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Digital Comic Info
Information about digital comic publishers and quality.

Information about various types of publishers for manga and manhwa.

Things to consider when buying

  • Image quality varies by publisher and by platform
  • Convenience of platform apps varies, consider testing them if you plan to read without removing DRM.
  • If you're not able to back up your purchases locally you could lose them entirely if a platform closes.
  • DRM-free does not always mean "free from identifiable info".

To simplify the guide, here "resolution" essentially means "quality". Although some publishers (e.g. Yen Press) offer low resolution images with minimal JPEG compression as "high quality", we will still consider this as low quality since most readers would see it that way.

Volumes ​

General Platforms ​

StoreResolutionDRM RemovalSFWRecommended
Amazon (Kindle HD)Semi-dead1MediumYESN'T
Amazon (Comixology)2DeadHardNO
Apple BooksStandardMediumNO
BookWalker GlobalStandardHardNO3
Google Play BooksStandardVery EasyYES
Humble BundleHighestDRM-FreeYES
KoboStandardEasyYES

Notes

  1. PSA: Kodansha, Seven Seas, Dark Horse and other previously-actual-HD suppliers of books have stopped uploading HD books on Amazon starting in 2024-07. If the book says it's Kindle Edition (instead of Kindle & Comixology), it's not HD (do cross-check with the listed filesize). Additionally, even if the book says Kindle & Comixology it can be upscaled still (see: Titan Comics' Speed Grapher v01). Post 2024-07 books are therefore generally recommended to be bought elsewhere.
    Original: Blurry downscales for anything that would be above that on other platforms. As of December 5th 2023, Kindle now offers HD on their mobile app (at or above 320dpi and some resolution threshold). Web is likely limited to x1920 (unconfirmed as of December 7th 2023).
  2. Dead as of December 4th 2023, leaving only Kindle.
  3. Unless they have exclusives or discounts, as other platforms are easier

Publishers ​

StoreResolutionDRM-FreeSFWHighest Quality
Alpha Mangax1800--
Azukix48001Own Store
Dark Horsex3000+2Kindle HD
DENPA3VariesOwn Store
FAKKU!x3200Own Store
Glacier Bay BooksVariesOwn Store
Irodori Comicsx3200Own Store / Fakku
J-Novel Clubx3840Own Store
Kaiten Books~x2400Own Store
Kodansha USA~x30004Humble Bundle / Kindle HD
Medibang 5x2048--
Media Do/Coamix 5x1800--
Seven Seas Entertainmentx30006Kindle HD
Square Enix Manga & Books~x2230Same Everywhere
Star Fruit BooksVariesOwn Store
TOKYOPOP~x23007Same Everywhere
VAST Visual~x22508Apple Books
VIZx2100-x24759Kobo
Yen Pressx1291-x1350Same Everywhere

Notes

  1. Standard resolution outside of their own storefront is x2400, chapters are also x2400 now x3000 - these figures are only validated for their own licenses.
  2. Standard non-CMX/Amazon HD resolution is x2048 everywhere, including their own store they have silently upgraded their own storefront to 1800x (~x25xx).
  3. Their store has a broken download issue with no ETA for a fix. They've fixed their store as of May 2024, but they've not updated their catalog post ~March 2023. It's recommended to use Kobo to get any of their newer books for now. Their own store is DRM-free.
  4. Humble Bundle PDF export resolution (at 600 dpi) ranges from x4200 - x4913. CMX resolution varies, older volumes were mostly between x3056 and x3684, and post-CMX Amazon HD volumes are ~x2700. Standard non-CMX/Amazon HD resolution is 1600x -> x227x - x2400 (except for their own storefront which should be avoided, as it offers the worst quality and resolution combination at x2160 q40).
  5. Both do NSFW releases on FAKKU, and anything on Fakku that isn't their unlimited chapters is x3200 more or less.
  6. Ranges between x3206 - x3713 for Comixology volumes. Post-CMX Amazon HD volume res has been downgraded to x2565 - ~x272x. Standard non-CMX/Amazon HD resolution is x2000 everywhere (except for Bookwalker Web where it is x1500).
  7. ~x2300 for newer (~post mid-2021) releases, but ~x1600 for older releases. Same quality no matter where you buy.
  8. Older titles are low quality, recent titles are decent quality. Apple Books has the highest quality.
  9. Amazon Viz books are generally upscaled, especially older books (pre-HD-demise as mentioned up above). Some books can still be much lower res natively (e.g. x1500 for certain Viz Select volumes) than what's mentioned here.

Chapters ​

Manga ​

PlatformResolutionSFW
Alpha Mangax1536
Azukix2400-3000
Comikeyx2048
Coolmicx1536
INKRVaries1
MangaPlusx21002
MangaPlanetx1536 / x1600
MangaUp!x3072+3
Mangamo~x17xx
K Manga (by Kodansha JP)4x1378
Yen Pressx1291-x1350
VIZ~x1145

Notes

  1. Every manga is cross-licensed. So whatever the original publisher's standard resolution release is.
  2. For Non-VIZ imports. Kaiju No. 8 is an exception despite being also simulpubbed by Viz, MangaPlus started simulpubbing it a few weeks earlier.
  3. Own licenses are x3072 or higher (lowest is x2560) [Yen Press imports are Yen Press resolution. Rare Crunchyroll imports are usually Crunchyroll resolution, so x1600]
  4. Region-locked to the US, extremely rare random simulpub/backfill chapters are HD (2000x). Kodansha USA-licensed volume chapters imported into K Manga are Kodansha USA's standard-res (so 1600x -> x227x/x2400 based on the trim size).

Manhwa ​

PlatformResolutionSFW
Lezhin1280x 1
Line Webtoon720-800x
Manta 2720x
Tapas 2940x
Tappytoon2720x
Day Comics 3720x
Toomics 4720x
INKRVaries5

Notes

  1. By default, Lezhin is 1080x. But 1280x is available, if you know how.
  2. Manta, Tapas and Tappytoon have some mature (non-porn) titles.
  3. Merged with Toptoon Plus so they primarily have pornhwa now, but they do also have SFW titles.
  4. Does have SFW titles, even if they're primarily known for their NSFW titles.
  5. Inkr does have their own licenses, for manhwa it's typically 1080x but they do plenty of cross-licensing here as well. Their own licenses are often SFW but they have plenty of NSFW content on the site both cross-licensed from others and licensed by themselves so they've been marked as NSFW.