DrawnStrips vs theXReader
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/ =====
theXReader
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Entdecke deine Comics neu - mit theXReader, der smarten App für echte Comic-Fans. theXReader liest alle gängigen Comic-Formate (CBR, CBZ, PDF), organisiert deine Bibliothek automatisch nach Serie, Charakter, Verlag und Jahr und nutzt KI, um aus jedem Heft mehr herauszuholen. WAS THEXREADER BESONDERS MACHT - Alle Formate, eine App Lies CBR, CBZ und PDF nahtlos. Egal ob aktueller Comic-Run, Alte-Klassiker, Manga oder Independent-Heft - theXReader öffnet alles. - Übersetzung in 27 Sprachen Sprechblasen werden in Echtzeit übersetzt: Englisch, Deutsch, Spanisch, Französisch, Italienisch, Japanisch, Koreanisch und viele weitere. Lies, was sonst nur im Original verfügbar wäre. - Natürliches Vorlesen Lehn dich zurück. Eigene KI-Stimme pro Charakter, sanfte Pausen, anpassbare Lesegeschwindigkeit. Augen zu, Kopfhörer auf, einfach genießen. - Panel-für-Panel-Modus Smartphone-Bildschirm zu klein? KI erkennt automatisch jedes Panel und führt dich Bild für Bild durch die Story. Kein Zoomen, kein Wischen. - KI-Hintergrundwissen Zu jedem Heft: Plot, Charaktere, Easter Eggs, Erstveröffentlichung, Hintergrundlore. Alles im Kontext deiner Sammlung. - Bibliothek wirklich überall Eigener Mac/PC als Heim-Server, das iPhone/iPad greift weltweit auf deine Comics zu. Lese-Fortschritt synchronisiert geräteübergreifend. - Mit Freunden teilen Mirror-Account: dein Familienmitglied sieht deine komplette Bibliothek, hat aber seinen eigenen Lese-Fortschritt und seine eigenen Favoriten. - Offline lesen Comics direkt aufs Gerät laden und auch ohne Internet weiterlesen - im Flugzeug, in der U-Bahn, im Urlaub. - Such-Spotlight Volltextsuche durch tausende Comics: nach Charakter, Stadt, Serie, Jahr, Verlag. Findet auch Easter-Egg-Auftritte. - Lese-Statistiken Wie viele Comics hast du gelesen? Welche Charaktere tauchen in deiner Sammlung am häufigsten auf? Wann hast du angefangen? Alles auf einen Blick im Profil. ABONNEMENT - Monatlich: 2,49 EUR - Jährlich: 23,99 EUR (entspricht 2,00 EUR pro Monat) Jederzeit kündbar. Keine versteckten Kosten. FÜR WEN IST THEXREADER - Comic-Sammler mit hunderten CBR/CBZ-Dateien, die endlich Ordnung wollen - Leser mit fremdsprachigen Original-Ausgaben - Manga-Fans, die japanische Reihen vorab lesen möchten - Eltern, die ihrem Kind Comics vorlesen wollen, ohne selbst zu lesen - Pendler, die unterwegs Panel-für-Panel auf dem Smartphone lesen - Familien, die eine gemeinsame Sammlung über mehrere Accounts teilen DATENSCHUTZ Deine Comic-Dateien bleiben bei dir, auf deinem Mac, PC oder NAS. theXReader speichert keine Comic-Inhalte auf eigenen Servern. Nur dein Account (E-Mail, Profilbild, Lese-Fortschritt) wird zentral synchronisiert. KI-Anfragen werden anonymisiert weitergegeben. UNTERSTÜTZUNG Fragen oder Wünsche? Schreib uns über die App oder per E-Mail. Wir antworten persönlich und schnell. theXReader ist Teil der SpiritTower-Familie. Terms of Use (EULA): https://thexreader.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://thexreader.com/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: DrawnStrips at 4 against theXReader's 2. theXReader's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). On price, 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 theXReader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
| Parameter | DrawnStrips | theXReader |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 47.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 4 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fabrice Leyne | Thomas Parnia |
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
theXReader
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
theXReader
- Monatsabo$1.991 Month
- theXReader Unlimited Jahresabo$19.991 Year
