ComicBook! vs Comic Life 3
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ComicBook!
Easily transform your photos into comic book pages with a wide array of graphic effects, stickers, and text tools. Choose from numerous layouts and fonts to create share-worthy stories. Save your creations as images or editable PDFs.
- Graphic effects and filters
- 105 inspiring layouts
- 374 hand-drawn comic stickers
- 12 caption and text tools
- Import images from library and Flickr
- Save as JPG or editable PDF
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"The Best App for Making Comics: ComicBook!" - Mac|Life ComicBook! is YOUR Creative Superpowers! Transform the ordinary to share-worthy extraordinary easy as: B.A.M! Arm yourself with the best graphic effects, 105 inspiring layouts, 374 hand-drawn* comic Stickers, 12 caption and text tools, and auto-content from Flickr, and you have the superpowers to Rule the Universe - in Your stories! TOP-SELLING COMIC BOOK CREATION APP AWARDED iTUNES BEST PHOTO APP OF 2011 WAS APP OF THE WEEK WORLDWIDE YOUR IMAGES YOUR WAY Import images from your library and Flickr Capture a new image Scale, rotate & position imported images SUPERFX (optional) Best image to comic effects and true to image 8 auto styles, each with optional detail settings All have 4 CMYK halftone options All have 4 screen halftone options All have 4 line halftone options FX BUILDER From classic comic to Manga Each has 5 variations Each of those has 4 line options All have 4 CMYK halftone options All have 4 digital halftone options 10 LEGACY IMAGE FX FILTERS Automatic "Classic" style Adjustable Comic style Photo Adjustment filter Noir, Sinkcity, Poster, Moody, Rock & Hope Effects 374 AWESOME STICKERS INCLUDED Vast majority lovingly hand-drawn by Joanna Mulder! Paste PNG and JPG images as custom stickers Position, Mirror (flip), scale & rotate stickers Optional drop shadow and transparency 500+ additionally available 11 CAPTION TOOLS "Messy" option for drawn look; each is unique! Captions have small, medium & large fonts Customizable caption background colors Customizable caption text colors Curved pointers with hints 105 LAYOUTS INCLUDED Selectable aspect ratio (1:1, 3:2, 4:3 and 16:9) 15 Fun Photo Portrait Layouts 15 Classic Portrait Layouts 15 Classic Landscape Layouts 15 Vintage Portrait Layouts 15 Vintage Landscape Layouts 15 Modern Portrait Layouts 15 Modern Landscape Layouts BUILT-IN SHARING Twitter sharing Facebook sharing Instagram sharing Email JPG or PDF files Direct printing support 10 COMIC FONTS INCLUDED Fonts feature bold & international characters Title text tool in 6 colors and 3 sizes SAVING Save to photo library Save to editable** PDF files PDF files can be copied to your computer Open PDF files in any app that supports PDF Graphical project manager to save & restore projects EVEN MORE Set default font, font size, etc. Parental controls Tooltips Comprehensive online help and Quick Start Native Retina iPhone and iPad resolution SuperFX is available on devices with A12 and M1 and later processors as an in-app purchase with a free 2-week trial. Compared to our previous ComicBook! effects, SuperFX is a game-changer. It offers significant visual enhancements and improved resolution, and the SuperFX styles are fully automatic. They optionally have three different detail options, each with three different halftone types, including CMYK and an all-new line screen. Our SuperFX effects are high-definition and generated directly on the user's device, ensuring complete privacy and the ability to use them without an internet connection. At our core, we believe in preserving the original traits of a photo while adding cutting-edge effects. Unlike other generative AI, our models do not alter personalities or hallucinate objects. Additionally, we trained our models on ethically sourced and homemade datasets. *The one and only Joanna Mulder lovingly drew the vast majority of our 374 included stickers **PDF files are only editable in external applications such as Adobe Illustrator and Inkscape. We commit to continuously improving ComicBook! 2, and we encourage everyone to suggest ideas for future updates free of charge! Connect with us @3DTOPO on Twitter and Instagram! Rascal the cat images compliments of @rascal_wild Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Comic Life 3
Create dynamic photo comics with a powerful and easy-to-use app. Add photos, customize text and graphics, and share your creations. Features include a script editor, image filters, and numerous templates.
- Integrated Script Editor
- Next-generation image filters
- Instant Alpha tool
- Customizable templates
- Speech balloons and lettering
- Multi-page comic support
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The Most Powerful Photo Comic Creation App Available. "Of the comic book apps I’ve used, Comic Life, [...], has the most features and works best on an iPad because of the bigger screen... I love the way the app allows you to edit tiny details, from the shape and style of word bubbles to the size and placement of each story cell." - Kit Eaton, The New York Times - Introducing an integrated Script Editor*, next generation image filters and built in Instant Alpha tool. - New graphics features include speedlines, halftones, updated stroke options and more! - Dozens of fully customizable templates. - Everything you need at your fingertips: speech balloons, photo filters, comic lettering, templates, shapes, shadows and effects. Download Comic Life 3 to create dynamic comics with your photos. Packed with fonts, templates, balloons, captions, and lettering art, Comic Life is a fun, powerful and easy-to-use app that makes creating comics easier than ever. And now you can build your comics anywhere you like! Easily go from taking photos to creating full comics all on one device with full page templates and panel layouts. Create original stories with the integrated Script Editor then drag and drop your words to the comic page when you're done. Bring in photos from your photo library or access web photos via Flickr integration, and the app’s powerful editing and design tools to get exactly the look you want. When your work of art is complete, use the integrated reader to review pages on your device. Or share with your friends and family. Choose from Facebook, Twitter, email or open your comic in another app as a PDF. New Tools and Features in Comic Life 3 Script Editor* that recognizes elements as you type 17 Advanced parametric image filters Dozens of full templates with hundreds of panel layout options. Instant Alpha tool built in so you can knock out image backgrounds Speedlines, halftones, and textures Fully customizable fill and borders for balloons, lettering, captions, panels and shapes New balloon variety slider for even more customization Customizable gradient builder Draw shapes Over 60 font options Load photos directly from photo library Integrated camera feature to instantly add photos to your comic Supports multi-page comics Using Comic Life you can: - Read your comics with the integrated e-reader. - Create photo comics in the full featured comic editor. - Share your comics on Facebook, Twitter, via Mail, AirDrop and iTunes File Share. - Transfer your comics to Mac or Windows and keep working with Comic Life 3 on your desktop or laptop. - Send your comics to a printer on your wireless network. - Choose from full page layouts including panels, titles and captions along with complimentary styles for a high end look. - Drag and Drop elements anywhere in your comic page. - Easily add photos from your library with the Place Photo button in panels. - Curve and place balloon tails precisely with advanced tail controls. - Resize and rotate images, clip them in panels along with balloons, captions, and lettering. - Create multilayered color gradients to design the perfect style for lettering, captions or background. - Use smart shapes to add common shapes and the free form shape drawing tool to create any line or shape you can imagine. - Work without worry of losing your creation as documents are automatically saved whenever a change is made. * This feature is available on iPad only
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ComicBook! at 4.8 against Comic Life 3's 4.3. ComicBook! also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and review sentiment (82% vs 64%). Comic Life 3's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11) and chart position (#115 vs unranked). On ads 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
ComicBook! costs $2.99 and Comic Life 3 $4.99 up front. ComicBook! sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Comic Life 3 asks for nothing beyond the download.
ComicBook! holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ComicBook! has 1.4K ratings behind it against 239, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of ComicBook!'s written reviews are positive against 64% of Comic Life 3's.
ComicBook! ships an update every 2 weeks, Comic Life 3 every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ComicBook! | Comic Life 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.8 (1.4K ratings) — better | 4.3 (239 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 81.7% of reviews — better | 63.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.4K — better | 239 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | #115 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 203 MB | 97 MB |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 3DTOPO Inc. | plasq LLC |
Customer experience
ComicBook!
Comic Life 3
User reviews
ComicBook!
From 1.4K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🎨 Great for creating comics
- 💡 Lots of creative options
- 🤩 Fun and entertaining
- 👏 Awesome results
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Lacks save/resume functionality
- 🔍 Limited text/bubble customization
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🤔 Confusing navigation/workflow
Comic Life 3
From 239 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 💡 Versatile for various purposes
- 🎨 Helpful for creating comics and graphics
- 👍 Great for students and educators
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find features
- 🔍 Unintuitive controls and menus
- 🔍 Limited customization options
- 🔍 Lack of advanced features compared to desktop version
Bugs and requests
ComicBook!
Reported bugs
4 issues- Captions get cut off when exporting
- Freezing and crashing on certain devices
- Purchased sticker packs not downloading
- Inconsistent behavior when editing pages
Requested features
5 requests- Add multi-page/book creation
- Improve text/bubble resizing and positioning
- Provide more font and color options
- Implement undo/redo functionality
- Add ability to rotate/flip stickers
Comic Life 3
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent crashes and data loss
- Issues with placing and resizing elements
- Inconsistent behavior when adding or editing content
- Problems with syncing and opening projects across devices
Requested features
5 requests- Improved stability and reliability
- More customization options for text, layouts, and templates
- Ability to import and use custom fonts
- Better integration with cloud storage (e.g., iCloud, Dropbox)
- Streamlined export and sharing options
In-app purchases
ComicBook!
- SuperFX Monthly14 Days trial$0.991 Month
- Crash Pack$0.99
- Kaboom Pack$0.99
- Boom Pack$0.99
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- Bam Pack$0.99
- Zlosh Pack$0.99
- Splash Pack$0.99
- Zzip Pack$0.99
- Splat Pack$0.99
- Cloud & Smoke$0.99
- Puff Pack$0.99
Comic Life 3
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ComicBook! free?
Is Comic Life 3 free?
Which has better reviews, ComicBook! or Comic Life 3?
Do ComicBook! or Comic Life 3 have ads?
Which is updated more often, ComicBook! or Comic Life 3?
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