Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

iCollect Comic Books vs Panels

iCollect Comic Books 4.6★ · Free + IAP 55
Winner Panels
Panels 4.8★ · Free to download 75

Panels is the better choice for reading and organizing digital comics, offering a smoother experience and more reliable core functionality, while iCollect Comic Books struggles with database accuracy, buggy scanning, and aggressive monetization.

Full reviews: iCollect Comic Books · Panels

iCollect Comic Books focuses on cataloging physical comic collections but is plagued by unreliable barcode scanning, database issues, and a confusing, expensive pricing model. Panels excels as a digital comic reader and organizer, praised for its clean UI and robust import features, despite recent bugs and a subscription model for advanced features.

Head to head

Cataloging & Database edge: iCollect Comic BooksR1R4R17R21
iCollect Comic Books iCollect Comic Books is designed for cataloging physical comics, with users appreciating its ability to track collections and wishlists R17. However, its database is frequently criticized for not finding information, providing incorrect entries, or missing entire runs, requiring extensive manual editing R1R21. Users also report issues with cover images defaulting back to poor quality R4.
Panels Panels is primarily a reader, but it offers organization features like grouping issues into folders . It lacks robust metadata support, meaning comic titles are often just filenames, and there's no way to sort or filter by other data fields . Users need to manually switch reading direction for manga .
Adding Comics & Ease of Use edge: PanelsR3R7R9R12
iCollect Comic Books Adding comics in iCollect Comic Books is described as tremendously tedious, especially for hundreds of issues without barcodes R3. The barcode scanner is frequently reported as not working, being too sensitive, or bringing up incorrect entries R7R9R12R13. Users also complain about the lack of a multi-add or batch-add feature for series R3R7R19.
Panels Panels is generally praised for being easy to use and for its clean UI R65. Importing files, especially PDFs, is described as hassle-free R65R110. However, some recent updates have made importing new files almost impossible for some users, with the UX getting worse .
Reliability & Performance tieR4R9R19R22
iCollect Comic Books iCollect Comic Books is frequently reported as buggy, freezing up during barcode scans, crashing, or losing cataloged items R4R9R22. Some users have even had their entire collections deleted or lost due to login issues or app migration R37. The app is also described as slow R19.
Panels Panels has recently suffered from significant reliability issues, with updates breaking functionality like the downloads section, library linking, and thumbnail display R61R66. Users report crashes, especially when flipping through pages or adjusting settings . Page loading can be slow, with black screens appearing between pages .
Price & Value edge: PanelsR1R7R10R13
iCollect Comic Books iCollect Comic Books has a very limited free tier, allowing only 30 comics before hitting a paywall R16R18R28R34. The pricing for additional features is confusing and considered overpriced, with some users reporting price increases up to $169 or $30 for basic scanning functionality R1R7R10R13. Some users feel ripped off by the subscription model R13.
Panels Panels is free to download but locks many features behind a subscription or one-time purchase, which some users find annoying R90. Specific complaints include paying for SMB support R100R105, page-curl features , and epub file support R90. The app also features an in-app store that some users dislike .
Support & Updates tieR4R37R61R66
iCollect Comic Books Users of iCollect Comic Books report poor support and broken promises regarding updates fixing issues R4. There's a complaint about a collection being deleted without notice during an app migration R37.
Panels Panels has received recent updates that have introduced significant bugs and broken existing functionality, leading to frustration R61R66. Some users have tried to contact support but found the link dead or received no replies . Despite this, some issues have been fixed .
Pick iCollect Comic Books if

You have a small, physical comic collection (under 30 issues) that you want to catalog and are willing to manually enter most of the data, as the barcode scanner and database are unreliable R3R16R21.

Pick Panels if

You primarily read digital comics (CBR, CBZ, PDF, manga) and need a robust reader with good organization features, even if you have to pay for advanced functionality or deal with occasional bugs from updates R65.

Evidence note: The reviews for iCollect Comic Books are heavily skewed towards complaints about its pricing model and functionality for adding comics, while positive reviews are often brief and general. Panels' reviews show a strong appreciation for its core reading experience but highlight recent issues with updates and the monetization of features.

Frequently asked

Is iCollect Comic Books truly free?
No, iCollect Comic Books is not truly free; it has a very limited free tier that allows you to add only 30 comics before requiring a payment, which users describe as a subscription fee or a one-time purchase ranging from $10 to $169 R16R18R28R34.
Does Panels support different comic file formats?
Yes, Panels supports common comic file formats like CBR, CBZ, and PDF, and users praise its ability to import these files easily R65R104R110, though support for EPUB files is locked behind a paywall R90.
How reliable is the barcode scanner in iCollect Comic Books?
The barcode scanner in iCollect Comic Books is widely reported as unreliable; it often does not work, is too sensitive, blurs codes, or brings up incorrect entries, making the process of adding comics frustrating and tedious R7R9R12R13.
Can Panels read comics from network shares (SMB)?
Yes, Panels can read comics from SMB shares, but this functionality is not free and is locked behind a paywall, which some users criticize as unnecessary since SMB is not a proprietary technology R100R105.

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] iCollect Comic Books 2/5 · US Good and bad: It is relatively easy to do a catalog of your comic books but it never finds anything in the database to fill in missing info or give estimated pricing. Very confusing pricing for additional features.
  2. [R4] iCollect Comic Books 1/5 · US Awful: Poor support, and broken promises, was told updates would fix issues but still waiting; the replacement of poorly taken covers don’t stay, keeps defaulting back to horrible images, which I’m not sure how any comic lover would want associated with their collection, now after entering over 2,000 issues, my count is showing a few of them are missing, therefore will have to re-inventory the ent
  3. [R17] iCollect Comic Books 5/5 · US Handy program: Good app don’t think the market needs much more than this one. Keeps track of my comic book collection as well as ones I need. Very useful for when I go to the comic shop and have to figure out which ones to get. Has most comics published.
  4. [R21] iCollect Comic Books 3/5 · US The app with potential but has issues: It’s Works fine but I wish it worked and found the comics every time I scan barcodes, it’s ridicules it works %30 of the time and don’t even try finding a comic by tittle it never finds it. It has potential but needs a lot of work done.
  5. [R3] iCollect Comic Books 3/5 · US Needs improvement: It’s fine for the most part, but adding comics initially is tremendously tedious. Most of my comics have no barcode (hundreds) so that feature is practically useless. Having to search for a comic for every single issue in the same seriousbis just straight up annoying. And the range add does absolutely nothing beyond adding the first issue specified. The entire adding process ne
  6. [R7] iCollect Comic Books 1/5 · US Missing comics: the reason I’m giving this one star you can’t add batches. barcode scanner still does not work.but my gripe is why can’t I just add a bunch comics at once I paid 10 dollars for this and it has a lot of missing features. Update 3/2026: they want you to pay a subscription now. they use to fill in the basic stuff for free but the say they have “ai” do it. It didn’t need ai before when
  7. [R9] iCollect Comic Books 3/5 · US Simple but buggy: I like the app, but it is prone to freezing up while doing barcode scans. It also just crashed on me now, and I can no longer see anything that I have catalogued or my wishlist and the settings are frozen. I’m hoping this is temporary.
  8. [R12] iCollect Comic Books 3/5 · US iCollect Comic Books on iPhone 12 Pro Max: These iCollect apps are pretty well done but this one has some issues. I have been adding lots of details to my collection and the barcode scanning is terrible compared to the movie one often bringing up incorrect entries forcing more editing. Adding pictures of the front, back and table of contents gives the option of adjusting the borders with drag circ
  9. [R19] iCollect Comic Books 1/5 · US app is slow: can’t add multiple different issues of the same title. I need to enter 100s of issues of the same title
  10. [R22] iCollect Comic Books 1/5 · US !: Very frustrating and not reliable.
  11. [R10] iCollect Comic Books 1/5 · US Overpriced: Price continually goes up for the bare minimum. So many betters apps that are cheaper (and some free). Don’t even waste your time unless you want notifications every month about how the price is increasing.
  12. [R13] iCollect Comic Books 2/5 · US Used to be good: I used to really like this app. Then the price went to the moon. They were sending notifications for a price increase up to 169.00. That’s too much. Now the bar code reader blurs the code only when you try to scan. What a scam app. I used to like it and it worked great. Now I’m starting over with another app which costs less than what I paid for I Collect Comics app and works bett
  13. [R37] iCollect Comic Books 1/5 · US They Deleted my Collection: They moved to this app and Deleted my SortiApps Collection without providing any notice. They had my email address. Why not email me to let me know?
  14. [R61] Panels 1/5 · US Garbage: This worked for a while and then suddenly the Downloads section just broke. It won’t load anymore. I have 75GB of content downloaded. Now my options are to not have access to them or try to delete the app and redownload all of it. Spectacular. I have comic apps that haven’t been update in over 5 years that don’t screw up this bad. If you read locally avoid this app. Update: I ended up cl
  15. [R66] Panels 3/5 · US It got bad: Latest update broke the library, every single time I need to re-link the information
  16. [R16] iCollect Comic Books 1/5 · US Don’t download unless you want to spend 30 bucks: I thought it was a great app, I went through. I was re-organizing my comics and thought maybe I could just use this app to you know get photo of what I had sword stop buying the same ones. Then I get to 30 comics entered and it tells me that my 30 comic entry limit is done and I have to pay 29.99 to continue. I carefully read everything before I d
  17. [R18] iCollect Comic Books 3/5 · US Mid: Good app tbh but you have to pay for more than 30 comics smh
  18. [R28] iCollect Comic Books 1/5 · US Very limited free usage: I input 25 comics and hit the limit for free usage. Not user friendly nor of use for those on a budget. Ugh
  19. [R34] iCollect Comic Books 1/5 · US Collectors beware: The app makes you believe that it’s free but it will only let you upload 30. After the 30 they will ask you to pay a subscription fee. ITS NOT FREE!!
  20. [R65] Panels 5/5 · US Amazing for reading: I love to get books off of Anna’s archive but files on there always seemed to be different, I finally got this app and sent files to panels and instantly got tons of books!
  21. [R90] Panels 3/5 · US Subscription Model is Stupid: App works very well but of course for some reason they feel the need to charge to read comic epub files. Not really sure why support for a common file format is locked behind a paywall. Very annoying and scummy practice.
  22. [R104] Panels 5/5 · US The Best comic reader on the app store: Everything works flawlessly and as advertised, theres no popup ads no subscriptions just a clean ui for reading comic book formatted files in any orientation that suits you. Love it
  23. [R110] Panels 5/5 · US Loads pdfs from downloads: Other comic apps needed me to put my pdfs in icloud before it would read them. This app just pulls them from my downloads folder with no hassle!
  24. [R100] Panels 1/5 · US SMB is Free: SMB is not a proprietary technology, the fact that you make us pay for SMB is a scam. I can literally use any other reader with smb flawlessly. FOR FREE. Youre not getting MY money bud. Stop scamming, your service isnt "premium" at all 😭
  25. [R105] Panels 3/5 · GB Would have been perfect: It would have been perfect if this app offered a method of reading from an SMB share without having to import. I’ve got over 200GB of manga in cbz format that are sitting on my NAS but I can’t find any app that can read this without saving it to my phone first 😭

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