An itch.io comic reader for the comics you download
Comics on itch.io are usually downloads: when you buy one, you get the file itself, in whatever format the creator chose, often a PDF or a CBZ. To read it like a comic, add the file to LiveComics in the app or in any browser, and it opens on every phone, tablet or computer you sign in on: page by page, one panel at a time, or read aloud. Adding your files and reading them is free.
Where are my itch.io purchases?
In your itch.io account. Comics you bought while signed in are listed there, and itch.io also emails a download link for each purchase. If you bought one without an account, that email is how you get back to it.
How do I read an itch.io comic?
Download the files first, then add copies of them here.
- On itch.io, open the comic's download page and download the files. Save them somewhere you can find them, like the Files app on an iPhone or your Downloads folder.
- Make a free account at livecomics.to, or get the app from the App Store, Google Play or the Microsoft Store.
- In your library, press + Add Comics and pick the files. You can pick many at once.
- Under Import as, choose Pages, Panels or Panels + Audio, pick the reading type and press Add. Tick Use these choices for the other files too, and any issue already in your library is skipped.
Each file can be up to 2.6 GB. A free account imports 30 comics a month and holds 1 GB, about 20 single issues, with no card. For a bigger collection, Collector is $3 a month for 50 GB and lifts the import limit.
What format are itch.io comics?
Whatever the creator uploads, so check the download page. Many come as PDF or CBZ, some as CBR, EPUB or a zip of page images, and some offer several versions to pick from. Take CBZ if it is offered: it opens fastest. A PDF takes a few minutes to prepare, because every page has to be rendered first.
Can I read itch.io comics on my phone or tablet?
Yes. LiveComics is in the App Store for iPhone and iPad, on Google Play for Android and in the Microsoft Store for Windows, and it runs in any browser. Your place is kept on every device.
App Store · Google Play · Microsoft Store · Comic reader for iPad · Comic reader for Android · How to read comics on your phone
Can I read them one panel at a time, or aloud?
Yes. Choose Panels and the comic plays one panel at a time, framed to fill the screen, free on every issue. Choose Panels + Audio and every speech balloon is read aloud by two synthetic narrators matched to each speaker, with the drawn sound effects and a soundscape under every scene. Voices come with a monthly plan or a top-up, and you see the price in credits before you press Add.
What won't work?
A comic you can only read in the browser on itch.io, with no file to download, can't be added. A PDF with a password is refused, so add a copy without the password. A zip file full of PDFs is refused too: unzip it and add the PDFs themselves. A zip of page images can be added as it is.
Straight answers
What app reads itch.io comics?
Any reader that opens the file the creator gave you. LiveComics opens PDF, CBZ, CBR and EPUB on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows and in any browser, and can show one panel at a time or read the comic aloud.
Can I read itch.io comics on my phone?
Yes. Download the file on your phone, then add it in the LiveComics app or at livecomics.to in your phone's browser. Panels fills the screen with one panel at a time.
How do I read an itch.io PDF on an iPad?
Save the PDF to the Files app, then add it in Live Comics: Comic Book Reader, from the App Store, or at livecomics.to in Safari. It reads page by page, one panel at a time, or aloud.
What should I do with a zip file from itch.io?
If it holds page images, add it as it is. If it holds PDFs or other files, unzip it first and add the comics inside.
Is LiveComics free?
Yes, to add and read your comics. A free account imports 30 comics a month with 1 GB of storage and no card, Panels is free on every issue, and voices come with a monthly plan or a top-up.
Are my comics private?
Yes. What you upload lands on your own private shelf and nowhere else, and you can delete any of it at any time. You keep ownership of everything you add.
LiveComics is not affiliated with itch.io. itch.io is named only to describe where your files came from.
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