If you’re into manga, then you already know that the trend originated in Japan. Of course, Japan isn’t the only one that offers comic books and cartoons. However, comic strips and graphic novels that are made in Japan are exclusively called ‘Manga’. In the past, manga series were typically distributed as paperbacks and comic books. But nowadays, various digital platforms and e-book readers for reading manga comics are now widely available for download online. However, with the presence of too many reading apps via Android and iOS, it’s burdensome to find the best manga app.
Our team has tried and tested several manga apps and we will be sharing the best ones in this article.
Also read: Best Anime Apps for Offline Viewing
Inside This Article
What Are Manga Apps?
To start off, manga apps are downloadable programs via Google Play Store and App Store. With these apps, you can easily find a plethora of manga series and e-books that you can either pay for or acquire freely. Originally from Japan, manga apps are widely popular nowadays, not only among the youth but also among people of other age groups.
Depending on your preferred genre, you can find broad selections of action, drama, adventure, comedy, thriller, horror, detective, romance, history, science fiction, and even erotica mangas. There are even manga books dedicated to business and finance, respectively.
Due to manga’s massive popularity these days, it is sometimes tiresome to pinpoint the best apps to read manga that are entirely suitable for you. Numerous manga reading apps are available, of course. The problem, though, is that a lot of them do not have huge databases and only a few provide excellent content.
So to help you in your search for the best manga app, we came up with a list of several top-quality apps that you can download via Google Play Store or App Store.
Best Manga App Picks Available Today
To save you the time of having to download all the manga apps available via Android and iOS — and prevent you from getting repeatedly disappointed in the process, here are some of the best manga apps you can check out:
1. Shonen Jump
Shonen Jump is one of the best free-to-download manga apps where you can access all your favorite series in one place. Some of the popular manga titles you can access via Shonen Jump include Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, One Piece, Boruto, and Dr. Stone. The great thing about this app is that it allows you to access the latest three chapters of any ongoing manga series for free. If you want to access every volume of any manga title on the platform, you’ll have to pay $2.99/per month. Shonen Jump has 15,000+ manga chapters in its digital vault. Paying also permits you to enjoy a ‘No Ads’ experience.
You should note, however, that this manga app offers titles from the Shonen Jump series only. So, if you prefer a more comprehensive coverage of other popular series, this may not be the best manga app for you.
If you want to find out more about this app, here’s our review of the Shonen Jump app.
2. Crunchyroll Manga
Crunchyroll Manga is not only a good app for reading manga but also an excellent anime streaming app. If you are a fan of both, then it’s best to download and subscribe to this reading app. What we like about Crunchyroll Manga is that it does not limit your access to specific publications. The app has a license to publish online manga series from Futabasha, Kodansha, Kadokawa Shoten, and Shōnen Gahōsha soon after their release in Japan. That means you can truly access hit titles Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, Coppelion, and Space Brothers in one place.
Like Shonen Jump, you can quickly access various manga titles as soon as they are released in Japan. However, the app requires you to pay at least $7.99/month to access all its manga titles with no ads. This subscription is inclusive of access to Crunchyroll’s anime series, so you are hitting two birds with one stone.
The Crunchyroll Manga app also provides its users with several reading capabilities including archiving your favorite titles on a single list, as well as a bookmark feature. You can even specify your desired reading orientation.
3. Manga Zone
Manga Zone can easily be the best manga app online especially if you’re an avid manga lover. It boasts over 15,000 titles that are already translated into English. Though the user interface looks organized, it sometimes can become a bit slow. Nonetheless, its manga community is thriving and you can easily communicate with other manga fans or readers.
You need to buy credits to unlock the chapters of some manga series, but that’s mostly for R18+ titles only. Thankfully, most of the hit titles like My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, One Piece, and Bleach are accessible for free.
As of writing, Manga Zone is not available for download via Google Play Store. Nonetheless, you can still download its official version via Manga Zone’s website. Take note, however, that this app is ad-supported. Despite that, Manga Zone is entirely dedicated to providing one of the biggest manga databases online which, perhaps, offsets its ad-based interface.
4. Viz Manga
From the same company that brought you the Shonen Jump App, the Viz Manga app is another great option for reading digital copies of your favorite manga series. Read your favorite manga straight from Japan or look for a new one to follow. Viz Manga’s library of titles will surely give you the itch to read. If you’re up to it, their premium subscription goes for the same amount as their Shonen Jump app at $2.99 per month. This unlocks their whole catalog while letting you download manga as well. This is indeed great if you plan to read your favorite titles offline.
5. Manga Geek
Manga Geek has a friendly and creative user interface. You can easily access over a thousand manga titles and even read them offline. Because users don’t need to have a steady internet connection when reading their favorite manga titles via Manga Geek, it is highly regarded as one of the best manga apps by many. With more than 40,000 accessible contents on its database, it also has anime titles available.
On the flip side though, Manga Geek contains ads. Also, not all titles are made available worldwide. Accessing certain files may also require you to pay. Nonetheless, Manga Geek gets its manga files from various sources including Mangapanda, Mangakakalot, JanpanScan, and NineManga. Hence, you are always guaranteed to receive the latest manga available. Its disclaimer strictly states that all manga files are aggregated from various manga hosts online. Moreover, it is only functional at the moment via Google Play Store.
6. MangaToon
Among the best manga app choices in the market, MangaToon is a free-to-download app that provides access to both manga and anime. It offers daily releases and free comics to its subscribers every week. Though the app contains pay-per-view files, it also has many free manga titles. So, you can opt to read the free ones and later decide to pay for its premium titles.
In general, MangaToon has a beautiful interface. Users can easily browse through its titles, decide which orientation to use, and even read titles offline. Nonetheless, the app contains ads as well. The great thing about this app, though, is that you can also write your own manga stories and share them with MangaToon’s regular readers. This can be an excellent starting point for those writers who yearn to become well-known manga authors someday. Also, MangaToon is available for both Android and iOS manga fans.
Why Should You Download a Manga App?
If you’re a true-blue manga enthusiast, it’s imperative to download the best manga app in the market. Whether you’re open to purchasing manga titles or not, it is still better to have a dedicated manga app that allows you to browse the different titles available for download.
Generally, some manga sites offer free manga titles. However, only a certain few genuinely provide you with top-quality storylines. Furthermore, a number of sites contain misleading files that may even carry malware. If you aren’t careful, downloading manga from questionable sources might only bring harm to your device and ruin your reading experience.
In that regard, a dedicated manga app permits you to scrutinize each file and scan reader comments first before proceeding to download. It even provides a platform to engage fellow manga readers and ask for various manga recommendations, keep you abreast of the latest manga updates, and check out the freshest manga releases available.
Nevertheless, downloading and using a manga app has its own list of pros and cons. Thus, below is a consolidated list that you should take note of.
Pros and Cons of Downloading Manga Apps
Adore
- Keeps you updated about new manga releases
- Provides you with a collection of manga titles to read
- Helps you find manga authors, titles, and genres
- Keeps your manga files in one place or library
- Allows you to read reader comments and reviews
- Permits you to engage other manga fans around the world
- Widens your manga collection
- Helps you avoid malware and corrupted files
Against
- In-app purchases can be expensive
- Not all manga readers have huge manga libraries
- Free manga apps are packed with annoying ads
Download the Best Manga App Today!
If you’re an avid otaku (manga and anime enthusiast), it’s ideal to get hold of the best manga apps for an excellent manga reading experience. A lot of these apps will grant you access to vast collections of manga titles and you can easily widen your manga library by subscribing to some of them. Nonetheless, you should note that not all manga apps provide free content. Many of them require you to pay so that you may access their pay-per-view files. Ultimately, it’s for you to decide what manga app best complements your daily routine.
