Comparison

BubbleLingo vs Penguin

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

Head to head
About

BubbleLingo

This app uses AI to translate manga and comics, overlaying translations directly onto images for an immersive reading experience. It also features an AI comic creator to generate artwork from text prompts and an in-app browser for discovering global content.

Highlights
  • AI Comic Creator
  • Instant Image Translation
  • Professional Text Overlay
  • Advanced OCR Technology
  • Web-Optimized Browser
  • Smart Downloads & Offline Reading
Features
Read full description

BubbleLingo – AI Comic Translator & Creator BubbleLingo is the ultimate AI-powered companion for comic lovers, manga fans, and creative storytellers. Whether you want to dive into global content or bring your own stories to life, BubbleLingo breaks down language and artistic skill barriers with cutting-edge AI technology. Seamless AI Translation for Manga & Images Experience the most natural way to read. BubbleLingo uses high-precision OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and advanced language models to detect text in complex environments—including speech bubbles, narration boxes, and even stylized sound effects. Unlike standard translators, our intelligent text overlay technology places the translation directly over the original image. By matching the style and layout of the original artwork, BubbleLingo ensures your reading flow remains uninterrupted and visually immersive. Enhanced In-App Browser for Global Discovery Explore the world of webtoons and digital comics directly within the app. Our newly upgraded in-app browser is specifically optimized for visual content. It automatically identifies translatable images on any webpage, allowing you to translate entire chapters with a single tap. No more manual cropping or jumping between apps; BubbleLingo streamlines the entire discovery process. Smart Downloads & Offline Reading Take your collection anywhere. We’ve significantly improved the download engine, allowing you to save translated images and AI-generated content with greater efficiency. Organize your favorite finds into custom folders and enjoy high-speed batch downloads, ensuring your library is always ready for offline viewing. Key Features: • Instant Image Translation – Upload screenshots, photos, or files for immediate results. • Professional Text Overlay – Natural integration of translated text into speech bubbles. • Advanced OCR Technology – Recognize handwriting and artistic fonts in complex structures. • Web-Optimized Browser – One-tap translation for image-heavy websites and webtoons. • Efficient File Management – Save, organize, and export your translated collections easily. • Multi-Language Ecosystem – Supports English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, French, German, and over 50 other languages. Perfect For: • Avid Readers: Enjoy the latest global manga and webtoons the moment they release, regardless of language. • Aspiring Creators: Use AI to brainstorm visuals, create reference art, or build entire webcomic series. • Language Learners: A fun and effective way to practice reading through engaging visual stories. • Visual Enthusiasts: Anyone who wants to understand foreign visual media, posters, or illustrated guides effortlessly. Break the limits of language and art. Discover, translate, and create with BubbleLingo—your all-in-one AI comic solution. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy https://www.littlegrass.cc/privacy

About

Penguin

This app allows you to read your own comic collection in various formats, with on-device translation for Japanese manga. It offers a customizable reading experience and a smart bookshelf, all while prioritizing user privacy and local data processing.

Highlights
  • On-device manga translation for Japanese comics
  • Supports various file formats (CBZ, CBR, PDF, etc.)
  • SMB and WebDAV network drive support
  • OPDS catalog compatibility
  • Smart bookshelf with automatic categorization
  • Customizable reading gestures and scrolling
Features
Read full description

A comic reader for the books you already own. CBZ, CBR, PDF and EPUB open straight from Files, your Mac, or your NAS — no unpacking, no account, no ads, and no internet needed once a book is on the device. Japanese pages you cannot read? Penguin Viewer translates the speech bubbles on your device and paints the English back into the balloon. ■ Manga and novels in one library - Drop in CBZ, CBR, CB7 (7z), ZIP, RAR, PDF or an image folder. TXT, MD and EPUB novels land on the same shelf. - Auto margin cropping fills the screen with books you scanned yourself. ■ A library in your own folders - Make folders like in Finder, nested at any depth, and drag books between them. - New imports land in the open folder, dozens at a time. Move or delete in bulk, or drag books into your own order. - The folder layout and book order follow you over iCloud. Files are not uploaded and use no iCloud storage. ■ Translation that ends on the device - A manga or webtoon bubble is read sentence by sentence, translated, and painted back where the original lettering was. Vertical Japanese is recognized too. - In novels, translate a sentence or page to read beside the original, or look up words. - Translate a book in advance and pages turn with no wait. Nothing is sent anywhere. ■ Read novels your way - Font, size, line spacing, margins and background change in Text and Layout, live. - Jump chapters from the contents. Position and bookmarks carry between devices. ■ Your NAS and server library - Connect over SMB (NAS), WebDAV or OPDS, compatible with Komga and Kavita. - OPDS-PSE streaming resumes at your page without downloading, so a huge library takes no storage. - Reading position syncs over iCloud, and server credentials stay in the device keychain. ■ Read it the way you want - Single Page, Two-Page, or Smart Two-Page picking by screen ratio, plus right-to-left binding. - Webtoons scroll vertically, or run 120Hz auto-scroll through a binge. Pan sideways while zoomed in. - Multi-gigabyte volumes turn without stutter, and pinch zoom works in spreads too. - A night theme blacks out the reader on your schedule, and Mac turns pages from the keyboard. ■ A library that sorts itself - Smart shelves file books as unread, reading or finished, and ComicInfo groups a scattered series. - Set grid columns and cover size, sort by recently opened, search by title, author or series. ■ A record that grows as you read - Reading statistics, streaks and milestones build the habit. - The reading calendar shows how much you read, iOS widgets show today's, and Face ID locks the app, hiding books from widgets and search. ■ Local AI Translation Benchmark - Measure how fast your iPhone, iPad or Mac translates a manga page. Run it from Translation in Settings. - The result is a single PVScore. A bigger number means a faster device. - The results screen is CRT arcade, scanlines and all. Beat your best and NEW RECORD appears. - Save and share the score as a PNG card, device name and chip included. - Enter a nickname (up to 12 characters) to see the worldwide PVScore top 500. ■ Honest pricing - Almost everything is free. The free library holds 30 books, and sharing the app opens 10 more. - The benchmark and leaderboard are free, with unlimited runs. - An unlimited library is one lifetime Pro purchase, not a subscription. No ads anywhere. ■ Privacy by default - Local first: files, translation, statistics and benchmark results stay on the device. - Leaderboard posts send nickname, score, run log and device info (model, chip, RAM, OS), all shown first. - Linking MyAnimeList sends it your title searches and volumes read. - No account, no sign-up, not a single tracking SDK. Open it and read. - Export your library and reading history, and restore it on a new device. ■ Good to know - Penguin Viewer supplies no manga or novels. It reads files you already own. - The interface comes in 17 languages. Requests left in reviews get built quickly. Novel reading came out of one.

Screenshots

BubbleLingo4 screens
Penguin4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Penguin at 4.5 against BubbleLingo's 4.0. Penguin also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). BubbleLingo's advantage is ratings volume (12 vs 2) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BubbleLingo sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Penguin sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Penguin holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BubbleLingo has 12 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of BubbleLingo's written reviews are positive against 100% of Penguin's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BubbleLingo ships an update every 2 weeks, Penguin every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
BubbleLingo versus Penguin: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBubbleLingoPenguin
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (12 ratings)4.5 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews92.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings12 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size198 MB120 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperLittle GrassHAEDUN KIM

Customer experience

BubbleLingo

All ratings12 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%

Penguin

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

8 purchases

BubbleLingo

Subscriptions8
  • Imtrans Pro - Weekly7 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Imtrans Pro Weekly3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Free Trial3 Days trial$4.997 Days
Show 5 more
  • Imtrans Pro - Monthly$14.991 Month
  • Pro Monthly7 Days trial$17.991 Month
  • Imtrans PRO - Annual$59.991 Year
  • Imtrans PRO - Annual3 Days trial$59.991 Year
  • Pro Annual$79.991 Year
1 purchases

Penguin

One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime — Buy Once$3.99

Questions

Is BubbleLingo free?
BubbleLingo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Penguin free?
Penguin is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BubbleLingo or Penguin?
Penguin is rated higher. BubbleLingo averages 4.0 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Penguin averages 4.5 from 2 ratings.
Do BubbleLingo or Penguin have ads?
Neither BubbleLingo nor Penguin shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BubbleLingo or Penguin?
BubbleLingo ships an update every 2 weeks, and Penguin every 3 days. Most recently, BubbleLingo was updated on October 16, 2026 and Penguin on October 13, 2026.

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