Comparison

Comic Scroll vs PanelPal

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Comic Scroll

Features
Read full description

Add your purchased or scanned comic books to Comic Scroll from the Files document browser, AirDrop, a Mac, or another iPadOS app. Read in landscape to make every page as large as possible, with portrait supported when you need it. Pages scale to use the full width of your device, and you can zoom out whenever you want to fine-tune the fit. Navigation is simple: tap near the bottom of the screen to move one page down, tap near the top to move one page up, and tap the center or long-press to open the reader menu. Supported file types: PDF, CBZ, CBR, RAR, ZIP Supported languages: English, Dutch, French, German, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese (Hong Kong), Italian, Swedish, Turkish, Spanish, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Finnish, Hebrew, Hindi, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Thai, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, and Catalan.

About

PanelPal

Features
Read full description

PanelPal is the ideal reader for your library of syndicated comic strips like Dilbert, Garfield, Calvin & Hobbes, and other daily classics. Even if your collection consists of thousands of individual strips stored in folders or archives, PanelPal lets you browse, search, and enjoy them effortlessly. Open folders, ZIP/CBZ archives, or individual image files directly on your device and read in a clean, distraction-free interface that keeps the focus on the artwork. Navigation is fast and natural: swipe between strips, zoom in for details, and instantly return to the last comic you viewed. PanelPal goes beyond simple viewing. With on-device text recognition, you can search inside your comics to find specific jokes, characters, or dialogue across your entire collection. Everything happens locally on your device β€” no cloud services, no uploads, and no privacy concerns. Favorites and keywords help you organize large strip archives without forcing you into a rigid library system. Whether you’re revisiting decades of newspaper comics or maintaining a growing daily collection, PanelPal keeps everything accessible and searchable. The Comic of the Day widget brings a random strip from your collection to your Home Screen. Lightweight thumbnails ensure the widget stays fast, while the app always displays the original full-quality artwork. PanelPal supports common comic image formats and archive types including CBR, CBZ, ZIP, JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP, and TIFF. Simply open a folder or archive and start reading. PanelPal is built for strip collectors: fast, private, and fully under your control.

Screenshots

Comic Scroll4 screens
PanelPal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: PanelPal at $0.99 against Comic Scroll's $1.99. On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Comic Scroll costs $1.99 and PanelPal $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard1 real difference Β· 5 level
Comic Scroll versus PanelPal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterComic ScrollPanelPal
Price$1.99$0.99 β€” better
Update frequencyMonthlyβ€”
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.618.6
Further details β€” not scored
Size86 MB11 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperDC-MaticArjen Broeze

In-app purchases

None

Comic Scroll

No in-app purchases

None

PanelPal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Comic Scroll free?
Comic Scroll costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is PanelPal free?
PanelPal costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Comic Scroll or PanelPal have ads?
Neither Comic Scroll nor PanelPal shows ads.

Other comparisons