Comparison

墨境 vs Penguin

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

Head to head
About

墨境

Features
Read full description

墨境是一款沉浸式互動小說。你不只是讀者——你走進一本小說,成為書中的人。 每翻開一回,AI 依你的處境即時書寫眼前的場景;你做出選擇,故事就朝那個方向長出全新的下一章。沒有兩個人會讀到同一本書。 ◆ 三十餘部原創長篇,跨越多種類型 玄幻升級、都市、末世系統、諸天萬界、星際、賽博、種田經營、推理、言情、誌怪……每一部都有獨立的世界觀、角色與多卷主線,可一路讀到結局。 ◆ 文學筆觸,沉浸至上 墨境追求的是「讀一本好小說」的沉浸感:沒有數值面板、沒有任務列表,只有筆下的人、事、抉擇與餘韻。 ◆ 你的選擇真的有重量 角色會記得你做過什麼、對你的態度會改變;你結下的因,會在後面的卷章結出果。 ◆ 隨時開讀 新讀者註冊即贈 20 枚墨錠,並可每週領取免費墨錠;之後以「墨錠」續寫。墨錠存於帳號、跨裝置通用、不會過期。 以 Apple 或 Google 登入即可開始。

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

墨境3 screens
Penguin4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Penguin at every 3 days against 墨境's fortnightly. 墨境's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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. 墨境 sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Penguin sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

墨境 ships an update fortnightly, Penguin every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
墨境 versus Penguin: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter墨境Penguin
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.5 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS15.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB120 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBIIIIIdddagaHAEDUN KIM

In-app purchases

6 purchases

墨境

One-time6
  • 墨錠 12 錠$0.99
  • 墨錠 30 錠$2.99
  • 墨錠 100 錠$7.99
Show 3 more
  • 墨錠 260 錠$19.99
  • 墨錠 700 錠$49.99
  • 墨錠 1500 錠$99.99
1 purchases

Penguin

One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime — Buy Once$3.99

Questions

Is 墨境 free?
墨境 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Penguin free?
Penguin is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do 墨境 or Penguin have ads?
Neither 墨境 nor Penguin shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 墨境 or Penguin?
墨境 ships an update fortnightly, and Penguin every 3 days. Most recently, 墨境 was updated on October 14, 2026 and Penguin on October 13, 2026.

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