A manga reader app can be extremely useful. Most people don't even think of using one due to the difficulty of reading on a smartphone.
It's no surprise that your average reader prefers either paperback or using a computer. But, try out some of our best manga readers and see if you can go back to the old ways.
There's nothing quite like reading your favorite author's works while comfortably laying on the couch or bed. That being said, these are our top picks!
1: Crunchyroll Manga: Best Legal Manga Reader App
Crunchyroll has long been one of the most popular platforms for legally watching anime content and the situation is no different for manga.
First of all, let us just say that the image quality is absolutely superb and that the same thing applies to the translations. Sometimes, they do feel a bit, well, translated.
The overall voicing and grammar make it apparent that you're only reading a translation. So, it seems like even the pros struggle to get that right.
Moving on to availability - it actually could be better. Much better.
While you'll be able to find some of the most popular mangas, like Ajin, Fairy Tail, Attack on Titan, Seven Deadly Sins, and more -- other very popular titles like One Piece and Naruto are nowhere to be found.
That being said, do keep in mind that availability will greatly vary depending on your region. After all, the overall Anime and Manga licensing has been a huge issue for a long time now.
Last, but not least, there's also pricing. The Anime variant is much laxer on that aspect. You may not be able to watch the latest episodes, but as long as you're willing to put up the ads, you've got access to the whole list.
But, as far as Crunchyroll Manga is concerned, you can forget about it. The app only gives us access to the first chapter of every manga and that's all.
And if you want more? That'll be about 7 bucks per month. Honestly, that would actually be a great deal. But, the limited catalog makes it a tough buy.
Thankfully, there's at least a 2-week trial. So, give it a chance and decided for yourself.
Pros:
- Great image quality
- Decent translations
- Very easy and user-friendly to use
- Actually has the copyright licenses to the mangas
Cons:
- Very limited catalog (Depending on your region)
- Paid only (Offers a 2-week trial, though)
- The "Favorites" tab is broken for a lot of people which is inexcusable for a subscription-based app like this
Overall, Crunchyroll still has a lot of issues to fix. The only reason that we placed it on the list of our best manga reader apps is because of its extreme popularity, great design, and the overall quality (when it works).
Not to mention that no other option has legally acquired the copyrights. (At least as far as we know).
2: Super Manga: Best Free Manga Reader App
Super Manga improves on many aspects where Crunchyroll has failed while also losing ground on others. Let's start with the fact that this one is completely free to use and that the catalog has more or less everything there is out there.
Compared to other manga fans, we're definitely a bit more on the "casual" side. But, still, unlike with Crunchyroll, we frankly didn't manage to find something that's not available.
Everything is there. From very popular titles like One Piece and Kimetsu no Yaiba, to somewhat less popular ones like Elfen Lied and Citrus, there's nothing that you won't be able to find.
Unlike with Crunchyroll, we didn't experience any app-breaking bugs either. The favorites tab is working as expected and so does the chapter marker.
The overall design is arguably inferior. But, that's an insignificant detail compared to the fact that we get a fully functional manga app for free.
Our only complaint is definitely the 30-second un-skippable ads. Most people prefer that over paying. But, hey, at least give us a choice.
Other than that, the app could use a bit of optimization for sure. We frequently experience lag spikes with our mid-range Redmi Note 5 Pro - which is embarrassing for something as lightweight as a manga reader. But, still, it's nothing that destroys the overall experience.
Pros:
- Free
- Easy to use
- Offers a huge collection
- Didn't encounter any bugs
Cons:
- Bad optimization (Lags quite a bit on mid-range and budget devices)
Overall, if you need a free manga reader app that just works, Super Manga is quite possibly your best bet.
3: Mandrasoft Mangas: Superb Readability
This is quite possibly the most underrated manga app we've ever seen. If it weren't for its slightly poor UI and relatively slow speeds, we wouldn't hesitate for a moment to crown it as the best in this list.
That being said, there is no doubt that it offers the best readability amongst the bunch. It's the only app here that never requires you to zoom, rotate the screen, or generally do anything to comfortably read your mangas.
Other than that, it also offers access to numerous different languages like Portuguese, French, Dutch, Spanish, Russian, and Italian. So, if you're not too comfortable with English, this is more or less the only good choice here.
Image quality is also extremely good to the point where it directly competes with Crunchyroll. We've tried it with quite a few different mangas and the experience is frankly top-notch!
Unlike Super Manga, it's also very well optimized and runs as smooth as any other app on our phone. So, bonus points for that.
Last, but not least, the ads are very well placed, not distractive, and the app doesn't force you to sit through unskippable videos.
As mentioned above, the UI is a bit weird. But, to be fair, that's nothing that you can't get used to.
If there's one complaint from us then that's definitely going to be the loading speeds. As long as we're connected to one of our slow networks, the Mandrasoft feels noticeably slower compared to its competitors.
That being said, the images are of the highest quality. So, longer loading times are somewhat justified.
Pros:
- Offers the best readability
- Free
- Plenty of mangas to read
- Ads are well placed and not forced down your throat
- Offers multiple languages
- Superb image quality
Cons:
- UI is a bit weird
- Loading times are noticeably slower compared to other apps (Only while using a slow internet connection)
Overall, if you have an internet connection that doesn't suck and you're willing to get used to the weird UI, this is quite possibly the best manga reader app that you can get as of 2019!
Wrapping Up
When everything is said and done, choosing the best manga reader app is no easy task. Each option has different pros and cons. So, it mostly comes down to personal preference.
Long story short:
- Crunchyroll: Great choice if you're a beginner who wants to give mangas a try (Assuming that you don't come across the bugs that so many people are complaining about)
- Super Manga: Very easy to use and offers a huge manga collection to choose from. However, it also throws unskippable ads every now and then and is badly optimized
- Mandrasoft Mangas: Superb image quality and readability. But, the UI feels a bit weird and the loading speeds are a bit bad on slow networks
That's all for now. Feel like we forgot to mention something important? Got any other recommendations? Then let us and everyone else know about them in the comments section down below!
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