# Leaf & Spine vs Penguin

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Penguin at 100% against Leaf & Spine's 43%. Penguin also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). Leaf & Spine's advantage is ratings volume (7 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.5 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Leaf & Spine sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Penguin sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Penguin holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Leaf & Spine has 7 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Leaf & Spine's written reviews are positive against 100% of Penguin's.

Leaf & Spine ships an update fortnightly, Penguin every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Leaf & Spine | Penguin |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/leaf-and-spine-reader-and-tracker/id6758519785/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penguin-cbz-cbr-comic-reader/id6780071705/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **7** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 42.9% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 114 MB | 110 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.5** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Aqeeb Rizwan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1873308369) | [HAEDUN KIM](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896506869) |

## What reviewers say

### Leaf & Spine

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/leaf-and-spine-reader-and-tracker/id6758519785)

Enhance your reading experience with a distraction-free app that supports various formats like PDFs, EPUBs, audiobooks, and comics. Build daily reading habits with powerful tools, track your progress with detailed analytics, and personalize your digital library.

**Highlights:** Supports PDF, EPUB, CBR, CBZ, and Audiobooks, Smart EPUB annotation and note-taking, Text-to-Speech for audiobooks, Customizable themes and 3D bookshelf, Daily reading habit tracking and analytics, Immersive focus sessions with ambient environments

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| Teal Stripes | $0.79 | one-time |
| Teal Labels | $0.99 | one-time |
| Teal Hearts | $0.99 | one-time |
| Teal Duotone | $0.99 | one-time |
| Teal Diamonds | $1.49 | one-time |
| Teal Stars | $1.49 | one-time |
| Teal Leaves | $1.49 | one-time |
| Teal Spiral | $1.99 | one-time |


### Penguin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/penguin-cbz-cbr-comic-reader/id6780071705)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Lifetime — Buy Once | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Leaf & Spine free?

Leaf & Spine 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, Leaf & Spine or Penguin?

Penguin is rated higher. Leaf & Spine averages 4.0 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Penguin averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Leaf & Spine or Penguin have ads?

Neither Leaf & Spine nor Penguin shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Leaf & Spine or Penguin?

Leaf & Spine ships an update fortnightly, and Penguin every 3 days. Most recently, Leaf & Spine was updated on September 13, 2026 and Penguin on September 21, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*