DrawnStrips vs Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DrawnStrips
Experience comics and manga with a fast, elegant reader designed for immersive and customizable reading on iPhone and iPad. Supports a wide range of formats and offers flexible navigation and live image enhancements.
- Universal format support (CBR, CBZ, PDF, EPUB, etc.)
- OPDS server access
- Smooth iOS performance with native gestures
- Flexible navigation for various reading styles
- Live image enhancements
- Built-in conversion tools
- Customizable shortcuts and themes
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DrawnStrips Reader – The Best Comic Experience on iPhone & iPad Read comics the way they were meant to be enjoyed. DrawnStrips Reader is a fast, elegant iOS app designed for smooth, immersive, and fully customizable reading on iPhone and iPad. Why You’ll Love It • Universal Format Support: CBR, CBZ, CB7, CBT, ZIP, RAR, TAR, PDF, EPUB, folders • OPDS Access Anywhere: Connect to your OPDS servers system-wide • Built for iOS: Smooth performance with native gestures and multitasking support • Flexible Navigation: Swipe, scroll, or use keyboard – supports Manga, Western, vertical, horizontal reading styles • Live Image Enhancements: Adjust brightness, contrast, sharpness, and more in real time • Built-in Tools: Convert to ZIP, CBZ, PDF, EPUB or folders • Fully Customizable: Shortcuts, themes, auto-next issue, and more ===== SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS • Monthly: Just $1.99 USD/month • Yearly: Just $7.99 USD/year, after the 3-day free trial Prices may vary by location LIFETIME LICENSE • One-time purchase for $14.99 USD Prices may vary by location Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled. — Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account upon confirmation — You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew in your account settings — No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active period — Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period — All subscription costs are listed above DrawnStrips Reader is not a free app. It uses Apple’s In-App Purchase system. Privacy Policy: https://drawnstrips.com/privacy/ Terms of Service: https://drawnstrips.com/tos/ =====
Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF
This app allows users to read comic books in CBR, CBZ, and PDF formats. It offers features like smart library organization, automatic progress saving, and an ad-free experience. Premium features include unlimited imports and custom collections.
- Supports CBR, CBZ, and PDF formats
- Import from local storage/USB
- Automatic reading progress saving
- Customizable comic collections
- Ad-free reading experience
- Eye comfort mode (blue light filter)
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The Comic Reader App for CBR, CBZ & PDF Fans ComiQuest is a powerful and elegant comic reader app designed for enthusiasts of every kind — whether you’re reading .cbr comics, .cbz archives, or .pdf issues. Dive into your favorite stories with smooth navigation, smart library features, and zero distractions. Read Comic Books Enjoy full support for popular file formats: CBR, CBZ, and PDF. Open your collection without converting or switching apps. Easy File Access Import comic books directly from your local storage or USB drives. ComiQuest recognizes and opens your files effortlessly. Save Your Reading Progress Jump back into your comics right where you left off. Your reading progress is automatically tracked for every title and format. Organize Your Comic Book Collection Sort your comics into custom comic book collections. Whether you’re managing graphic novels, manga, or webtoons, your library stays tidy and easy to navigate. 100% Ad-Free Reading Focus on your comics without distractions. ComiQuest offers a clean, ad-free reading experience across all supported formats. Eye Comfort Mode An experimental blue light filter helps reduce eye strain — currently available for CBR and CBZ files. Go Premium to Unlock: Unlimited imports of CBR, CBZ & PDF files Unlimited custom collections Continuous feature updates and ad-free access Payments and Renewal: Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage or turn off auto-renew in your Account settings at any time after purchase No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during the active period. Read our privacy policy and terms of use: https://madmustachecompany.com/comiquest-privacy-policy.html https://madmustachecompany.com/comiquest-terms.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF at 87% against DrawnStrips's 47%. Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF also leads on rating (4.5 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (36 vs 3). DrawnStrips's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. DrawnStrips sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF has 36 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of DrawnStrips's written reviews are positive against 87% of Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF's.
DrawnStrips ships an update every 3 weeks, Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DrawnStrips | Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (3 ratings) | 4.5 (36 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 47.1% of reviews | 87.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 36 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 96 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fabrice Leyne | Alexandre Guidet |
Customer experience
DrawnStrips
Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF
Bugs and requests
DrawnStrips
Reported bugs
29 issues- App closes if subscription not selected
- Paywall for settings
- App crashes immediately upon opening
- Cannot download or install on Mac Sequoia
- Incapable of opening some CBR files without crashing
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- Arrow keys are backwards
- Resizing function does not work
- Export function in CBZ creation mode does not work
- Pages are not in order when exporting
- Crashing constantly
- Can only turn one page at a time
- App forgets window size
- App crashes when exiting fullscreen mode
- App quits unexpectedly when opening files
- Page turning is random and skips pages
- Double pages appear at the end of the book
- Zoom does not work with dual displays
- Touch gestures for scrolling and zoom aren't smooth
- Scrolling doesn't default to system default
- Swiping doesn't work as expected
- Up and down keys don't scroll
- Page turning with scrolling doesn't work
- App doesn't load clicked comics consistently
- Plays a noise every time trackpad is used to switch pages
- Cannot turn off page flip sound
- Not working on Mountain Lion
- Update not taken into account
- Interface issues on older displays (grainy images)
- Issues with dual monitors and scaling
Requested features
27 requests- Add Apple Vision Pro support
- Continuous vertical scrolling support
- Remember last window size and position
- Left mouse click to forward, right click to backward
- Integration with iBooks
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- Support for .zip and .rar files directly
- Settings tab for non-Retina displays
- Comprehensive toolbar tucked away when not in use
- Loupe tool
- Ability to export a page
- Quick access to change reading direction
- Smoother touch gestures for scrolling and zoom
- Regular updates and maintenance
- Gallery feature
- Automatic recognition of files on Mac
- Better organization of comics
- Library system
- Dark mode option
- Zoom to fit option
- Remember position in each comic
- Customize page turning keys
- Mouse wheel support for page turning
- Optimize comic load time
- Caching of next and previous pages
- Double-tap for zooming
- Keyboard controls
- Better library management
Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
DrawnStrips
- Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
- Yearly Subscription3 Days trial$7.991 Year
- Lifetime License$14.99
Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF
- Monthly subscription$1.991 Month
- Monthly Subscription$2.991 Month
- Monthly subscription sale1 Month trial$4.991 Month
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- Monthly subscription$4.991 Month
- Yearly subscription$12.991 Year
- Lifetime$17.991 Year
- Yearly subscription$29.991 Year
- Yearly subscription sale1 Year trial$29.991 Year
- Lifetime$22.99
- Lifetime$34.99
- Lifetime Premium$69.99
Questions
Is DrawnStrips free?
Is Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF free?
Which has better reviews, DrawnStrips or Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF?
Do DrawnStrips or Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF have ads?
Which is updated more often, DrawnStrips or Comic Reader CBR, CBZ & PDF?
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