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

Tapas vs WebNovel

Tapas 4.6★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner WebNovel
WebNovel 4.3★ · Free + IAP 70

WebNovel has a slight edge due to its more consistent content and slightly better free options, despite both apps facing significant user frustration over pricing and buggy features.

Full reviews: Tapas · WebNovel

Both Tapas and WebNovel offer extensive libraries of comics and novels, but both are heavily criticized for their aggressive monetization strategies and numerous app bugs. WebNovel is slightly preferred for its content and perceived value, though it still struggles with high costs and technical issues.

Head to head

Content Library & Variety tieR5R17R20R32
Tapas Tapas is praised for its wide variety of genres, including comics and novels, with many users loving the diverse stories available R5R17R20R32. Some users specifically enjoy the manhwa selection R32.
WebNovel WebNovel also offers a massive library of serialized fiction, particularly strong in romance and fantasy novels . Users appreciate the quantity and quality of stories, with some finding specific gems .
Pricing & Value (Ink/Coins/Fast Passes) tieR1R7R10R12
Tapas Tapas users frequently complain about the high cost of unlocking chapters, with many stories requiring ink after only a few free chapters R7R12R21. The methods to earn free ink (playing games, web activities, watching ads) are widely reported as buggy, time-consuming, or non-functional, leading to frustration and feeling scammed R1R10R12. Some users also report being charged more than the listed price for ink R15R18R46.
WebNovel WebNovel is heavily criticized for its expensive paywalls and the high cost of coins needed to read chapters, with some users estimating hundreds of dollars to finish a single book . While there are options to earn free chapters or fast passes, users report these systems are often ineffective, don't register correctly, or are limited . Some users feel the pricing is deceptive .
App Reliability & Bugs tieR2R3R6R9
Tapas Tapas users report numerous bugs, including the app failing to open R2, pages not loading R3, ink disappearing R9R11, ads not granting rewards R23, unexpected charges R15R18R46, and pop-up ads redirecting to suspicious websites even for paid content . There are also complaints about accidental chapter unlocks due to sensitive swipe controls R6 and reading lists disappearing .
WebNovel WebNovel users experience issues with the audiobook feature cutting off, stuttering, or changing languages . Other reported bugs include GIF search not working , login problems leading to lost accounts and purchases , and the app causing phones to heat up and drain battery . Some users also note issues with chapter order in updates and the inability to download multiple books at once .
Customer Support & Trust tieR1R4R10R23
Tapas Tapas receives strong criticism for unresponsive customer support, with users reporting no help after multiple attempts to contact them about issues like missing ink or app problems R4R23R51. Some users feel scammed by the app's payment and ink systems R1R10R46. There are also concerns about the company's ethics, including showing inappropriate ads and being owned by a company accused of mistreating artists .
WebNovel WebNovel users report significant issues with customer support, particularly regarding subscription cancellations and unauthorized charges, with some having to resort to their bank to stop payments R99. Users also feel the app is deceptive about rewards and events . There are strong complaints about the prevalence of AI-generated content and lack of moderation, which users find ruins the reading experience .
Pick Tapas if

you prefer a wider variety of content including comics and manhwa, and are willing to navigate a buggy ink system or pay for chapters directly R5R20R32.

Pick WebNovel if

you are primarily interested in a large library of serialized novels, especially romance and fantasy, and don't mind the high cost of reading or the presence of AI-generated content .

Evidence note: Both apps have a high volume of negative reviews centered on monetization and technical issues, making it difficult to find clear advantages in these areas. The free-vs-paid asymmetry is evident, as many negative reviews stem from users frustrated with the free-tier limitations and the difficulty of earning free currency.

Frequently asked

Is it possible to read for free on Tapas and WebNovel?
Yes, both Tapas and WebNovel offer some free chapters and methods to earn in-app currency, but users widely report these free options are limited, buggy, or don't work as advertised (Tapas: R1, R12, R21, R24; WebNovel: , , ).
Are there issues with payments and subscriptions on these apps?
Yes, both apps have significant user complaints regarding payment issues, including Tapas charging more than the listed price or taking money without delivering ink R1R15R18R46, and WebNovel continuing to charge users after subscription cancellation or losing purchased coins R99.
Do Tapas and WebNovel have good customer support?
No, both apps receive poor reviews for customer support, with Tapas users reporting unresponsiveness to issues like missing ink R4R23R51 and WebNovel users struggling with support for billing disputes and account problems R99.
What are the common technical problems with these apps?
Tapas users report issues like the app crashing, pages not loading, ink disappearing, and ads not granting rewards R2R3R9R11, while WebNovel users frequently complain about buggy audiobook features, GIF search not working, and login problems .

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. [R5] Tapas 5/5 · US Love the app: Love all the different genres. Can get a bit pricey but worth it.
  2. [R17] Tapas 5/5 · US Love this app: Some many good book to read
  3. [R20] Tapas 5/5 · US Great app: I love this app. It’s so easy to navigate, has great anime, no limits on favorites, and a huge variety to read from. Easily rivals WEBTOON.
  4. [R32] Tapas 5/5 · US Manhwa: This is amazing, i like the taming bl manhwa mature version. The story and art is all bright and nice and the quality of the app is amazing.
  5. [R1] Tapas 2/5 · US Took my money: tried playing the games to earn ink, but the progression is a brutal, exhausting grind. Decided to just spend real money to read my books, but the app is completely broken. It regularly takes my money without delivering the ink. To make it worse, the transactions don't even show up properly on my statement right away. Don’t waste your time or your money on this buggy app. But still
  6. [R7] Tapas 1/5 · US Delete: THIS IS HORRENDOUS, damn near all the stories u need to pay and u guys have sooo many issues with the app wtf…
  7. [R10] Tapas 1/5 · US Continuously scammed out of money: These offers for games suck. While for common web ones as long as you don’t spend money over half don’t work. But for game ones to be usefully you usually have to spend a little money but I keep being scammed out of it and not rewarded even if I report it. And almost every-time I’m not rewarded for a purchase one the offer gets deleted so they won’t even reward m
  8. [R12] Tapas 3/5 · US READ BEFORE YOU GET: So basically, for 99.99% of the books the first five chapters are free but then you need ink to unlock the rest. And there are three ways to win ink: Give money, download and play the games they say, or do the web activities. And im not giving any money so i decided to do the other two options. But guess what? THEY DONT WORK. SO NOW IM DELETING THIS APP BC I CANT READ ANY BOOK
  9. [R2] Tapas 4/5 · US Lots of stories but Recent bug?: Very fun and addicting app. Only trouble is I’m having trouble opening it currently? I click on the app and it starts to load but then just exits. Hoping this does not continue for long.
  10. [R3] Tapas 3/5 · US It’s ok: The ink system is annoying but the real issue is the WUF page. It doesn’t load properly. Incredibly frustrating to want to read and search through what’s available and it won’t even load. I’m more than ok with the waiting to read aspect. What bothers me is not being able to look through the available catalogue.
  11. [R6] Tapas 3/5 · US Lack of settings: There are new updates and annoying functions such as the swipe and scroll problems: - Swiping left and right needs on/off switch It is easy to change episodes with an up or down swipe even in the SLIGHTEST direction to the left or right and prices have gone up
  12. [R9] Tapas 3/5 · US My inks keep disappointing without spending them: Whenever I get those inks, and I leave the app and save up, the next day it disappears. it happens all the time and it’s getting annoying. Please fix this, thank you.
  13. [R4] Tapas 1/5 · US No help: I have written to the tapas team multiple times about a problem and no one has reached out to me. It’s been almost two weeks now….
  14. [R23] Tapas 4/5 · US Good but…: Great app to read, lots of variation of topics to read about, love the WUF (Wait Until Free) feature. Would recommend. However, the most recent game I played for earning ink didn’t give me anything, even after reaching out to customer support through Offerwall. I showed my transaction history, and all they kept saying was close and reopen the app…which didn’t work. Last time this happe
  15. [R21] Tapas 3/5 · US Locks too many episodes: I like the app, I just don’t like how new episodes are locked and I have to pay money for ink. Even if I try to get free ink, it’s some bogus stuff that doesn’t even give me the ink. I get you need to get ink to pay creators for their stories, but I feel like only having a certain amount of episodes free just takes away from my excitement of reading the stories.
  16. [R24] Tapas 3/5 · US App: The app is okay compared to how it used to be. I hate the fact that we have to do offers to get free ink now and the worst part is that those so called offers don’t even work nor give you free ink because they’re always glitching. I miss when we only had to watch 30 videos a day and they would reload after just two minutes. I wish they would bring the adds back for free ink instead.
  17. [R15] Tapas 3/5 · US Getting charged 3x more: So I have not had trouble till now that’s why it’s 3 stars, charging me 4.99 but on my card it’s being charged 19.99 idk what’s going on but this is ridiculous it’s happened 2 times already
  18. [R18] Tapas 3/5 · US love but takes more money than listed: love tapas but the only issue would be when buying the ink the prices say 19.99 but it charged me 60$ this has happened on multiple occasions
  19. [R46] Tapas 1/5 · US Unnecessary charges: I keep getting charged 1.99-4.99 for the ink when I myself have not actually went in to buy it. It continues to charge my card even when though it is not linked to the app directly
  20. [R51] Tapas 3/5 · US Inks: When im in need of a good story , it’s nothing to open this app nd my favorite story is a click away ! But what’s unsettling is seeing the inks you’ve won not being added to your account, and what’s even more disappointing is reaching out to solve the problem and being told the ink have already been rewarded only to see it’s still not showing in your account. I just want to fix the problem
  21. [R99] 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
  22. [R11] Tapas 4/5 · US I like the app but I don't know where my ink is going: I love the app it's really good for what I want to read and stuff but sometimes I feel like it's stealing my ink because after I get some ink on Mondays I close the app after screen shotting how much I have and I don't use the ink but when I get back on the app my ink went down like I had 630 when I closed the app and now I have 380 ink and

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