Penguin vs Loomic
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Penguin
This app allows you to read and organize your digital comic books and novels. It supports various file formats and offers on-device translation for manga. You can also connect to network storage for a vast library without taking up device space.
- Supports CBZ, CBR, PDF, EPUB, and image folders
- On-device manga translation
- Organize library with nested folders
- Connect to NAS via SMB, WebDAV, OPDS
- Customizable reading settings
- Reading statistics and progress tracking
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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.
Loomic
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Loomic is an AI-powered manga translation tool built for readers. It preserves the original artwork, covers the source text with a background that blends into the surrounding art, then naturally embeds the translated text—so you can read content you already legally access in the language you know best. Using AI translation and natural text-embedding technology, Loomic helps you follow dialogue and text within manga panels while preserving the original panel layout, typography, and visual feel as closely as possible. Highlights: In-Page Real-Time Reading: See translations instantly as you read on the original site—without leaving your reading flow. AI Natural Text Embedding: Translated text is rendered naturally within the artwork, reducing the need to toggle back and forth. Preserves Original Artwork: Translations are designed not to break the image—keeping dialogue, panels, and visual rhythm clean. Switch Languages Freely: Switch to any supported language and explore more titles across different languages. Reading History: Tracks your reading progress so you can easily return to where you left off. Loomic is ideal for readers who want to overcome language barriers and discover more manga, as well as language learners who want to use manga to build contextual understanding. By using this app, you agree to Apple's standard End User License Agreement (EULA). https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Penguin at none against Loomic's shown. Loomic's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Penguin sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Loomic sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Penguin ships an update every 5 days, Loomic every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Penguin | Loomic |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 125 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | HAEDUN KIM | HES TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. |
In-app purchases
Penguin
- Pro Lifetime — Buy Once$3.99
Loomic
- Loomic Lite$5.991 Month
- Loomic Plus$11.991 Month
- Loomic Pro$59.991 Month
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- Loomic Lite$59.991 Year
- Loomic Plus$119.991 Year
- Loomic 500 credits$11.49
- Loomic 1200 credits$27.99
- Loomic 3000 credits$69.99









