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

WEBTOON vs Tapas

WEBTOON 4.8★ · Free + IAP 75
Winner WEBTOON
Tapas 4.6★ · Free + IAP 55

WEBTOON offers a larger library and a slightly better free reading experience, while Tapas struggles with consistent app performance and issues with its in-app currency.

Full reviews: WEBTOON · Tapas

WEBTOON, with its vast selection and generally smoother reading experience, edges out Tapas, which faces significant user frustration regarding its 'ink' currency system and frequent app bugs. Both apps are free with in-app purchases, but WEBTOON's monetization, while criticized, appears less problematic than Tapas'.

Head to head

Content Library & Variety edge: WEBTOONR8R11R23R29
WEBTOON WEBTOON is praised for its extensive and diverse collection of stories, covering many genres and art styles, including LGBTQ+ friendly content R8R11R23R29. Users appreciate the sheer volume of content available, making it easy to find something to read R11R29.
Tapas Tapas also offers a good selection of comics and novels, with users finding compelling stories and high-quality art . However, some users note that the search options are limited and the variety of translations is lacking compared to competitors .
Ease of Use & App Performance edge: WEBTOONR6R12R20R43
WEBTOON WEBTOON generally functions well, with users appreciating the reading interface R20. However, many users report significant bugs, including freezing, crashing, inability to open the app, and network issues despite having internet R6R12. Some find the new UI update difficult to navigate and dislike the video trailers R43.
Tapas Tapas users frequently report app instability, including freezing, crashing, and persistent network connection problems . There are also specific issues with buttons not responding and loading screens getting stuck .
Monetization & Value (Free vs. Paid) edge: WEBTOONR3R5R9R10
WEBTOON WEBTOON is criticized for increasingly aggressive ads, appearing between chapters and sometimes blocking content R3R5. Users also dislike having to pay for episodes, especially for ongoing or completed series R9R10. The coin system is seen as scummy, with coins expiring and premium benefits being negligible .
Tapas Tapas users are highly critical of the 'ink' system, finding it expensive and difficult to obtain for free R61R69R76. Many report issues with offers for free ink not working or being fraudulent R69. There are also reports of being overcharged for ink purchases and ink disappearing .
Account & Login tieR1R7R19R30
WEBTOON WEBTOON users report frustrating login requirements, including forced social media linking and issues with confirmation emails R1R7R19. Some users experienced their entire account, including paid coins and read history, being reset R30.
Tapas Tapas users also face login problems, with some unable to log in even with correct credentials on new devices . There are no widespread reports of account resets like with WEBTOON, but issues with ink disappearing after purchase or earning are common .
Unique Features tieR28R29R48R51
WEBTOON WEBTOON previously offered voiced episodes, which some users loved, but these were removed, causing disappointment R28. Users enjoy the comment sections at the end of chapters R29. Some users wish for features like making their own comics R48 or better filtering for completed stories R51.
Tapas Tapas users appreciate the community aspect, making friends and finding helpful comments . The app offers 'fortune cookies' for ink, though some users suspect they are rigged . There are reports of fake engagement, with comments or chapters being liked without user action .
Pick WEBTOON if

you prioritize a vast library of comics and generally smoother reading experience, and are willing to tolerate an increasing number of ads and a coin system that can feel restrictive R11R29.

Pick Tapas if

you are deeply invested in specific series available on Tapas and are patient with app bugs and the often frustrating 'ink' monetization system .

Evidence note: Both apps have a free + IAP model. Much of the negativity for both stems from monetization practices (ads, paywalls, in-app currency issues), which is common for free apps with extensive content. Tapas' issues with its 'ink' currency and app stability appear more severe and widespread than WEBTOON's, despite WEBTOON having a larger user base and thus more reviews.

Frequently asked

Is WEBTOON truly free?
WEBTOON is free to download and offers many stories for free, but it uses an increasing number of aggressive ads and requires payment (coins) to unlock later episodes or read ahead, which many users find frustrating and not truly free R3R9R10R22.
What are the main complaints about Tapas?
The main complaints about Tapas revolve around its 'ink' currency system, which users find expensive, difficult to earn for free through unreliable offers, and prone to disappearing R61R69R76R80. Additionally, the app is frequently criticized for being buggy, freezing, crashing, and having persistent network issues .
Which app has more ads?
WEBTOON is reported to have an increasing and aggressive number of ads, appearing between chapters, sometimes blocking content, and even on free-view chapters R3R22R27R31. Tapas also has ads, but the primary monetization complaint is about its 'ink' system rather than ad frequency .

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] WEBTOON 5/5 · US I fricking love it: This app got me back into reading and it has different categorys if shorts witch is a great b Plus 😁
  2. [R11] WEBTOON 5/5 · US AMAZING APP: I love this app! I’ve had it for a while now and it never disappoints me with its amazing story’s and artists! There are so many story’s and all kinds of them to. It doesn’t matter what genre and/or art style you like there is always a perfect story for you if you’re willing to read it!
  3. [R23] WEBTOON 5/5 · US Best read manga ever: I love their designs are and I love how they have every single section that you really need and you can pick out whatever one that you really wanna watch and I love how you can play games and coins. I just love it so guys download WEBTOON.
  4. [R29] WEBTOON 5/5 · US Amazing!!!!!!: Absolutely amazing!!! This is one of the best reading ever. I never really read before Webtoon because I never seemed to have the time or energy to get up and get a book. So this helped tons I read everyday now for multiple hours. The amount of genres there are is insane! All are awesome and so cool. I also love the fact it is LGBTQ+ friendly. And also the comments on the end of cha
  5. [R6] WEBTOON 3/5 · US The app is very buggy on my iPad: The WEBTOON app is extremely buggy on my iPad. It randomly freezes or crashes, even though I’m using an M5 iPad, which is more than powerful enough to run the app.
  6. [R12] WEBTOON 3/5 · US Wont let me open: I was reading super fish but it would not let me enter the app and kicked me out or said that there was no internet when i did have internet but the stories r good
  7. [R20] WEBTOON 5/5 · US Love it: I love the way I can read at my own pace and not have to wait for the page to turn
  8. [R43] WEBTOON 1/5 · GB fell off: sorry, yall just fell off too hard. the new UI update is awful, it’s hard to navigate through all the webtoons, i have no idea why we now have short video trailers instead of banners, that also feels like a bad move since it feels like it cheapens the depth of the plot of the promoted webtoon. so many old famous webtoons are buried deep deep within, and unless you know the title, you’ll
  9. [R3] WEBTOON 3/5 · US Too many ads: App functions well overall and there are a lot of gems on here (and a lot that aren’t, but that’s okay). However, the ads have been getting more and more aggressive over time, making you jump through lots of different screens to get to the end, popping up on their own so you accidentally click them when trying to advance chapters, etc. I’m considering not using the app anymore due to
  10. [R5] WEBTOON 4/5 · US i really like it BUT: there are ads after you get to a certain point in a comic between every chapter but other than that i really like it! there are lots of great stories and amazing art and such so i highly recommend
  11. [R9] WEBTOON 3/5 · US It’s good but DEFINITELY not free: You have to pay for more episodes😬😬🌝🌝
  12. [R10] WEBTOON 1/5 · US horrible: Horrible para que tengo que pagar por leer? para eso los descargo en telegram , quien va a pagar por leer no me gusto
  13. [R1] WEBTOON 1/5 · US Log in requirement?: Why is there suddenly a requirement to link your account with google / social media after years of not needing one? After all that’s come out about larger sites and social medias tracking and selling user information, im really disappointed to see webtoon trying to also capitalize on user information by forcing users to link an account to save and support their favorite seri
  14. [R7] WEBTOON 1/5 · US Annoying sign up process: Signing up for an account is annoying and I didn’t even get the account confirmation email
  15. [R19] WEBTOON 1/5 · US Can’t read anything!: I want to read the story’s but I can’t because when I try it tells me to login and when I try that IT DOES NOT WORK!
  16. [R30] WEBTOON 3/5 · GB Fine: So I’ve had it for about 5-9 months and I would never stop reading story’s like •school bus graveyard •Osora •the d!ckheads •tears on a withered flower •marionette And a bunch more But once I was on my account trying to read tears on a withered flower and my account was like reseted like all my books, coins I payed for basically everything was gone and I went to complains and everything but
  17. [R28] WEBTOON 1/5 · US WHERE DID THE VOICED EPISODES GO???: i love watching webtoon, it’s very fun and entertaining, it’s more fun to watch than read. and today i clicked on the app to see on one of my FAVORITE webtoon boy loves, the watch tab was GONE. i am very disappointed, aggravated, and annoyed. i will not use this anymore. starting a riot on tiktok and twitter and facebook as we speak
  18. [R48] WEBTOON 3/5 · GB Mid: Would be better if we could make our own comics
  19. [R51] WEBTOON 3/5 · GB Completed stories: Genuinely love this app but they removed the filter for completed stories which is disheartening
  20. [R22] WEBTOON 1/5 · US 5/5 comics. 1/5 predatory app.: Webtoons will gate some episodes behind ads. This would be fine, except the ads usually last 30 seconds or more and then roadblock you permanently. You'll get to a screen where you can 1) demo a mobile game, 2) install it, or 3) view it in the app store. There is no button to close the ad and proceed to the comic. No button appears no matter how long you wait.
  21. [R61] Tapas 1/5 · US Parents Beware: This app exploits users by luring them into completing “offers” to read. The company is basically getting readers, especially naive children, do online labor for them in return for a chapter or two of a 200 chapter story. If you want to avoid this labor you’re forced to spend upward of $50 for 100 chapters of a single story. Mind you, these stories are not like novels. 100 chapters
  22. [R69] 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.
  23. [R76] Tapas 1/5 · US Expensive: They getting greedy by the year. I can’t even earn the points for free by doing those website tasks cuz even when I do everything I still don’t get none. On top of that why would they start to make ur ink expire like what that’s so annoying
  24. [R80] Tapas 4/5 · US Trouble with ink: I love the app, fabulous stories and I’ve had no trouble previously getting ink from the offers. But since the new update I haven’t been able to get any and I’ve done like 10 offers and got nothing. I’ve refreshed it, exited and re-entered the app, and even did the same offer like three times and still nothing. Just a minor issue but still a great app.
  25. [R27] WEBTOON 3/5 · GB Ads: Used to be a great app for supporting authors but with the most recent update it seems it’s only ads for everything now with them showing up even on free view chapters as well as daily pass’s complete removal in exchange for ads to get the same chapters.
  26. [R31] WEBTOON 1/5 · GB Ads...: I've been using Webtoon for 2ish years now.. and recently, there has been an ad EVERY single time I open an episode. Even just scrolling to the next one!! It's ridiculous..

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