7 Manga Websites With Quality Options (Both Free and Paid)

Manga has traditionally been printed in book form, but there's an abundance of digital options if you want to read manga on your tablet or another digital device. Luthfi Syahwal / Shutterstock

Manga, the Japanese form of illustrated narratives, is thriving as a medium and a business. With the advent of the internet, it's become increasingly easy to consume manga online, instead of purchasing (or borrowing) the physical editions of the work.

There are some excellent manga websites out there, but the sheer variety and volume can be overwhelming, especially to newcomers.

With that in mind, we surveyed the territory of online manga, looking at both free and paid sites. Manga lovers will find that there are plenty of options, whether they are longtime fans or new to the form.

How to Read Manga Online: Free and Paid

The sites we'll be looking at for this piece have free options, but most of them will also include paid-for content.

It's the internet, so there are always ways to find free stuff, but there are also always trade-offs. Some "free" manga sites will be clogged with annoying ads or have a limited access to classic and popular manga titles.

Then there are the sites that host pirated content, as well as less-popular series that have been generated cheaply and quickly. These are best avoided, as they're often illegal, of poor quality and might even expose you to scams and/or viruses.

2 Library Sites and Apps

The first stop for anyone who is looking for free content should always be the library. In the age of electronic media, this stop is as easy as using your tablet, laptop or phone. Many library systems use one or more of these apps, which can be used to reserve, borrow and even read the content.

It's worth noting that these copies are being paid for; the library system pays the publisher a fee for a certain number of "copies" of the content, which it then loans out to local readers.

The main drawback is availability: You might need to wait for a while before the most popular titles are available to be borrowed, as other users read them.

1. Hoopla

Hoopla is an excellent option for fans of anime, as it doesn't have holds or wait times for the content. If it's available through your local library system, you can download it right away and start reading.

It's as simple as downloading the app, browsing for a title from your favorite series and then borrowing that title.

You do need a library card to log into Hoopla, which can be obtained at your local library. You'll find some classic manga, as well as some titles you may have never heard of.

2. Libby

Libby is the online app that most library systems use for electronic content. Manga publishers sell licenses to the libraries, who make a limited number of copies available to users of the system.

This means that some of the content will be unavailable at some times, but you might also find access to titles that you can't find through other platforms, whether you're looking at paid or free access.

The variety and volume of your local library's catalogue will determine what's available for you to download from Libby. While some library systems have an extensive collection that will cater to the serious manga fan, others might be more limited.

5 Online Platforms for Publishers

If you can't find what you want from your Hoopla or Libby — or if you want to skip the wait list — you can try the online outlets listed below. These websites are all focused on manga, although some will also provide comic books and graphic novels.

While many of these apps have free offerings, the manga industry can't sustain itself on free stuff and ad revenue alone. Often, there will be the possibility of limited online reading or free previews, but you'll have to shell out some money to read extensively.

Some of these will offer subscription options, allowing you to download manga to your heart's content. Others models include a payment per item.

1. Viz

Viz, also known as Viz Media, is a popular and respected outlet for manga and digital comics. In fact, it's the largest publisher of manga content in English, and their website is appropriately massive.

Many of the titles in their vast library include free previews, although reading the complete works will cost money.

As a leading publisher with professional translations, Viz is likely to have your favorite manga available, as well as plenty that you might never have heard of. Like many large platforms, they feature a user-friendly interface where you can read in your browser or download the content.

2. Manga Plus

Manga Plus specializes in Shonen manga, the category of manga geared towards young men and boys. It's the English language outlet and platform for Japanese manga publisher Shueisha — home of the very popular Shonen Jump weekly manga anthology — and is therefore up to date with all of the titles published by them.

If you're looking for the latest chapters of "Chainsaw Man," "My Hero Academia," "Demon Slayer" or "One Piece," to name some of their most popular titles, you can find it on Manga Plus, often with a free preview or volume to get you started.

3. Crunchyroll Manga

Crunchyroll is well-known as an anime streaming platform, but their content vault also includes manga. Like other top manga websites, they feature high quality scans and have a pretty massive library of manga available to peruse.

4. Kodansha

One of the leading publishers of manga, Kodansha offers free first chapters or volumes of many of their most popular works online. They will often feature limited-time offers to read certain manga titles for free, and their vast collection includes various genres and artists to choose from.

5. MangaOwl

Neither a publisher's official platform nor a major outlet with a curated selection, MangaOwl is a bit messier. It has an undeniably massive free selection with full access to thousands of titles. If you want manga for free any are ready to dive in, MangaOwl is a great place to start.

While it boasts a large and diverse selection, as well as ratings by other fans, MangaOwl's reading experience sometimes leaves something to be desired. It relies on ads, meaning pop-ups can be an issue. Still, it's hard to beat the selection or the price.