Reading is one of the best hobbies that we can do, especially during the pandemic. Among the literary materials that we can browse through, manga comics have become a trend worldwide. Thankfully, we can now read them on our gadgets using manga reader apps. With this software, we can carry mangas anywhere without the added weight.
Manga reader apps are designed to make manga comics readable, whether using a mobile phone or a tablet. In addition, these apps carry titles of your new favorite authors and studios. However, with hundreds of available apps, choosing one can be daunting. So in this article, we will help you pick the best through our buying guide and recommendation list.
Quick List - Top Manga Reader Apps
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Table of Contents
Here are a few points to remember when looking for suitable manga reader apps. It might not be as extensive as you might think, but it can help you in the long run. Keep reading to know all of these considerations.
When we talk about downloading and installing software and programs, we must first check their compatibility with the device's operating system. When you get an incompatible manga reader app, it will not run properly or might not start at all. Make sure to inspect if the manga reader app can run on iOS, Android, or both!
To make it easier for you, search the manga reader app's availability on the App Store for iOS or Google PlayStore for Android. If you find the manga reader app listed, then it is compatible with your gadget.
Aside from compatibility, keep in mind that you need to have sufficient storage space in your phone or tablet to install and operate the manga reader app successfully. You will see the file size of the apps in the product description. You can then cross-check this with the amount of free space on your phone in the settings.
Despite the reasonable cost of manga, many people still choose to "pirate" or illegally download these comics. Unfortunately, it can lower the sales figures for these titles, which may then lead to a revamp of the manga or even stop its production.
Supporting your favorite artist and authors guarantees better and higher-quality reading materials in the future. And if that isn't enough, keep in mind that there are also legal actions against any form of piracy. So, it's best to stick with legit apps that offer genuine scans of your favorite manga titles.
Many apps today provide a free-trial version first before you purchase the full app. It allows you to gauge if the app meets your standards for readability and usability. Free-trial apps usually include the first chapter of a manga for testing. Then, if you are satisfied, you can go ahead and purchase the premium version.
Some apps offer free chapters of old series, while others offer self-published manga materials for free. However, these types of books might be limited and far fewer than you think. So, make sure to keep an eye out for these kinds of offerings.
Each program or application has its own unique features. Some may offer an option to download books or comics for offline reading. With this feature, you can download a chapter of a manga for a later reading session, perfect if you don't have an internet connection all the time or if you plan to read while traveling.
Several reading apps today also support bookmarking. This feature helps you keep track of what page or chapter you are reading. Sometimes this happens automatically when the app is closed, which is an excellent feature to have when reading hundreds of chapters of the manga.
Ratings and reviews from the app users are a big help, so read the app store reviews first. That way, you can tell right away if the app has some compatibility issues, bugs, and other complaints. You'll get to see feedback from other users that will help you make an informed decision about the app.
We also highly recommend leaving reviews and feedback about your own experience with using the app. This will help software developers and future users figure out what fixes and tweaks are needed. In the end, it will result in a better and more user-friendly experience for all manga readers out there.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Viz Media Shonen Jump | ![]() | Read the Newest Manga Series Without Delay | |
2 | RIDI Corporation Manta Comics | ![]() | Say Goodbye to Pesky Advertisements | |
3 | Tu Huynh MangaNelo | ![]() | Enjoy Manga and Manhua Online With Other Enthusiasts | |
4 | MangaToon HK Limited MangaToon | ![]() | Read Colorful HD Manga and Comics Online or Offline | |
5 | Free Manga Studio Manga Fox | ![]() | Spend Hours Reading With No Worries About Internet Security | |
6 | Webtoon Entertainment Webtoon | ![]() | Mix Up Your Library With Korean Manga | |
7 | Piyarat Chayavichitsilp Manga Zone | ![]() | Designed by Manga Lovers for Manga Lovers | |
8 | QuibiArt Manga UP! | ![]() | Read High-Quality Manga to Earn Points | |
9 | INKR Comics INKR Comics | ![]() | Organize Your Books and Get Personalized Recommendations | |
10 | Ellation, Inc. Manga by Crunchyroll | ![]() | Get an Immersive Experience With a Koma-View Screen |
As one of the biggest brands of manga in the industry, it is no surprise to see that Shonen Jump offers such a quality subscription-based manga reader app to download for free. With this app, you can read your manga's latest chapters on the same day they are launched in Japan! Plus, new series are also issued regularly.
The app is cross-platform compatible, so you can view the manga on PC and mobile devices. If you have a smart TV, you may opt to Chromecast the app for ultimate viewing pleasure. It also supports other helpful features, such as bookmarking and brightness controls.
Shonen Jump has a premium (in-purchase) version as well. With this, you can re-read previous releases and unlock more than 10,000 manga chapters. Older series like One Piece and Naruto are locked behind this version. Overall, this is an excellent app for all avid manga fans.
The Manta Comics App is filled with original manhua and comic materials updated daily with new chapters to keep you excited for the next scenes! Even their indie titles such as Dragonsitter and The Lady and Her Butler are thrilling because the plots of these are equally notable to more popular mangas.
Several titles are available for free, while others require a premium subscription for access, although you can get a sneak preview of their first chapters. Another plus is the absence of pesky advertisements, which makes binge-reading much easier.
Manta Comics offers a wide variety of genres to read. Of course, you can expect the typical genres such as fantasy, adventure, and slice-of-life. But for ages 18 and up, you can read adult and BL-themed stories. We highly recommend reading the synopsis and tags carefully.
MangaNelo highlights its user-friendly interface with at least 30 library sources and supports four reading directions that you can choose from. You can download the app freely, but with a one-time payment for a premium subscription, you can do away with ads for a lifetime.
Should you have any feedback or issues with the app, MangaNelo's Development Team is highly responsive to address reported bugs and other concerns. You can speak to them directly, and they welcome suggestions!
What's more exciting is they have a Discord Community! You can join and interact with fellow manga enthusiasts to review your recently finished series. You can also mark your favorite series from the 41 genres that it offers.
Looking for colored and high-definition illustrations for an image-rich manga experience? MangaToon has a lot of series in store for you! It is a reading app for manga, manhua, and comics updated regularly with new comic releases every week and some new chapters that are launched daily.
What makes MangaToon a standout is that most of the series are absolutely free of charge! You can enjoy manga or comics from start to finish without paying a single penny! However, a few licensed titles are locked behind a pay-per-chapter mode.
Get to choose from various genres, including romance, action, and horror. Plus, you can download them all for offline reading! Besides English, this app also translates mangas in several languages like Bahasa Indonesian, Portuguese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Spanish to cater to more international fans.
Are you a fan of both manga and comics? Well, Manga Fox provides you a collection of comics, manga, and manhua titles. Using this app, there's no need to turn pages due to its comic mode feature that supports continuous reading. You can also set the privacy mode to remain incognito while visiting and browsing sites.
Manga Fox has an ad-blocking and advertising sign to mark and prevent pop-up advertisements, allowing you to read without interruptions. These features also tighten internet security against illegal access to information. You can also customize the preset titles and go on the picture-free reading mode in case of limited internet traffic.
Many people are only aware of Japanese manga like Demon Slayer and My Hero Academia. However, Korean manga, also known as manhua, is growing in popularity because of its quality that's at par with traditional manga. These comics of diverse types are available in WebToon - epic sagas, short stories, and daily comic strips!
WebToon is a manga app reader that not only promotes established names in the world of manga and comics but also gives a platform to budding and independent creators through its WebToon Originals. It is the one behind worldwide blockbuster titles like True Beauty and Tower of God.
They are available in both Korean and English. You can enjoy at least 23 different manga genres, including comedy, horror, action, romance, and fantasy, all for free! But if you want to support your favorite creators, go for the in-app purchase to unlock the next chapters and read in advance.
Manga Zone is an app developed by manga enthusiasts, so rest assured that the design layout of the materials you read is easy on the eyes. Like all of the popular manga readers, the Manga Zone releases the newest chapters as soon as they are published - no waiting time between the official release and licensing.
It offers thousands of manga titles to suit your taste. You can download and save two titles at a time for offline reading - absolutely free! Browse and read smoothly with minimal, non-intrusive ads, even in the free version. Plus, you can save your reading progress. For Android devices, you may download the app through its official website.
Manga UP! offers something unique—the Otaku Level feature. It tracks your progress in reading different titles that earn you points and get promoted to a new level. This feature motivates you to keep on reading and eventually finish a book. Plus, the images are loaded quickly and cached to minimize Internet data usage.
As expected, other helpful features are present, such as offline reading, bookmarking, and cloud syncing when using multiple gadgets. Seamless scrolling is another highlight that automatically attaches the next page with the current page for continuity. With all of these features, this app is definitely worth a spot on your device.
The INKR Comics app has a diverse catalog of titles in multiple genres from both well-known, established publishers and noteworthy independent creators. You can take a sneak peek at the first few pages without downloading the materials, so you can still decide whether to give it a go or a no. Several titles are free, while some licensed titles are only available on the paid version.
The app offers AI-powered personalized recommendations to give you a fuss-free, seamless reading experience. You can even get notification updates for new chapters. Another plus is the many tabs that can help you organize your titles—feel free to arrange your titles in folders like Recently Read, Read Later, Subscribed, and more.
If you'd like to invest in a premium version of a great reader app, Manga by Crunchyroll is worth your money. The story chapters being released online are simultaneously updated to the comic stores in Japan as well. You can read the first chapter for free, but you would need to switch to the premium version to read the rest.
As Crunchyroll has an extensive variety of anime, so does this sister app for manga, providing hot titles like Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, Coppelion, and Space Brothers. With a premium subscription, enjoy unlimited reading access and full mobile support including "Koma-View," which maximizes the scale of your gadget screen panel for an immersive experience.
This pandemic has forced us to reflect, realign, and rethink ways to be more productive by learning new things and building new habits. Thankfully, there are many apps out there to help keep us busy. Click below and read some of our article reviews about the different smartphone apps that you can download.
Author: Roel Pillas Malubay
No. 1: Viz Media|Shonen Jump
No. 2: RIDI Corporation|Manta Comics
No. 3: Tu Huynh|MangaNelo
No. 4: MangaToon HK Limited|MangaToon
No. 5: Free Manga Studio|Manga Fox
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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