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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

WebComics vs WebNovel

WebComics 4.8★ · Free + IAP 60
Winner Tie
WebNovel 4.3★ · Free + IAP 55

WebComics offers a wider diversity of stories but both apps are heavily criticized for their expensive paywalls and frustrating free-to-play mechanics.

Full reviews: WebComics · WebNovel

Both WebComics and WebNovel provide a large selection of stories, but users consistently express frustration with their aggressive monetization strategies, including expensive in-app purchases and limited free reading options. While WebComics boasts a higher lifetime rating, recent reviews for both apps highlight significant issues with their gem/coin systems and customer support.

Head to head

Content Diversity and Quality edge: WebComicsR2R14R23R30
WebComics WebComics users praise the app for its good diversity among stories, different personalities and themes, and a wide range of genres including Sci-fi and BL R2R14R23. Many find the stories amazing and some of the best manga they've read R30.
WebNovel WebNovel also offers a large library of serialized fiction, with users finding many stories engaging and some truly spectacular . However, a significant concern is the prevalence of AI-generated content, particularly in the fanfiction section, leading to inconsistencies and generic writing .
Pricing and Monetization tieR1R3R7R10
WebComics WebComics is widely criticized for being expensive and money-hungry R10. Users report that after a few free chapters, they are forced to pay, with gems being hard to earn and costly R1R3R7. A $20 purchase might not even cover a whole book, and a $5 gem value might not last an hour of reading R10R25. Even premium subscriptions are deemed insufficient, offering limited chapters compared to competitors .
WebNovel WebNovel faces similar, if not more intense, criticism for its pricing. Users describe it as 'way too expensive' and a 'cash grab' R70. Finishing a book can cost around $100, and monthly subscriptions provide very few coins, not even enough for one chapter a day . The app is seen as not 'friendly to broke people' .
Free-to-Play Experience tieR1R11R17R21
WebComics WebComics offers limited free reading through ads, typically 5 ad-unlocked chapters per day, which users find insufficient R1R11R17. The process of earning gems through coins is described as extremely inefficient, requiring hundreds of thousands of coins for a single chapter R21. Some users report the ad-free watch feature not working or disappearing R11.
WebNovel WebNovel also provides free chapters, often around 6 per day, but users desire more ad-watching opportunities R92R114. However, the ads themselves are criticized for being excessively long, often repeating 15-second segments for 90-120 seconds R70R97. The system for earning fast passes and coins through tasks is unreliable, with rewards not registering or being insufficient for desired books R92.
App Functionality and Reliability tieR4R19R27R33
WebComics WebComics users report issues such as the menu not disappearing on iPad, intruding on the reading experience R27. Some users also experience problems with paid gems not being delivered and receiving only automated responses from support R19R33. Account deletion is also reported as difficult or impossible R4.
WebNovel WebNovel has several functional issues, including a bugged audio player that stops, starts, repeats lines, or gets stuck . The app is also reported to cause phones to heat up and drain battery quickly . Users complain about excessive pop-ups upon opening the app and issues with tags and genre filtering after updates . Some users also report login problems .
Customer Support and Trust tieR13R19R33R64
WebComics WebComics users report issues with paid gems not being delivered and only receiving automated responses from support R19R33. There's also a serious accusation of the app using fake links to trick users looking for other comics R13.
WebNovel WebNovel users report being continuously charged after canceling subscriptions, with no confirmation emails and unhelpful customer support that asks for screenshots but doesn't resolve the issue R79R84R91. Some users also complain about spam emails with no unsubscribe link R64.
Pick WebComics if

you prioritize a wide variety of comic genres, including specific niches like BL, and are willing to navigate a frustrating payment system R2R14R23.

Pick WebNovel if

you prefer novels over comics and appreciate features like audiobooks, despite their bugs, and are prepared for a significant financial investment to read full stories .

Evidence note: Both apps have a free-to-play model with in-app purchases, and much of the negative feedback for both stems from the friction experienced by non-paying or budget-conscious users due to aggressive monetization. The lifetime ratings are higher than what recent negative reviews suggest, indicating a shift in user satisfaction over time, likely due to changes in monetization strategies.

Frequently asked

How much does it cost to read a full book on WebComics?
Users report that reading a full book on WebComics can be very expensive, with some estimating that $5 worth of gems might not even last an hour of reading, and $20 might not cover a whole book R10R25. Some comics can cost over $50 to complete, with individual chapters requiring 3-5 gems each R42R49.
Can I read books for free on WebNovel?
Yes, you can read some chapters for free on WebNovel, typically around 6 chapters per day, and by watching ads R92R114. However, the ads can be very long (90-120 seconds) and repetitive, and the free options are often insufficient to make significant progress on longer books R70R97R114.
Are there issues with subscriptions and payments on WebNovel?
Yes, multiple WebNovel users have reported issues with subscriptions, including being continuously charged even after canceling through Apple or the app itself, with no confirmation of cancellation and unhelpful customer support R79R84R91.

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. [R2] WebComics 5/5 · US Good diversity among stories: I love the diversity amongst the stories even if they seem relatively alike they all have different personalities and themes. How they conclude is also different
  2. [R14] WebComics 5/5 · US I love it: It has so many different things to and read it the best to read BL for me.
  3. [R23] WebComics 5/5 · US I like it!: I like the Sci fi mangas that was so Cool I can’t stop reading it with my friend I want to read more but… I need to pay gems so thank you very much for making this app Make more Many cool sci fi and romance fantasy!.!.
  4. [R30] WebComics 3/5 · US Please read if you see this: So, this app is… an app :3 I’ll give more detail. So, the stories in this app are AMAZING. They are some of the best manga stories I’ve read and I really like them… then I saw the word PAY. That word is something us online book readers see a lot and its practically PTSD at this point (jokingly ofc I don’t actually mean that). No one wants to be in the middle of a great
  5. [R1] WebComics 1/5 · US They want to Scam you: Loved some of the comics in here but when you get 30 chapters in and aren’t buying gems to pay for chapters they remove the watch ad to release chapter which you only get 5 a day to begin with
  6. [R3] WebComics 3/5 · US Gems: The gems are too hard to come by and if I can read a chapter in like 2minutes then i shouldn’t have to take 20 trying to get gems to read the next chapter
  7. [R7] WebComics 2/5 · US Disappointed: I’m disappointed. Ads then pay for reading…why not all ads or put somewhere that it’s pay to read.
  8. [R10] WebComics 1/5 · US Expensive: You have to spend money to enjoy the app. And even when you spend money everything’s so expensive within the app that there’s a chance you can’t even read a whole book on here even while spending 20$ on it.
  9. [R11] WebComics 5/5 · US Love it! But…: I LOVE this app! I enjoy reading in it and using it! I’ve been using it for a while, but there’s a slight problem. I’m not sure if it’s an update or a bug, but lately my 5 add free watch thing hasn’t been working! I come back everyday, and it still hasn’t replenished! Idk what it is, but if ifs a bug, ok! And if it’s not, then ok again :3
  10. [R17] WebComics 4/5 · US Why only 5: I was wondering why there’s only allowed 5 ads per day I mean I know that you need money for the company and for the artists but if you let more than 5 ads a day then you could have more ad revenue for that I don’t mean to make all of them add unlocks but only 5 feels like stoping at the last page to a chapter
  11. [R21] WebComics 3/5 · US Idk: I love this app but just one tiny complain, the tokens redeem thing. I had earned like 20,000 tokens and when I redeem it into gems, it gives soooooooooooo little.
  12. [R4] WebComics 1/5 · US Account deletion is not an option.: I wanted to delete my account but lo and behold I can’t do it because the account deletion button is hidden now what am I supposed to do???
  13. [R19] WebComics 1/5 · US Paid for gems, not delivered: I paid for several gem packs, nothing has been delivered. Submitted screenshots through feedback, nothing but an automated response.
  14. [R27] WebComics 3/5 · US Problems with menu when reading comics: Hello, I’ve been trying to message through the app but get no answers. When I read the comics on my IPad, the menu at the top will not disappear which intrudes on the reading experience. Very frustrating since I don’t experience this on other comics apps. I do enjoy the comics. This probably has the most extensive Chinese comics while Tapas and Tappytoon hav
  15. [R33] WebComics 3/5 · US Don’t give rewards you pay for threw offers…: So I love this app let’s start their because there is some really good stories on this app. But that’s where the problem come in for me… The fact that the stories are so good I’m willing to pay for what I like but why have offers for us to complete to get more gems to read more if your not going to give us the reward after we complete the task… I have
  16. [R13] WebComics 1/5 · US Tricks people into thinking they have comics that they don’t: I am a comic creator. This app has a fake link with my comic name that leads to their website. I do not host my comic on their platform. They do this solely to trick people who are looking for my comic into going to their site instead. It’s really gross.
  17. [R64] WebNovel 1/5 · US Can’t Unsubscribe from their stupid emails: Spam emails, every day, with no unsubscribe link. Just a scam with spam. Go read Ao3 for free babes.
  18. [R25] WebComics 1/5 · US expensive: I just wanna read manga and only 5 ad episodes are available each day. After that you have to pay…to read the later episode. I look at the gem value and estimated..5$ gem value wont even last an hour of reading. Meaning it cost 5$+ to read on this app hourly. I cant afford that.
  19. [R42] WebComics 3/5 · US Too expensive: I LOVE the comics very much and the amazing stories, but paying over 50$ go every comic and some aren’t even finished is ridiculous, I read about 6 comics costing over 20$+ just for half the story not finished yet. Please maybe consider making the chapters cheaper or having daily rewards for readers, or do better monthly premium rewards/benefits.
  20. [R49] WebComics 1/5 · US Chapter price as well as comic quality: There’s usually 50 or more chapters in a single comic with about 3-5 gems needed per chapter how does this sound affordable to you and the free comics are completely garbage honestly I’ll be taking my friends and followers to a different platform if things don’t change soon
  21. [R70] WebNovel 1/5 · US Pricey: The app was good. Now there’s a pay wall after like 30 chapters in every book, and they slowly take away all the ways you can read chapters for free. Every time I leave a chapter it ask me if I wanna buy more in app currency cuz they took away the 2 free reads, then they took away the videos you could watch or they made the videos like 3 minutes long. Bro I’m not watching an ad that’s long
  22. [R92] WebNovel 4/5 · US A lot of options to get free chapters: You can get about 6 chapter per day for free. Would be nice to keep watching ads and getting more chapters for free, but that’s not an option. You can play games to get more chapters, but it doesn’t always register correctly and then you’ve been playing games and wasting time without benefit.
  23. [R97] WebNovel 1/5 · US The ads are becoming ridiculous.: When ads were added to gain free chapters or to make up for missed check ins that was reasonable Watch a 15 second ad get a reward. Now the ads are 90-120 seconds long. Not because there is that much content no they now stitch the same 15 second ad 6-8 times in a row that must be watched on repeat just to see the same egg hatch the same dragon that isn’t even
  24. [R114] WebNovel 3/5 · GB Add more free chapters: Kinda boring to only get 2 free chapters everyday if you have already caught up with the free chapters the book give you. ESPECIALLY if the book is 2000, 1000+ chapters long. Shame really I would change app but I can’t find another app with decent enough translation.
  25. [R79] WebNovel 1/5 · US Kept charging me: The app was fine but when I canceled my subscription they kept charging me. I did it again today and received no confirmation email and there’s no customer support to call so I guess I’ll just have to deal with it through my bank.
  26. [R84] WebNovel 3/5 · US Payment Scam: The books are real but the cost per average novel will cost you around $100 real money. If you get a subscription there’s a chance they will keep charging you months after cancellation then no real help just keep asking to take pictures of screens. I was charged for 3 months and every month the chat helpline assured me everything was good and no additional charges would occur and ban
  27. [R91] WebNovel 1/5 · US Scam. They charge you forever even after cancelling!: Don’t use this app. DO NOT DO IT. Even after cancelling through apple and their own app/website, they continue to charge your bank account and lie about it! Then when you tell them to stop, they say it’s a third-party issue, that you have to contact PayPal or whoever you used to purchase. That’s not the truth, like so many other users have disc

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