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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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The verdict on

Manobook

55
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

Manobook offers engaging stories that users enjoy, but its chapter-based payment model, high costs, and confusing coin/point system lead to significant frustration and a high churn rate among recent users.

4.6★ lifetime (36,400) Free to download since 2018 by CHANGDU (HK) TECHNOLOGY LIMITED updated 0.0 mo ago recent negative 11% 120 reviews across 4 regions
Cost & Monetization Coin/Point System Ads Experience Story Quality Subscription & Billing Issues
5★457
4★211
3★99
2★27
1★70
recent reviews across 4 regions, vs the 4.6★ lifetime average

Manobook is a reading app praised for its compelling and addictive stories, offering a wide selection across various genres. However, the app's monetization strategy, which requires coins to unlock chapters, is widely criticized for being expensive and confusing, often forcing users to watch numerous ads or make costly in-app purchases.

What users like

What users complain about

  • Very expensive to unlock chapters, often costing over $100 for a single bookR15R16R25R53
  • Coin and point system is confusing and difficult to use effectivelyR35R103R144R193
  • Excessive and repetitive ads, which often don't provide enough coins/points to progressR25R39R49R56
  • Some users report being charged despite canceling subscriptions or unexpected chargesR43R181R186R237
  • Stories can have plot holes, mixed-up character names, or grammatical errorsR8R21R225R227
  • Chapters become shorter and more expensive as the story progressesR15R77R110R275
  • Limited ways to earn free coins daily, making progress slowR5R6R40R75

Latest update · v8.6.5

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

Feature optimization for a better experience

Recurring themes

Cost & Monetization negative
The most prevalent complaint is the high cost of reading. Users feel that the coin system for unlocking chapters is too expensive, often equating to over $100 for a single book, which is deemed a 'rip off' or 'scam'. Many express a desire for a traditional subscription model or the ability to buy entire books outright instead of per chapter. The cost often increases as a story progresses, further frustrating readers.R15R16R25R53
Coin/Point System negative
Users find the distinction and conversion between 'coins' and 'points' confusing and frustrating. Points, often earned from watching ads, cannot always be used to unlock chapters, which require 'coins'. This system is seen as a barrier to reading and a way to push users towards purchasing coins.R35R103R144R220
Ads Experience negative
While many appreciate the option to watch ads for free chapters, the ad experience is widely criticized. Users report excessive, repetitive, and long ads (15-30 seconds), sometimes multiple per chapter. Some ads are buggy, causing users to lose progress or earned points. The number of ads often increases, and they don't always yield enough coins to continue reading efficiently.R25R39R49R56
Story Quality mixed
The stories themselves are generally praised for being engaging, compelling, and addictive, keeping readers hooked. However, some users report issues with story quality, including plot holes, mixed-up character names, inconsistent timelines, repetitive content, and grammatical errors.R8R2R4R7
Subscription & Billing Issues negative
A notable number of users report unexpected charges, difficulty canceling subscriptions, or being charged after cancellation. Some also mention confusion regarding what a 'weekly subscription' actually provides, often finding it doesn't grant unlimited access as expected.R43R56R181R186

Who it's for

Manobook is for readers who enjoy engaging and addictive stories, particularly those willing to invest significant time watching ads to read for free R18 or who don't mind paying a premium for chapter access . It's suitable for users who can overlook grammatical errors or plot inconsistencies for the sake of a compelling narrative R21. It is NOT for users on a tight budget, those who expect a traditional subscription model, or readers who get easily frustrated by confusing in-app currency systems and frequent ads R16R39R103.

Evidence note: The recent reviews skew heavily negative, primarily due to the monetization model. While the lifetime rating is high (4.58), the recent sentiment indicates a downward trajectory, with many long-term users expressing frustration and considering deletion. The developer's release notes for 'feature optimization' do not address the core issues of cost, ad frequency, or coin system confusion raised by recent reviews.

Frequently asked

How much does it cost to read a full book on Manobook?
Reading a full book on Manobook can be very expensive, with many users reporting costs upwards of $100 or even £100 for a single story due to the chapter-based coin system R16R110R200R275.
Can I read books for free on Manobook?
Yes, you can read books for free on Manobook by watching ads to unlock chapters, but this often involves watching many repetitive ads and progress can be slow due to limited daily free coins and the increasing number of ads required per chapter R11R14R49R58.
Are there issues with Manobook subscriptions or billing?
Yes, some users have reported issues with subscriptions, including unexpected charges, difficulty canceling, and being charged after cancellation, with customer service sometimes unresponsive to these concerns R43R181R186R237.
What is the difference between 'points' and 'coins' in Manobook?
The distinction between 'points' and 'coins' is confusing for users; while points can be earned, chapters typically require 'coins' to unlock, and converting points to coins or using points directly for chapters is often unclear or not possible, leading to frustration R103R144R222R325.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R8] 1/5 · US Great App!: I’m still reading my first story in this app, but so far it’s actually well written and compelling. Unfortunately, it completely falls apart several chapters in. There are weird plot holes and jumps, character names are mixed up, timelines collapse, it’s like reading different story ideas that the author started but changes and re-wrote without ever deleting the original text. What star
  2. [R2] 5/5 · US New to this: I’m new and just started reading. On chapter 82 and really enjoying this app. I highly recommend it!
  3. [R24] 3/5 · US Love: I’ve really enjoyed using this app! There are lots of interesting stories to choose from, and it’s easy to find something new to read. The app is simple to use, and I like being able to read whenever I have some free time. Overall, it’s been a fun reading experience!
  4. [R4] 5/5 · US Review of stories ever: The stories I’ve read have always been good.
  5. [R11] 5/5 · US Good books: Good books and you can watch adds to unlock chapters.
  6. [R14] 4/5 · US Like the watch the video options instead of paying: Thank you for allowing the watch the video option instead of paying like the other apps do!
  7. [R18] 5/5 · US Love this app!!!: I absolutely loooove this app!!! The stories keep me entertained. Being able to watch ads for free chapters is also a plus.
  8. [R19] 5/5 · US Great book club in almost every way!: I was a little angry at first because they were charging me weekly for coins which I didn’t believe I signed up for those. Being on a limited budget makes it difficult to do those things regularly so I just never do it unless it is by accident. Once we got that squared away it has been absolutely amazing! You can buy coins, earn them or watch adds or do oth
  9. [R7] 5/5 · US I love this app!!: The books are engaging and fun to read. They have a large library of stories that appeal to a large audience of readers.
  10. [R200] 3/5 · US Good Stories: I found a story in here I love. I like that for the most part you have the option to watch adds to read. But it should be cheaper to buy a story outright. There’s no reason it would cost over 100 fillers for one book. Because of that I’m giving 3 starts. The story’s are better than other apps I’ve read from though.
  11. [R231] 3/5 · US Good books/ difficult to read: I love the selection of books. I do t want to have to put my credit card info though. Also, I selected English as the primary language however some things don’t come up in English which seems sketchy.
  12. [R15] 3/5 · US Good story but expensive: Hard to earn coins, expensive to buy. The further you progress through a story the more coins each chapter costs!
  13. [R16] 2/5 · US Expensive: The stories are good but very expensive. If they had a monthly fee then I could get on board with that. But $15 to $25 a week is a rip off
  14. [R25] 1/5 · US App: Too expensive, to many ads. Sad really stories are excellent. I’m deleting my account.
  15. [R53] 3/5 · US Gets expensive: As much as I love this reading on this app, it gets too expensive. 250 coins for a chapter is robbery! And not many ways to get coins except buying, as much as I love the app I’ll have to delete it. Three star for the ridiculous amount of coins it cost for a chapter after you’re already caught up in a book and want to know the ending.
  16. [R35] 5/5 · US Like: Great stories but the point thing is confusing. I thinking I'm doing something to help read my book but I guess it only gives you chapters from specific books. And I don't wanna look real hard because I want to read my book. Maybe this is the one that you can watch a couple ads to open chapters after the free ones. But | like the story and know I have liked others because I realize I've run
  17. [R103] 1/5 · US Confusing: Trying to convert points to coins or coins to points, whichever one is needed to unlock a chapter is EXTREMELY confusing and it never seems to work, but it sure takes your points away! UGGGGHHH These developers need to do BETTER. And supposedly, if I wrote this review, I was “suppose to” receive 50 coins. Been waiting many, many, MANY weeks to see the coins, but nothing has been receive
  18. [R144] 1/5 · US Points vs Coins: SO. I currently have 315 “points” from the endless ads I’ve watched, but you need COINS in order to open chapters and those points apparently are unacceptable to be used? I’m stuck in a book right now but as soon as it’s done …. There are other traps that are more rewarding. 😓
  19. [R193] 3/5 · US It’s ok: Kinda confusing how it works at first. The stories are compelling and keep you reading.
  20. [R39] 1/5 · US Not a free app: You will spend more time on ads then you will reading the book. It’s a waste of time a waste of money and honestly a waste of wits anything that comes from a foreign country like Hong Kong, China, etc. and you are American then don’t waste your time.
  21. [R49] 2/5 · US Wish you had better options: The stories are good, enough to keep me interested. Having to watch so many videos for a chapter that I read in less than half the time I spend watching videos is nonsense, but I can’t bring myself to spend what would be at least 30 dollars or more to read a book that if it had regular chapters it would probably only be maybe a 40 to 50 chapter book. At least other App
  22. [R56] 1/5 · US Hard to understand!: I purchased a weekly subscription thinking that meant I’d have a seven day access to my book. Yeah that apparently isn’t true. I got like two days then it’s made me watch ad after ad to read the next chapter. Then after so many then it wouldn’t even let me do that anymore. It’s making me watch other ads with very few points with each just trying to get enough to read the next
  23. [R43] 1/5 · US What did I pay for?: So when I download this app it pulled money out of my account through my apple account and I'd like to know what that's for? This was supposed to be a free app! How do I get a refund?
  24. [R181] 1/5 · US Don’t subscribe: I’ve been trying to cancel this subscription for months but nothing is happening and they keep taking my money
  25. [R186] 1/5 · US Scam: I cancelled my subscription MONTHS ago and yet they still keep charging me. I’m having to dispute the charges with my bank because when I contacted customer service and provided proof that they’re STILL ACTIVELY charging me, they stopped replying to me. AFTER they acknowledged I had cancelled my subscription months prior and said they had no record of charging me after the cancellation. I pr
  26. [R237] 1/5 · US Scam: They claim for $39.99 you can read free for a month. Its a scam and you can’t reach anyone!!!
  27. [R21] 4/5 · US Pretty Good: Pretty good storylines - most same trope. Some grammar errors but nothing I can’t live with.
  28. [R225] 1/5 · US Not good but okay: If you’re looking for something that’s going to give you what you’re getting on TikTok previews this is not what you do. There are other apps that you can get stories that are not AI generated and change names halfway through. Also, because I have paid for the premium subscription, you still get advertisements for no reason even if you’re switching chapters you’re still getting
  29. [R227] 1/5 · US Irritated: Expensive 170 chapters that were not cohesive & were repetitive that ended without an ending. Total ripoff.
  30. [R77] 3/5 · US Review: I enjoy the books. At the end the book the number of coins increases with the chapters and this is the main down fall. If the app allowed you to complete a book with the same amount of coins on each chapter it would be more enjoyable.
  31. [R110] 1/5 · US Review: I started out liking the books, reading and I didn’t mind the ads. Once I purchased however they increased the coin cost at every chapter. Someone explain how charging around $60+ per book is any kind of deal?? Ridiculous! Total scam
  32. [R275] 2/5 · GB Expensive: Cost for every few pages, after first few chapters are free. To read an entire story could cost about £100 🙄
  33. [R5] 5/5 · US Love: Just love this app and the books available. Just wish could earn more free coins daily.
  34. [R6] 5/5 · US Decent book app: Wish there was an easier way to earn coins to unlock chapters but overall decent app
  35. [R40] 5/5 · US Getting Coins: I wish there was more ways to get coins each day, or that it didn’t cost so much to read each chapter. The book I am reading has 168 chapters and so, it’s going to take me weeks to read like this, just wish it could go faster.
  36. [R75] 3/5 · US Good: It’s a pretty good app. I do wish there were more ways to get coins besides buying them.
  37. [R220] 3/5 · US ..: Wish I knew how to convert point to free coins
  38. [R58] 3/5 · US Good books: The books are good. I will not buys coins. Happy to watch ads but after a few you have to wait until the next day to continue.
  39. [R222] 1/5 · US Won’t let me get coins: Supposedly can get more coins to read by reading articles. Let me do a few and now shows error if try to get rest says I can still get. AND What is the point of the points you can earn if can’t use those to read. Only coins open chapters. Not paying and watching ads only gives points not coins.
  40. [R325] 1/5 · GB Not sure if it’s worth it!: Coins/Points - why can’t points be used to unlock chapters too? I have loads of points due to expire and yet I can’t use them to read 1 more chapter? Any point? Get it…

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store