# SideBooks vs ComicShare

The clearest difference is price: SideBooks at Free against ComicShare's $3.99. SideBooks also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 4 weeks) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 12.0). ComicShare's advantage is review sentiment (85% vs 72%) and chart position (#106 vs unranked). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

SideBooks is free to download; ComicShare costs $3.99 up front. SideBooks sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and ComicShare sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

SideBooks holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 97 and 47 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 72% of SideBooks's written reviews are positive against 85% of ComicShare's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

SideBooks ships an update every 9 days, ComicShare every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SideBooks | ComicShare |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | **[4.6 (97 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidebooks/id409777225/reviews)** | [4.4 (47 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/comicshare-streaming-reader/id642097030/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **97** | 47 |
| Positive reviews | 72.4% of reviews | **84.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#106** |
| Size | 32 MB | 85 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Tatsumi-system Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/409777230) | [yoshitaka haneda](https://appshunter.io/developer/642097033) |

## 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


### ComicShare

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/comicshare-streaming-reader/id642097030)

**Currently charting:** #106 Top Paid · Book (US App Store)

This app is a versatile e-book reader that supports a wide range of file formats and cloud storage services. It allows users to view scanned comics and images directly from various servers without decompressing files, offering features like iCloud synchronization and image processing.

**Highlights:** Supports ZIP, RAR, EPUB, PDF, and image files, Connects to SMB, FTP, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box, WebDAV, OPDS, SFTP, and Web servers, View archives without decompressing, iCloud synchronization for browsing history and bookmarks, Image processing and filters, Folder password protection, Touch and remote control customization

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Donate 3$ | $2.99 | one-time |
| Donate 6$ | $5.99 | one-time |
| Donate 12$ | $11.99 | one-time |
| Donate 30$ | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SideBooks free?

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

### Is ComicShare free?

ComicShare costs $3.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, SideBooks or ComicShare?

SideBooks is rated higher. SideBooks averages 4.6 out of 5 from 97 ratings, while ComicShare averages 4.4 from 47 ratings.

### Do SideBooks or ComicShare have ads?

Neither SideBooks nor ComicShare shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SideBooks or ComicShare?

SideBooks ships an update every 9 days, and ComicShare every 4 weeks. Most recently, SideBooks was updated on September 23, 2026 and ComicShare 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.*