Comparison

Kanman Reader vs Analects Reader

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

Head to head
About

Kanman Reader

This comic reader helps Chinese language learners immerse themselves in manhua. Easily look up definitions for unfamiliar words by scanning the page, and manage your library of DRM-free comics.

Highlights
  • Supports ZIP, RAR, CBR, CBZ formats
  • Horizontal or vertical scrolling
  • On-page word definition lookup
  • Manhua library management
  • Resume reading from last point
Features
Read full description

Kanman Reader is a comic reader designed for Chinese learners who want a smooth experience when reading Chinese comics (also known as manhua). Upload DRM-free manhua in ZIP/RAR/CBR/CBZ format and start reading to immerse yourself more deeply in the language. If you come across a word you don’t know while reading a manhua on Kanman Reader, you can quickly hold the page to scan it and extract the text. Tapping on a word you don’t recognize will effortlessly pull up the definition for that word. Spend less time trying to look up unfamiliar characters, and spend more time immersing yourself in the Chinese language! Features: - Supports multiple file formats: Manhua can be opened in ZIP/RAR/CBR/CBZ formats - Customizable reading experience: Choose whether you want to flip through manhua horizontally or scroll downwards - Easily look up definitions: Scan manhua to pull up English definitions for unfamiliar Chinese words - Manhua management: Stores previously accessed manhua in a library and lets you easily pick up from where you last left off

About

Analects Reader

Explore Confucius's Analects with interactive features. Read in original Chinese and English, with tappable characters for detailed meanings, readings, and usage. Offers multiple reading modes and integrated podcast commentary.

Highlights
  • Original Chinese and English text
  • Tappable characters with detailed meanings
  • Multiple reading modes (Study, Translation, Chinese, Classical)
  • Integrated podcast commentary with episode guides
  • Notes saved as Markdown in iCloud Drive
  • Offline access to Chinese text
Features
Read full description

The complete Analects of Confucius: all twenty books and 512 passages, in the original Chinese and in English, built for actually reading it. Every character is tappable. The card that opens shows what the character means here, in this passage — not a dictionary's one-size answer — along with its reading, the terms it belongs to, and how it is used across the whole book. Pinyin sits over the characters when you want it and disappears when you don't. READ IT YOUR WAY • Study — the full apparatus: text, translation, pinyin, tappable words, per-passage tone coloring. • Translation — the English as a book. The original waits one tap away under each passage. • Chinese — the received text alone, unglossed, with the English one tap away. • Classical — the text as old editions set it, in columns right to left. Four pages to choose from: one typeset, and three photographed from real copies held in Tokyo, Taipei, and Kyoto — a Qing manuscript, a Ming block print, and a 1550 scholar's copy — with every character mapped, so the glosses work even on a photograph. Scroll the book as one column, or turn it one passage per page, like a printed book. THE COMMENTARY GROWS WITH THE PODCAST The app carries the episode guides from the Exploring the Analects podcast — passage by passage: the philosophical discussion, the historical context, the language notes, with the audio a tap away. New episodes arrive as they are published. YOURS, IN THE FULLEST SENSE Notes you take live in your own iCloud Drive as Markdown — readable anywhere, and they outlive the app. The Chinese text is built in and always works offline. There are no accounts, no ads, no analytics, and no tracking: nothing about your reading is collected. Everything is free — the text, both translations, the glosses, the classical pages, the commentary. A tip jar exists for those who want to keep the project going; nothing is unlocked, because nothing is locked.

Screenshots

Kanman Reader3 screens
Analects Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Kanman Reader at none against Analects Reader's 3. Analects Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.4). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Analects Reader sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Kanman Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Kanman Reader against 5.0 for Analects Reader. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kanman Reader ships an update every 9 months, Analects Reader every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Kanman Reader versus Analects Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKanman ReaderAnalects Reader
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.415.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB276 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAkash CherianElliott Bernstein

Customer experience

Kanman Reader

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Analects Reader

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Kanman Reader

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Analects Reader

One-time3
  • Through the Gate$3.00
  • Up to the Hall$10.00
  • Into the Chamber$30.00

Questions

Is Kanman Reader free?
Kanman Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Analects Reader free?
Analects Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Kanman Reader or Analects Reader?
Kanman Reader and Analects Reader are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Kanman Reader or Analects Reader have ads?
Neither Kanman Reader nor Analects Reader shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kanman Reader or Analects Reader?
Kanman Reader ships an update every 9 months, and Analects Reader every 2 weeks. Most recently, Kanman Reader was updated on October 3, 2026 and Analects Reader on October 16, 2026.

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