Best MangaRock Alternatives
Table of Contents
MangaRock was one of the most popular manga piracy websites, allowing millions of people to read manga. Manga is becoming more and more popular among children and adults, and people who didn’t wish to subscribe to a paid channel could always visit MangaRock to download different Japanese comics. However, MangaRock shut down back in 2019, and this left users scrambling for other alternatives.
Thankfully, MangaRock isn’t the only website for people who want to consume manga. There are a number of alternatives that we will be reviewing in the following paragraphs, such as CDisplayEx, Comix, MangaDex, Mcomix, Manga Geek, Tachiyomi, ComicRack, and ComiXology. Let’s get into it!
Top 8 Manga Readers Like
MangaRock
1. CDisplayEx
CDisplayEx is not exactly a direct alternative to MangaRock, mainly because it is actually a comic book reader instead of a full-blown piracy website. However, if you have a bunch of comic books and don’t know how to load them properly to read them the way they are intended, then CDisplayEx is a great choice.
It doesn’t just work on the computer. You can always download it on your mobile phone and the app is available on all major platforms.
Cost
One of the best things about CDisplayEx is that it is completely free; you don’t have to pay a penny for using it. There’s a Pro version that costs $5.99 and removes ads from the app.
Features
It automatically accesses Google Drive or other cloud storage solutions to pull your manga or comics from there. There are advanced page scaling options and it also allows you to open the files on the network without having to download them. You can also change the interface language. It’s an incredibly lightweight reader that can be a great choice for people who want something to read their comic books on.
Pros
- Very lightweight
- Continuous page scrolling
- Easily pulls your comics
Cons
- Not a direct alternative
- Doesn’t support all comic book formats
2. Comix
Comix is a comics imprint of a Russian book publisher by the name of Domino. The company translates, licenses, and distributes an array of graphical novels and manga throughout multiple platforms. The company was founded in 2008 and has licenses for several major manga and comics such as One Piece and Fullmetal Alchemist.
Cost
Their comics are primarily sold in stores so you can buy them at different prices.
Features
The company makes it easy for people to buy different comics and translates them into various languages. They also release updates about the latest comics that are printed and released to the public.
Pros
- Availability of more comics
- Range of print options
Cons
- Limited licensing
- People have criticized the use of word balloons in their comics
3. MangaDex
MangaDex is perhaps a very appropriate direct alternative to MangaRock. It offers you an extensive range of free manga that you can read online without having to worry about any kinds of ads. All the images are high quality and the website itself is quite responsive as well. You can easily read your favorite manga without any problem. They also have a pretty robust presence on social media, so you can always check out the latest releases.
Cost
MangaDex is completely free to use and is managed by a dedicated community of manga lovers.
Features
The website has an in-built manga reader that makes it easy for you to read all your favorite comics. There’s also a separate community section where you can discuss manga and can talk to other users as well. More importantly, you can also upload your own manga, thus giving creators an excellent platform to share their work.
Pros
- Completely free to use
- No ads
- In-built manga reader
Cons
- You won’t find popular manga here
- A pretty old-school UX
4. MComix
MComix is a user-friendly image viewer that most people like to use for reading comics. The program was specifically created to read manga and other types of comics and you can find it at SourceForge. It supports a range of different container formats including CBR, CBZ, CBT, and LHA. It can also read PDF files with ease.
Cost
Since it is on SourceForge, MComix is completely free and you don’t have to worry about paying a fee for it. You can just download it from its official page on SourceForge.
Features
The viewer has a full-screen mode as well as a double-page mode. The image can also fit into the window and they have also added smarter scrolling to make it easy for the average person to read their comics without much of a problem. You just have to hit the spacebar a few times to get a better idea about how it works. There’s a manga mode and you can also bookmark pages.
Pros
- It’s free to use
- Dedicated manga mode
- Fantastic range of options
Cons
- There are better comic book readers available
- Only available on computers
5. Manga Geek
Manga Geek is a free mobile app for people who like to read comics. It’s a fairly basic manga reader and there’s a paid version available too, which removes ads.
Cost
It’s a free app, though you can remove the ads for $3.99.
Features
It aggregates links from the Internet and brings them into a convenient fashion for you to read your favorite manga.
Pros
- Completely free
- Easy to read formatting
Cons
- Limited functionality
6. Tachiyomi
Tachiyomi is a free and open-source manga reader designed for Android. It’s a basic app that you will have to download from its website instead of the app store.
Cost
It’s completely free.
Features
Tachiyomi allows you to track your comics and then customize them however you please.
Pros
- Free
- Open source program
Cons
- Only for Android
7. ComicRack
ComicRack is an eReader for comics and a manager designed for PCs. It makes reading manga quite easy and straightforward.
Cost
It’s free to use, although the paid version costs $7.89 and removes ads.
Features
Fairly basic eReader that includes everything that you could ask for, including a comic book manager.
Pros
- Track and read comics
- Companion app for PC
Cons
- Ads can be interruptive
8. Comixology
Comixology is a cloud-based distribution platform for comic book readers. It has more than 200 million comic book downloads and offers a library of over 75,000 comics, graphic novels, and manga.
They have a wide variety of comics, from the most popular publishers, such as Marvel and DC Comics. It also offers exclusive content that can only be found on Comixology.
Comixology has an “unlimited” subscription service that allows users to read as many comics as they want for $5.99 a month.
You can also make a ComiXology account through an Amazon Prime or if you already have an account you can get access to ComiXology Originals — comics, books, and manga exclusive as long as you remain a paying customer
Cost
The subscription for Comixology Unlimited is $5.99 a month.
Features
Has an excellent reading platform and gives you access to hundreds of different comics.
Pros
- Range of comics
- Lots of freebies
- Free trial
Cons
- Pushes for the paid version
- Friends can’t borrow issues
- Can’t purchase directly from iOS
