Chunky Comic Reader vs Panels
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Chunky Comic Reader
Effortlessly manage and read your digital comic collection with smart upscaling and auto-enhancement features. Organize your library, download comics from various cloud services, and enjoy a seamless reading experience.
- Smart upscaling for low-res comics
- Auto contrast/tint correction
- Self-organizing library
- Background downloading from cloud
- Parental controls
- Single/two-up page view
- Right-to-left reading mode
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Try an app that makes your comics look great, makes reading them a pleasure, and takes all the friction out of importing and managing them. • Ultra clean and simple to use • Smart upscaling makes even low-res comics look great • Auto contrast/tint fixes yellow pages and faded ink • Self-organising library - just drop in your comics and go • Download comics in the background while you read, directly from your cloud file-storage service or the web • Upgrade to pro, and download from your PC, Mac or NAS as well • Parental controls let you flag specific comics as ok, and passcode-lock everything else out of sight • Single-page or two-up page view • Right-to-left reading mode • Post screenshots directly to Twitter, Facebook, or Reddit Chunky supports CBZ, CBR, CBT and PDF comics, and understands ComicRack and ComicBookLover tags. It can browse and download directly from iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Transporter, Google Drive, OneDrive, Amazon Cloud Drive, Box, Pogoplug, Mediafire and Copy, and you can copy files in and out with iTunes on your computer or download them via the built-in web browser. Upgrade to Pro and it'll also connect to Mac or Windows shared folders, FTP or SFTP servers, ComicStreamer, Calibre or Ubooquity libraries, and run a mini web and webDAV server you can use to copy files in and out.
Panels
Enhance your comic and manga reading with a clean, customizable interface. Enjoy universal file compatibility, cross-device syncing, and advanced reading presets. Organize your library, secure your content, and import from various cloud services and local networks.
- Universal file compatibility (CBR, CBZ, PDF, ePUB)
- Cross-device reading progress sync
- iCloud Drive integration
- Customizable reading presets
- Right-to-left reading for manga
- OPDS server support
- Content security with password/Face ID
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Improve your comic reading experience with Panels. Enjoy reading your favorite titles in a clean and delightful interface, with plenty of customization and advanced features — fully DRM-free, with first-class support for OPDS, your own library, and your own files. Key features: - Universal Compatibility: Support for most common comic types: CBR, CBZ, CB7, PDF and comic ePUB (not text eBook). Support for multiple image formats, including WebP. - Cross-Device Sync: Synchronize your reading progress across iPhone, iPad and Mac and resume reading exactly where you left off. - Full iCloud Drive support: store your entire library on iCloud and access it from different devices. - Library Organization: Effortlessly manage your comic library with intuitive tools for easy navigation, custom folder colors, logos and cover images. * Themes: support for Light and Dark modes, and many others. * Reading Presets: Choose from a multitude of reading presets or create your own, including horizontal, vertical, or panel-by-panel guided view. - Right to Left reading (manga): read any comic with Panels. * OPDS support: Stream, search and download comics from your OPDS compatible server (Komga, Kavita, Codex, Ubooquity and others). * Secure your content: Keep files locked using a password or Face ID for your collections and files. Use Incognito mode to keep your reading sessions hidden. * Live Text and Subject detection. * Experimental Features: Access experimental features like panel-by-panel navigation. Panels Store — DRM-free comics from independent creators: - Browse and buy comics directly inside Panels, no extra apps or accounts. - 100% DRM-free: every purchase is yours to keep, read offline and back up. - Creators keep 80% of revenue, so your purchases directly support the people making the comics. - Purchased issues are added to your library and sync across your devices automatically. Native support for importing files from: * iCloud Drive * Dropbox * Microsoft OneDrive - Substack * OPDS: Komga, Kavita, Codex and others * Local network shared files and folders via SMB and Embedded web server - iTunes - External drives - Airdrop - Drag&Drop from other apps Page Filters: * Reduce Noise * Increase Sharpness * Reduce Moiré * Crop Borders * Require an active subscription or a one-time purchase. • You may purchase an Auto-Renewing Subscription to unlock all the premium features while it\'s active; or a one-off purchase to unlock the current major version features forever. • Your subscription will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and will automatically renew (at the duration selected) unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. • Current subscription may not be cancelled during the active subscription period; however, you can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your iTunes Account Settings after purchase • Read our privacy policy and terms of use: https://panels.app/privacy / https://panels.app/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Panels at 4.8 against Chunky Comic Reader's 4.2. Panels also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (12K vs 485). Chunky Comic Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). 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. Chunky Comic Reader sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Panels sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Panels holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Panels has 12K ratings behind it against 485, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Chunky Comic Reader's written reviews are positive against 70% of Panels's.
Chunky Comic Reader ships an update every 2 months, Panels every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Chunky Comic Reader | Panels |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (485 ratings) | 4.8 (12K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 64.2% of reviews | 70.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 485 | 12K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #188 — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 165 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Michael Ferenduros | Produkt Studio |
Customer experience
Chunky Comic Reader
Panels
User reviews
Chunky Comic Reader
From 485 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Fast and smooth performance
- 💡 Great organization and sorting options
- 🔒 Secure and ad-free
- 👍 Excellent comic reading experience
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🐛 Syncing and connectivity issues
- 🐛 Compatibility problems with newer devices
- 🐛 Lost reading progress
- 🐛 Unreliable file management
Panels
From 12K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth and responsive
- 👍 Clean and modern UI
- 💡 Useful features like panel view and vertical scrolling
- 🔒 No ads in paid version
- 👍 Good import and organization options
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and bugs
- 🔒 Useful features locked behind paywall
- 🔒 Subscription model instead of one-time purchase
- 🐛 Issues with page navigation and zoom
- 🐛 Problems with reading right-to-left content
Bugs and requests
Chunky Comic Reader
Reported bugs
5 issues- Crashes when opening large files
- Inability to import comics
- Dropbox and OneDrive integration broken
- Deleted comics not freeing up storage
- Slow performance on newer iPads
Requested features
6 requests- Vertical scrolling for webtoons
- Metadata editing capabilities
- Nested folder organization
- Keyboard controls
- Night mode/dark theme
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- Automatic backup and sync
Panels
Reported bugs
5 issues- Crashes when opening large files
- Issues with page order and navigation
- Problems with zooming and scrolling
- Syncing and importing bugs
- Compatibility issues with older devices
Requested features
6 requests- Ability to create sub-folders and nested collections
- Automatic sorting and organization of comics
- Option to lock reading direction
- Double-tap to zoom functionality
- Progress tracking and bookmarking features
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- Support for more file formats like ePub
In-app purchases
Chunky Comic Reader
- Generous Tip$0.99
- Super-Generous Tip$2.99
- Pro Upgrade$3.99
Panels
- Panels+ Monthly7 Days trial$1.491 Month
- Panels+ Yearly7 Days trial$14.991 Year
- Panels 3 Upgrade$9.99
- Panels 2$19.99
- Panels 3$19.99
Questions
Is Chunky Comic Reader free?
Is Panels free?
Which has better reviews, Chunky Comic Reader or Panels?
Do Chunky Comic Reader or Panels have ads?
Which is updated more often, Chunky Comic Reader or Panels?
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