings, while Manga Viewer averages 4.8 from 349 ratings.

### Do SideBooks or Manga Viewer have ads?

Manga Viewer shows ads; SideBooks does not.

### Which is updated more often, SideBooks or Manga Viewer?

SideBooks ships an update every 9 days, and Manga Viewer weekly. Most recently, SideBooks was updated on October 29, 2026 and Manga Viewer on October 29, 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.*