Last updated March 23, 2021
As the page-turning counterpart and oftentimes source material for anime, manga and its international availability have also experienced growth over the past few years. There has never been a better time to pick up a new manga and dive into a new adventure!
The great news is that as manga has grown, so have the number of legal, licensed distributors who carry thousands of unique, exciting titles! It’s super important to read from licensed sources in order to support the hard-working creators behind each title, so we’ve put together a list of legal places where you can get your manga fix!
BOOK☆WALKER is KADOKAWA’s official bookstore and app for reading digital manga and light novels worldwide. Each purchase earns coins that can be used to make future purchases. Membership rankings based on your total spend determines how many coins you can earn per purchase.
- Genres: Various (*Mature content)
- Pricing Structure: Pay-Per-Volume
- Platforms: iOS/Android App, Browser Viewer
Also from KADOKAWA, ComicWalker allows users to browse titles in both Japanese and English. Everything is free, and they continue adding to their extensive collection every week.
- Genres: Various
- Pricing Structure: Free
- Platforms: Browser Viewer
Amazon’s Comixology has a library of over 100,000 comics and manga to choose from. Readers can either purchase individual volumes or use their Amazon account to subscribe to Comixology Unlimited for $5.99 per month. Comixology Unlimited members get unlimited reading access to some of the most popular titles.
- Genres: Various
- Pricing Structure: Pay-Per-Volume, Subscription
- Platforms: iOS/Android App, Browser Viewer
Coolmic is a mobile-only browser reader that features a variety of genres. Readers must purchase ticket packs to unlock chapters. Each chapter costs 4-7 tickets to unlock, but the first chapter of every title is free, so you can always discover something new.
As of August 2020, Coolmic has partnered with Kodansha USA Publishing to bring Kodansha Comics and VERTICAL titles to Coolmic! Readers can now enjoy over 80 titles from Kodansha on the Coolmic mobile reader!
- Genres: Romance, Seinen, (*Mature content)
- Pricing Structure: Pay-Per-Chapter ($0.50-$2.00)
- Platforms: Smartphone Browser Viewer
For $7.99 per month, gain Premium Access to Crunchyroll’s entire library of manga, including simulpubs straight from Japan! Premier users also get access to simulcasts from Japan as early as an hour after the Japanese broadcast and ad-free viewing for all shows.
- Genres: Various
- Pricing Structure: Subscription ($7.99/month)
- Platforms: iOS/Android App, Browser Viewer
Founded by Digital Manga, Inc. in 2008, E-Manga offers a collection of licensed titles from over fifty Japanese publishers, with the option to purchase both digital or physical copies if they’re available. Also, check out their Lilyka Manga imprint for Girls Love titles.
- Genres: Various
- Pricing Structure: Pay-Per-Volume
- Platforms: eBooks available as PDF, ePub, PRC MOBI, and CBZ
J-Novel Club has both manga and light novels! Subscribe to read the latest chapters as soon as they’re released every week. Have a favorite series? You can also purchase the full eBook from multiple distributors.
- Genres: Various
- Pricing Structure: Subscription, Pay-Per-Volume
- Platforms: iOS/Android App; eBook available for iBook, Nook, Kobo, Bookwalker, Amazon
Find something new on MANGA Plus by SHUEISHA. MANGA Plus has the first chapters of some of the most popular titles out right now, with new chapter simulreleases every week, so you can discover your next favorite.
- Genres: Various
- Pricing Structure: Free
- Platforms: iOS/Android App
One of the newest platforms, launched in April 2020, Mangamo offers unlimited access to titles from 11 different publishers, including Kodansha, Comicsmart, Toppan, North Star Pictures, and more. While they are only available on iOS currently, they plan to launch an Android version soon.
- Genres: Various
- Pricing Structure: Subscription
- Platforms: iOS App
Manga Reborn’s goal is to bring the manga community together to show support for creators and to bring unique, previously-unknown titles into the spotlight. Readers unlock chapters by purchasing coin packs, but some titles are free.
- Genres: Various
- Pricing Structure: Pay-Per-Chapter
- Platforms: Browser Viewer
For a flat monthly subscription, Manga Planet allows you unlimited access to its entire library. Membership is $6.99 per month, but the Manga Planet library is currently FREE for the entire month of May 2020!
- Genres: Various
- Pricing Structure: Subscription
- Platforms: iOS/Android App, Browser Viewer
The VIZ Manga app offers free preview chapters for select series and contains over 4000 manga volumes. The subscription plan lets you read up to 100 chapters per day for just $1.99 per month.
- Genre(s): Various
- Pricing Structure: Subscription ($2.99/month) and Pay-Per-Volume
- Platforms: iOS/Android App
Check out the Shonen Jump App to read the latest chapters of popular Shonen Jump titles the same day they come out in Japan. Sign up for the monthly subscription for only $1.99 per month to get access to the full library of over 10,000 chapters.
- Genre(s): Shonen
- Pricing Structure: Free (limited), Subscription, Pay-Per-Volume
- Platforms: iOS/Android App
Romance Comics has a library full of love stories, with a new title released each day. Subscription plans are available from $5-40, with each tier offering a curated selection of titles each month. Rentals are available only through coins that are acquired with the purchase of a digital book.
- Genres: Romance
- Pricing Structure: Rental, Subscription, and Pay-Per-Volume
- Platforms: iOS/Android App, Browser Viewer
And lastly, individual volumes are always available for purchase from marketplace distributors, including Apple Books, Amazon, Books-A-Million, Comixology, Google Play, Rakuten, and book retailers! Get ready to sit down with a new title and read away!
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