Comparison

ComicVerse vs Longbox

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

Head to head
About

ComicVerse

Features
Read full description

Read your comics free, with no ads and no subscription. ComicVerse is a comic reader for iPhone and iPad that works with your own server. Connect Komga, Kavita, Codex, Stump, Calibre-Web or any OPDS catalogue and read straight from your library, or open CBR, CBZ, CB7, CBT, PDF and EPUB files from your device. No account needed. And when you want to make your own, describe a scene and ComicVerse draws it. READING COMICS • Reading is free: no ads, no subscription, no account needed. Credits are only for making comics. • Komga, Kavita, Codex, Stump, Calibre-Web or any OPDS catalogue: browse and search your server, stream an issue straight away, or download it for somewhere with no signal. With Komga and Kavita, your place stays in step with the server. • CBR, CBZ, CB7, CBT, PDF and EPUB files, read properly: smooth page turns, a panel-by-panel mode that finds the panels for you, and a scrubber for skipping ahead. • Single page, continuous scroll or two-page spreads, and right-to-left for manga. • On iPhone Duo, open it up for two-page spreads. • Live Text lifts the lettering off a page, so you can copy a line, look a word up or translate a bubble. • Big files open quickly and stay that way. • Your library sorts itself into series, so issue 4 sits next to issue 3. • Bring in files from the Files app or from Dropbox. MAKING COMICS Say who's in it, where they are and what happens, and you get back a comic page: panels laid out, characters drawn, the words already sitting in the speech bubbles. The comics you make end up in the same library as the ones you read. • Write a scene, get a finished page back. Pick an art style if you have one in mind, or leave it and the app will choose something that suits the story. • Any page you don't like, rewrite and regenerate. You're never stuck with the first attempt. • Easier to show than explain? Sketch the layout on the canvas and generate from your sketch. • Put a cover and interior pages together as one issue. Your characters keep the same face throughout. • Export a finished comic and do what you like with it. WORTH KNOWING • On iPad you get a sidebar and a reader built for the bigger screen, not a stretched phone app. • The Home screen keeps track of what you've been reading and what you've been making. • Sign in with Apple and your place in every comic syncs between your iPhone and iPad, free. • Nib, our mascot, turns up here and there. Needs iOS 17 or iPadOS 17, on iPhone or iPad.

About

Longbox

This app allows you to read your existing comic book files, including CBZ, CBR, and PDF formats, directly on your device. It offers various reading modes, library management, and offline access to your collection. Premium features unlock server connections, cloud browsing, and advanced reading tools.

Highlights
  • Reads CBZ, CBR, and PDF files
  • Offline reading support
  • Customizable reading modes (fit to width/height, two-page view)
  • Right-to-left reading for manga
  • Library management with search and favorites
  • Optional cloud server integration
  • EPUB novel support
Features
Read full description

Longbox is a comic reader for people who already have the comics. Point it at your CBZ, CBR and PDF files and it opens them. No account, no upload, no waiting for a library to sync before you can read anything. READING • Fit to width, height or whole page — whichever suits the book • Turn your phone or iPad sideways to read two pages at once, and art drawn across a spread still gets the screen to itself • Pinch to zoom anywhere, double-tap to snap • Right-to-left for manga, set per series and remembered • Night and sepia filters, plus in-app brightness that leaves your system setting alone • Opens on the page you left, every time • Entirely offline — nothing is streamed unless you ask for it YOUR LIBRARY • Import from the Files app — anything on your iPhone or in iCloud Drive • However many comics you own — a hundred or ten thousand, there's no limit • Issues group into series on their own • Search, favourites and reading history • Up to eight libraries, any of them behind a passcode • Reading streaks and a leaderboard, if you want to be on it ALL OF THAT IS FREE The reader is never behind a paywall. Not the filters, not the fit modes, not the reading direction, not reading offline. There's no cap on how many comics you keep, either. If it opens a comic, it costs nothing. LONGBOX PREMIUM • Connect a Komga, Kavita or OPDS server — browse it, read from it, download for offline • Hide comics you'd rather not see, without touching the server • Browse your Dropbox from inside Longbox: a single issue or a whole folder, without leaving the app • Sharpening and upscaling for scans that need it • Beta features first – Panel by panel (alpha) — splash pages and complicated layouts often won't detect • Automatic metadata — publisher, year, creators and characters • EPUB novels — contents, adjustable type, themes and highlighting • Unlimited libraries • Smart Lists that keep themselves current • Your place follows you — across your devices, and in step with your server both ways • Your own picture as the app background • Seven accent colours, each with its own app icon Comics you have already downloaded from a server stay readable forever, even if Premium lapses. Paying us was never what made them yours. PREMIUM PRICING Longbox Premium is available as a one-time purchase, or as a subscription billed monthly or yearly with a 7 day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and can be managed in Settings › Apple Account › Subscriptions. Privacy Policy: https://getlongbox.app/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://getlongbox.app/terms.html

Screenshots

ComicVerse4 screens
Longbox4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Longbox at 15.5 against ComicVerse's 17.6. On price, update cadence, 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. ComicVerse sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Longbox sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ComicVerse ships an update every 2 days, Longbox every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
ComicVerse versus Longbox: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterComicVerseLongbox
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—4 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 3 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.615.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size55 MB74 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOye CollectiveNOAH REILLEY BEARUP

In-app purchases

3 purchases

ComicVerse

One-time3
  • Comic Creator Credits$9.99
  • AI Comic Maker Credits$39.99
  • Pro Comic Studio$69.99
3 purchases

Longbox

Subscriptions2
  • Longbox Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Longbox Premium Yearly$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • Longbox Premium Lifetime$24.99

Questions

Is ComicVerse free?
ComicVerse is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Longbox free?
Longbox is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do ComicVerse or Longbox have ads?
Neither ComicVerse nor Longbox shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ComicVerse or Longbox?
ComicVerse ships an update every 2 days, and Longbox every 3 days. Most recently, ComicVerse was updated on November 5, 2026 and Longbox on October 31, 2026.

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