# Anime boxes vs Awful

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Awful at none against Anime boxes's 4. Awful also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 4 months) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Anime boxes sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Awful asks for nothing beyond the download.

Awful holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 325 and 239 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of Anime boxes's written reviews are positive against 87% of Awful's.

Anime boxes ships an update every 4 months, Awful every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Anime boxes | Awful |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (325 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anime-boxes/id525540312/reviews) | **[4.9 (239 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/awful-sa-forums-browser/id567936609/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **325** | 239 |
| Positive reviews | 67.7% of reviews | **86.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 50 MB | 102 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Bisimplex Technologies](https://appshunter.io/developer/414345861) | [Dale Stonall-Mellor](https://appshunter.io/developer/1583171231) |

## What reviewers say

### Anime boxes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anime-boxes/id525540312)

Browse and discover thousands of anime-related images with this comprehensive client. Features include tag searching, local favorites, offline viewing, and customizable display options. Save images, manage your collection, and enjoy a personalized browsing experience.

**Highlights:** Tag searching with autocomplete, Local favorites and offline viewing, Configurable server and home screen, Slideshow mode, Save images to Photos or Files, Support for animated GIFs and Pools

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Coffee | $0.99 | one-time |
| Anime boxes Pro | $1.99 | one-time |
| Cupcake | $2.99 | one-time |
| Cake | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient browsing
- 👍 Great for finding anime art
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 💡 Ability to add custom servers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Inconsistent search results
- 📥 Issues with saving/downloading images
- 🔌 High battery consumption

**Reported bugs**

- Login errors
- Images failing to load
- Webm playback issues
- Disappearing 'save' buttons

**Requested features**

- Add support for more image boards
- Sync favorites across devices
- Customizable categories for favorites
- Sort by date/score for 'Hot Now' feature
- Option to disable content filters


### Awful

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/awful-sa-forums-browser/id567936609)

This app provides a streamlined browsing experience for the Something Awful forums on iOS devices. It offers access to all forums, bookmarked threads, private messages, and includes features like image uploads and a smilie keyboard.

**Highlights:** Browse all forums and subforums, Access bookmarked threads, Built-in SALR functionality, Smilie stickers and keyboard, Upload images and pictures, Manage private messages, Favorite forums

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🔒 Secure browsing experience
- 💡 Customizable layout and settings
- 🎨 Visually appealing design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 📉 Declining performance over time
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 🚫 Compatibility issues with newer devices

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when opening certain forums
- Inability to load images and media
- Freezing and lagging on older devices
- Sync issues between app and website

**Requested features**

- Add search functionality
- Implement dark mode option
- Improve thread navigation and bookmarking
- Integrate with other social platforms


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Anime boxes free?

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

### Is Awful free?

Awful is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Anime boxes or Awful?

Awful is rated higher. Anime boxes averages 4.6 out of 5 from 325 ratings, while Awful averages 4.9 from 239 ratings.

### Do Anime boxes or Awful have ads?

Neither Anime boxes nor Awful shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Anime boxes or Awful?

Anime boxes ships an update every 4 months, and Awful every 8 days. Most recently, Anime boxes was updated on October 5, 2026 and Awful on October 16, 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.*