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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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Is it worth paying for

Manobook

30
Value score / 100 Worth paying? No Skip it

Manobook offers engaging stories, but its pay-per-chapter model and confusing coin system make it an expensive and frustrating experience for many users, especially for those who want to finish a book.

Free + in-app purchases seen up to $199.99 4.6★ lifetime (36,400) since 2018

Manobook features compelling stories that keep readers engaged, often compared favorably to other reading apps R7. However, the app's monetization strategy, which relies on purchasing coins to unlock individual chapters, is widely criticized for being overly expensive, with some users estimating a single book could cost over $100 R15R16R53R110.

Free vs paid

The free tier allows users to read chapters by watching ads, earning daily coins, or completing tasks like reading articles R5R6R9R11. However, the number of ads required can be excessive, sometimes multiple ads for a single short chapter, and earning free coins is often insufficient to progress meaningfully R49R56. The paid tier involves purchasing coin packages or subscriptions, but users report that even after paying, chapter costs increase, and the overall price to finish a book is exorbitant R15R16R53R110. Some users also report issues with subscriptions not being honored or being charged repeatedly after cancellation R43R56R181.

Value complaints

  • The cost to unlock chapters is excessively high, with prices increasing as you progress through a story, making it very expensive to finish a single book.R1R15R16R53
  • The system of earning free coins or points is confusing and insufficient, often requiring too many ads for short chapters or not allowing points to be converted to usable coins.R6R9R34R35
  • Users report issues with subscriptions, including unexpected charges, difficulty canceling, and paid subscriptions still showing ads or not providing full access.R19R43R56R181
  • The chapter lengths are often very short, making the pay-per-chapter model even less valuable.R49R289R411R434

Where it delivers

  • The app offers a wide selection of engaging and well-written stories that are often described as addicting and captivating.R2R3R4R7
  • The option to watch ads to unlock chapters is appreciated by users as an alternative to paying, differentiating it from some other apps.R9R11R14R18
Worth paying if

It is not worth paying for Manobook due to the high costs, confusing coin system, and reports of subscription issues.

Skip / stay free if

You should skip Manobook if you are on a budget, expect to read books to completion without significant expense, or prefer a straightforward subscription model R16.

Evidence note: The lifetime rating of 4.58 is significantly higher than what recent reviews suggest, with many recent reviews R8R15R16 being critical of the pricing model and user experience. The positive reviews often praise the stories themselves but still mention the high cost or coin issues R1R5R6.

Frequently asked

How much does it cost to read a full book on Manobook?
Based on user reviews, reading a full book on Manobook can be very expensive, with estimates ranging from $15-$25 per week to over $60 or even $100 for a single book due to increasing chapter costs R16R110R200R275.
Can I read books for free on Manobook?
Yes, you can read chapters for free on Manobook by watching ads, earning daily coins, or completing tasks like reading articles, but users report that the number of ads can be excessive and the free coins are often insufficient to progress quickly R5R6R9R11.
Are there issues with Manobook subscriptions?
Yes, several users have reported issues with Manobook subscriptions, including being charged weekly without signing up, difficulty canceling subscriptions, and continued charges months after cancellation R19R43R56R181.
Are the stories on Manobook good quality?
Many users praise the stories on Manobook, describing them as engaging, compelling, addicting, and well-written, often stating they are better than stories on other apps R2R4R7R8. However, some reviews mention plot holes, mixed-up character names, and grammatical errors R8.

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. [R1] 5/5 · US Good stuff: Fun stories. Wish I didn’t have to pay so many coins to unlock chapters.
  2. [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!
  3. [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
  4. [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.
  5. [R6] 5/5 · US Decent book app: Wish there was an easier way to earn coins to unlock chapters but overall decent app
  6. [R9] 4/5 · US Decent: You can read for free but it means lots of adds. Coins are moderately expensive
  7. [R34] 4/5 · US App is great: The stories in this app that I have read so far are very engaging. You have to pay attention to which stories are completed or you end up waiting for new chapters to download. My main complaint is the earning of coins & points to use toward chapters could be more straightforward & the ads & pages that pop up could be more varied. I’m tired of seeing the same ad & then having the a p
  8. [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
  9. [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
  10. [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?
  11. [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
  12. [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
  13. [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
  14. [R289] 2/5 · GB Love the book: Sadly had to watch 25 ads to get the next 3 pages🥲shame I couldn’t just buy coins in £ not $ and not have an over priced weekly subscription
  15. [R411] 2/5 · GB Great stories: But very expensive to unlock chapters and some are very short
  16. [R434] 1/5 · GB Criminal - AVOID: You have to pay a ridiculous amount of money to unlock chapters - which are a couple of pages each - or watch hours of ads to get one free 2 page chapter. The amount you pay for coins to unlock the next chapter is classed as a subscription, which means that if you spend $9.99 for a few chapters, then they take $9.99 EVERY WEEK unless you cancel. You could buy an entire library o
  17. [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!
  18. [R3] 5/5 · US Libros: Bellas lecturas
  19. [R4] 5/5 · US Review of stories ever: The stories I’ve read have always been good.
  20. [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.
  21. [R11] 5/5 · US Good books: Good books and you can watch adds to unlock chapters.
  22. [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!
  23. [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.
  24. [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
  25. [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.
  26. [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 🙄
  27. [R5] 5/5 · US Love: Just love this app and the books available. Just wish could earn more free coins daily.
  28. [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

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