A panel-by-panel comic reader for the comics you own
Reading a comic one panel at a time, each panel filling the screen, is how plenty of people got used to reading comics on a phone. If you are here because you miss it, LiveComics does it for the comic files you own: upload a CBR, CBZ, PDF or EPUB file, pick Panel view, and read it panel by panel in any browser. Panel view is free on every issue you upload. It is in beta, and it reads without narration or subtitles.
What changed
ComiXology started as its own comics app and store, and Amazon bought it in 2014. On December 4, 2023, the separate ComiXology app went away, and its readers' libraries moved into Amazon's Kindle app, which is where comics bought there are read now. LiveComics is an independent comic reader, and it is not affiliated with Amazon or ComiXology.
What LiveComics can open, and what it cannot
Comics bought from ComiXology or the Kindle store come with Amazon's DRM, copy protection that keeps them inside Amazon's own apps and devices. LiveComics cannot open them, and we do not help anyone remove DRM. What it opens are DRM-free comic files that you own: CBR, CBZ, PDF and EPUB. If a comic you bought downloads as one of those files with no lock on it, it reads here.
Where DRM-free comics come from
From 2014, ComiXology let some publishers offer DRM-free PDF and CBZ backups of books bought there, until those downloads ended for new purchases in 2022, so any backups you saved are files you can upload here. Many Humble Bundle comic bundles, DriveThruComics, publishers' own stores and creators who sell direct hand you DRM-free files too, so check each title before you buy. Public domain archives are free to read and download.
How Panel view works
Pick Panel view when you upload an issue. Our panel finder splits every page into its panels and puts them in reading order, left to right for comics and right to left for manga, and the reader shows one panel at a time, blown up to fill the screen. Tap, click or press an arrow key for the next panel. Panels and their order are worked out automatically, so an unusual layout can come out wrong, and the whole page is always one switch away: on a keyboard, P flips between panels and whole pages.
Read comics panel by panel, free · Zoom in on speech bubbles
Free with every account
Every account gets 1 GB of hosting free, about 20 issues, with no card and nothing to install. Your library and your place sync on every device you sign in on, so a comic you start on your phone picks up where you left off on a tablet or a computer. Need more room? Collector is $3 a month for 50 GB.
Free comic hosting, the full story · How to open CBR and CBZ files on any device
Comic reader for iPad · Comic reader for Android · Comic reader for Windows · Comic reader for Mac
When you want more
Premium panels give an issue a more careful split and reading order, plus subtitles, for credits. Voices go further: every line performed by a full synthetic voice cast, with the drawn sound effects and a score. Both are priced per issue, and you see the price before you buy.
Straight answers
Is there an alternative to ComiXology for reading comics panel by panel?
Yes, for the DRM-free comics you own: LiveComics shows them one panel at a time, free, in any browser. Upload a CBR, CBZ, PDF or EPUB file and pick Panel view. It is in beta and reads without narration or subtitles. LiveComics is not affiliated with Amazon or ComiXology, and it cannot open comics bought there.
What happened to ComiXology?
Amazon, which bought ComiXology in 2014, retired the separate ComiXology app on December 4, 2023 and moved its readers' libraries into the Kindle app. Comics bought on ComiXology are read in Amazon's Kindle apps now.
Can I open my Kindle or ComiXology comics here?
No: comics bought from Amazon's Kindle store or ComiXology are protected by Amazon's DRM, and LiveComics cannot open them. Read those in Amazon's Kindle apps. LiveComics opens DRM-free CBR, CBZ, PDF and EPUB files that you own, and we do not help anyone remove DRM.
Can I upload my old ComiXology DRM-free backups?
Yes: a DRM-free backup you downloaded is a PDF or CBZ file, and both open here like any other comic. From 2014, ComiXology let some publishers offer these backups, so not every book had one, and they ended for new purchases in 2022.
Where can I get DRM-free comics?
From the many stores, publishers and creators that sell comic downloads without DRM, and from public domain archives, which are free. Many Humble Bundle comic bundles and DriveThruComics titles come as DRM-free files, and so do plenty of publisher stores and creator shops, so check each title before you buy. Our directory lists legitimate places to look.
Is there a free panel-by-panel comic reader?
Yes: Panel view is free on every issue you upload, on every plan, with no card. It shows each page one panel at a time, framed to fill the screen. It is in beta and reads without narration or subtitles, and the free shelf holds 1 GB, about 20 issues.
Can I read comics panel by panel on an iPad?
Yes: LiveComics runs in Safari on any iPad with nothing to install, and Panel view works there the same as on any other screen. Your place follows you to your phone and your computer. Comics bought from Amazon are read in its Kindle app instead, since LiveComics cannot open them.
What if a page is split into panels wrong?
Switch to the whole page: it is always one switch away, and on a keyboard P flips between panels and pages. Panel view is in beta and works out panels and their order automatically, so an unusual layout can come out wrong. Premium panels give an issue a more careful split and reading order, with subtitles, for credits.
Does Panel view read comics aloud?
No: Panel view is the art alone, with no narration and no subtitles. Having an issue read aloud, every line voiced by a full synthetic voice cast with the drawn sound effects and a score, is priced per issue, and you see the price before you buy.