iComix vs Paperback
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
iComix
Read your digital comic collection in CBR and CBZ formats. Seamlessly access comics stored in cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive directly within the app. Import comics from other applications or via iTunes if you prefer.
- CBR/CBZ comic reader
- Cloud support (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Box)
- In-app comic downloading
- Import from other apps
- iTunes file sharing
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Your comics, organized and ready to read. iComix is a CBR, CBZ, and PDF reader for iPhone and iPad. Import your own files from Files or another app, then browse a cover-based library grouped by series. READ COMFORTABLY Enjoy a reader that keeps the artwork in focus. Turn pages, browse page thumbnails, and pick up where you left off with saved reading progress. ORGANIZE YOUR COLLECTION View comics by series, keep track of your reading progress, and create reading lists to plan what to read next. Embedded ComicInfo metadata and file names help organize imported comics. BRING YOUR OWN COMICS Read downloaded comics offline. Optional cloud connections let you browse and download files from your own storage, while iCloud helps keep library information in sync. iComix is a reader for files you supply. No comics or comic subscription are included. Please import only content you own or have permission to use.
Paperback
This app provides an ad-free reading experience for comics and manga from a Komga server. It offers extensive customization through a scripting API, allowing users to extend its functionality with TypeScript or JavaScript.
- Ad-free reading
- Komga server support
- TypeScript/JavaScript scripting API
- Extensible functionality
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An Ad-Free Komga client for iOS. Supports an extensive scripting API using TypeScript/JavaScript to extend the app functionality.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Paperback at 4.3 against iComix's 3.2. Paperback also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (569 vs 57). On price, review sentiment, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Paperback holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Paperback has 569 ratings behind it against 57, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 54% and 54% positive.
iComix ships an update every 2 months, Paperback every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | iComix | Paperback |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (57 ratings) | 4.3 (569 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 54.5% of reviews — better | 53.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 57 | 569 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.1 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 11 MB | 33 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | SteveZ | Faizan Durrani |
Customer experience
iComix
Paperback
User reviews
iComix
From 57 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Great cloud integration
- 👍 Smooth reading experience
- 👍 Intuitive interface
- 👍 Minimal UI
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Unreliable cloud sync
- 🐛 Buggy file management
- 🔒 Google Drive integration issues
- 🔒 OneDrive integration issues
Paperback
From 569 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fantastic app with great features
- 👍 Clean and efficient UI
- 🔒 No ads or in-app purchases
- 🎨 Customizable themes and settings
- 📚 Wide range of manga/comics sources
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- 🔍 Confusing setup and onboarding process
- 🔄 Unreliable library sync and update features
- 🕰️ Slow download and loading speeds
- 📱 Compatibility problems on some devices
Bugs and requests
iComix
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashes when opening certain comics
- Incorrect page order rendering
- Inconsistent cloud sync behavior
- Compatibility issues with iOS updates
Requested features
5 requests- Add iCloud Drive support
- Implement bookmarking/resume reading
- Allow renaming/reorganizing of comics
- Add manga/right-to-left reading mode
- Improve PDF support
Paperback
Reported bugs
3 issues- JSON token errors when interacting with server
- Inability to add/remove manga from library
- Disappearing navigation UI elements
Requested features
4 requests- Bookmark/resume reading feature
- Panel-by-panel/smart panel reading mode
- Sync reading progress across devices
- Better documentation and support resources
In-app purchases
iComix
No in-app purchases
Paperback
No in-app purchases
