Head to head
Foldbook vs Panels: which comic reader should you pick?
Both read your CBZ, CBR and PDF files. Foldbook goes further: it reads your collection straight from your NAS without copying a thing, it runs on Android too, and it lets you lend your comics to your whole family.
You have an Android phone
Foldbook runs on Android, iPhone, iPad and Mac. Panels only exists on Apple devices, and nothing is planned for Android.
Your collection lives on a NAS
Foldbook reads each volume on the NAS, page by page, without copying it. Your tablet keeps all its storage.
You want to lend your comics to family
With Foldbook Server, each person reads your library from their own home, on their own account, and you choose what they see.
You read novels too
Foldbook reads EPUBs in paper, sepia or night, with highlights and notes. Panels only reads comic EPUBs.
Made for iPhone Duo
Folded, it’s a closed book.
On the outer screen, Foldbook shows the cover of the volume you’re reading, full screen, like a book lying on the table. Open the Duo and the two-page spread is waiting right where you left off.
- Cover modeFolded, the cover of your current volume fills the screen.
- A spread when you open itUnfolded, both pages sit side by side, like an open book.
- Half-open book postureHeld half open, each page stays on its own side of the hinge.
- The vertical barFolded, tabs and the clock move into the Duo’s bar, and your library gets the rest.
Point by point
 Foldbook |  Panels | |
|---|---|---|
| Devices | Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision Pro |
| Android | Yes | No, nothing announced |
| Price | Free for reading at home. Foldbook+ at $1.99 a month or $17.99 a year | Free, then Panels+ at $1.49 a month or $14.99 a year |
| Reading from a NAS (SMB) | Direct, page by page, no copy | Listed among import sources |
| WebDAV (Nextcloud, Synology) | Yes | Not listed |
| Lend your library to family and friends | Yes, each with their own account, titles hidden as you choose | No |
| EPUB novels | Yes, with highlights and notes | No, comic EPUBs only |
| Panel-by-panel reading | Yes, on iPad in landscape | Experimental, with Premium |
| iPhone Duo | Cover mode when folded, two-page spread when open, half-open book posture, vertical bar | Reads on the inner screen and resumes on the outer screen; spread announced for Panels 4 |
| Shared progress | iPhone, iPad, Mac and Android | iPhone, iPad and Mac |
| Formats | CBZ, CBR (RAR4 and RAR5), CB7, PDF, EPUB | CBZ, CBR, CB7, PDF, comic EPUB |
| Right-to-left manga | Yes, remembered for each series | Yes |
| Two-page spreads on iPad | Yes | Yes |
| iCloud Drive | Yes, read in place | Yes |
| OPDS catalogs (Komga, Kavita) | Yes, book downloaded before reading | Yes, streamed |
| Dropbox, OneDrive | No | Yes |
| Built-in comic store | No | Yes |
Why switch to Foldbook
Your collection stays on your NAS
A CBZ opens without being downloaded: Foldbook fetches pages as you read. Even with thousands of volumes, your tablet keeps its storage.
The whole family reads, Android included
Foldbook Server installs on your NAS in two minutes, with no port to open. Your family reads your comics from their own homes, each on their own account, and they pay nothing.
Pages that turn under your finger
They curl and follow your gesture like real paper, as two-page spreads on iPad, right to left for manga.
What about Panels?
Panels is still a very good reader. It keeps the edge if your library lives in Dropbox or OneDrive, or if you stream books from Komga without downloading them.
Comparison made on November 9, 2026, from Panels’ App Store listing (version 3.13.10), its website panels.app and its Android page. US App Store prices. Panels is a trademark of Produkt Software Engineering S.L. Spotted a mistake or a change? Write to hello@believemy.com and we’ll fix it.