Looking for a good manhwa app? Most people read manhwa on their phone, and the vertical scroll format was made for it. This guide covers the apps to read manhwa officially in English, the Korean apps where every series starts, and what to use when the series you want has no English release at all.
Quick answer: which manhwa apps should you use?
If your series is licensed in English, read it in the official app that carries it. The main ones:
- WEBTOON. The biggest manhwa app, with a huge free catalog.
- Tapas. Licensed Korean manhwa next to its own originals. It may be closing down soon.
- Tappytoon. Licensed manhwa, heavy on romance fantasy, drama and BL.
- Lezhin (English). Mature, BL and thriller titles.
- Manta. Ridi's English app, subscription-based, lots of romance.
- Pocket Comics. Comico's English app, with manhwa and some manga.
- Toomics. Korean platform with an English service, strong on mature titles.
If the series isn't licensed in English, or the English release is far behind Korea, you need two apps: the Korean platform where it's published, and a translator app like OpenToon to read those chapters in English or 50+ other languages.
This post is about apps. For the websites and how their pricing works, see our guide to legal manhwa reading sites.
Table of contents
- What makes a good manhwa reader app?
- Which English manhwa apps are official?
- What about the Korean manhwa apps?
- What if your manhwa isn't on any English app?
- What about manga apps?
- How do you spot a pirate manhwa app?
- FAQ
What makes a good manhwa reader app?
The best app is the one that has your series. After that, check:
- Catalog. Does it license the genres you read? Some apps lean hard into romance fantasy, others into BL or mature titles.
- Pricing model. Free chapters, wait-until-free timers, coins per chapter, or a subscription. Most apps mix a few of these.
- How far behind Korea it is. Licensed English releases often trail the Korean one by dozens of chapters.
- Is it official? Plenty of apps on the stores are just pirate sites in a wrapper. More on that below.
Which English manhwa apps are official?
WEBTOON
WEBTOON is Naver's global app and the easiest place to start. Most of the catalog is free. You can unlock newer episodes early with Fast Pass, paid for in coins, and some completed series use Daily Pass, a wait-until-free unlock.
Tapas
Tapas carries licensed Korean manhwa next to its own originals and indie comics. Many series have free first chapters, then wait-until-free or its paid currency, Ink. Tapas is owned by Kakao Entertainment, so a lot of KakaoPage hits end up there.
Heads up: Tapas may be closing down soon. If you follow a series there, check whether it's on another official app too, and don't stock up on Ink you may not get to spend.
Tappytoon
Tappytoon sticks to licensed Korean manhwa, with a big romance fantasy, drama and BL lineup. It's mostly pay per chapter with points, plus some free chapters and promos.
Lezhin (English)
Lezhin runs an English storefront next to its Korean one. It leans mature: BL, thriller, horror and adult romance, unlocked with coins. The Korean side usually has more chapters, earlier.
Manta
Manta is Ridi's English app. It runs on a subscription, with some free chapters to try first, and the catalog is mostly romance and romance fantasy.
Pocket Comics
Pocket Comics is Comico's English-language app. It has manhwa and some manga, with free and paid chapters.
Toomics
Toomics is a Korean platform with an English service. It's known for mature titles and uses a paid VIP membership, with a few free chapters to sample.
What about the Korean manhwa apps?
Every series in the English apps started on a Korean platform. They publish first, their catalogs are far bigger, and they're fully legal to read:
- Naver Webtoon and Naver Series. Naver's Korean service is where most webtoons debut, with free daily series and Naver Series for completed and premium titles.
- KakaoPage and Kakao Webtoon. Kakao's two services, home to a lot of action, romance and isekai hits. Usually wait-or-pay.
- Ridibooks. A Korean ebook and comic store, big for BL and drama. You buy chapters or volumes and keep them.
- Lezhin KR. Mature and BL, ahead of the English side.
- Bomtoon. BL and romance.
The catch is that they're in Korean. You can install some of these apps outside Korea, but the menus, the chapter lists and every speech bubble will be Korean. Most of them also have a website.
Our manhwa raw sites guide goes through each platform in more detail, including accounts and how chapters are sold.
What if your manhwa isn't on any English app?
English apps license only a fraction of what runs in Korea. Licensed series fall behind the Korean release, and plenty of titles, especially niche romance, BL and older series, never get licensed at all.
There's a legal way around it: read the official Korean chapter and translate it on your phone.
OpenToon is a mobile app for iOS and Android that translates manga, manhwa, manhua, webtoons and comics into 50+ languages. It has a built-in URL importer for raw sources like Naver Comic, Kakao Webtoon, Ridibooks, Kuaikan, Pixiv and Webtoons, and you can paste links from most other comic sites too.
- Find the chapter on the Korean platform. Naver, Kakao Webtoon, Ridibooks or Bomtoon. Read the free chapters, or buy the paid ones there.
- Copy the chapter URL and paste it into OpenToon. You can also browse to the chapter in OpenToon's built-in viewer, or upload images you've saved.
- Pick your language. English, or any of 50+ others, from Spanish and Portuguese to Indonesian, Thai and Arabic.
- Read. OpenToon translates every speech bubble. Tap a bubble to see the original Korean, and edit it yourself if you'd prefer a different reading.
Translated chapters are saved on your device for instant re-reading. OpenToon doesn't host or re-upload any comics, and the creator still gets paid on the platform where you read the chapter.
There's a free trial so you can read full chapters before paying anything. After that it's coin packs or a subscription, and the pricing page has the details.
Get it on the App Store or Google Play.
The step-by-step version is in how to translate manhwa to English. If you're comparing translator apps, our best manga translator app guide covers extensions, desktop tools and phone apps.
If a series is licensed in English, the official app is still the better read. It has a professional translation and lettering, and your money goes straight to the series. OpenToon is for the chapters those apps don't have yet.
What about manga apps?
Japanese manga has its own official apps, run by the publishers. Shueisha's MANGA Plus is the best-known one for English readers. Pocket Comics also carries some manga.
The same rule applies. Read the official English release where it exists. When a manga isn't licensed, or you've caught up to the Japanese raws, OpenToon translates Japanese chapters the same way it does Korean ones. Our manga raw sites guide covers where those raws are published.
How do you spot a pirate manhwa app?
Search "manhwa app" on either store and you'll see plenty of apps that aren't official. A few quick checks:
- Who publishes it? Official apps come from a real company (Naver, Kakao, Ridi, Lezhin and so on) with a website and terms of service.
- Do the series credit the publisher? Fan group credits on the pages are a giveaway.
- Is there a business model? An app with every newest chapter free, no account, and pop-ups pushing downloads is making its money some other way.
- Is it an APK from a random site? Sideloaded "manhwa reader" APKs are a good way to get malware.
Pirate apps don't pay the creators, and they can disappear overnight along with your library.
FAQ
What is the best manhwa app? For English readers, WEBTOON is the best place to start, with the biggest free catalog. Tappytoon, Lezhin, Manta, Pocket Comics and Toomics also carry licensed manhwa, each with its own genre focus. The best manhwa app for you is the one that officially carries the series you want.
Is there a free app to read manhwa? Yes. WEBTOON has a large free catalog, most other official apps give you the first chapters free, and wait-until-free lets you read many series without paying if you're patient. The newest chapters of paid series are rarely free on day one.
What app can I use to read Korean manhwa in English? If the series is licensed, use the official English app that carries it. If it isn't, open the chapter on the Korean platform, such as Naver, Kakao Webtoon or Ridibooks, and paste the chapter URL into OpenToon to read it in English or 50+ other languages.
Are manhwa reader apps legal? The official apps listed here, English and Korean, are legal and pay the creators. Apps that re-host chapters without the publisher's permission aren't, and they carry the same malware and shutdown risks as pirate websites.
To summarize
- WEBTOON. Biggest catalog, mostly free, pay for early chapters.
- Tapas. Licensed manhwa, free chapters plus Ink. May be closing down soon.
- Tappytoon. Romance fantasy, drama and BL.
- Lezhin (English). Mature and BL. The Korean side is ahead.
- Manta. Ridi's subscription app, romance-heavy.
- Pocket Comics. Manhwa and some manga.
- Toomics. Mature titles, VIP membership.
- Korean originals. Naver, Kakao, Ridibooks, Lezhin KR and Bomtoon publish first. See the manhwa raw sites guide.
- No English release? Read the Korean chapter in OpenToon on iOS or Android, and buy the official English version when it arrives.