You have comics on your iPad. A few CBZ files sent by a friend, a series ripped from your own albums, a folder of manga in CBR. You tap one in the Files app, and nothing happens, or rather the wrong thing: Files offers to unpack the archive into a folder of three hundred loose pictures.
Apple Books won't help either: it reads EPUB and PDF, not comic archives. To read a comic on an iPhone or iPad, you need a comic reader. Here is what that format really is, what to look for in a reader, and how Pagira handles it.
What a CBZ or CBR file really is
A digital comic is a series of pictures, one per page, in an ordinary archive. Only the extension changes with the type of archive:
| Extension | Archive | Read by Pagira |
|---|---|---|
| CBZ | ZIP | Yes |
| CBR | RAR (RAR4 and RAR5, solid or not) | Yes |
| CB7 | 7-Zip | Yes |
| CBT | TAR | Yes |
| .zip, .rar, .7z | an archive holding only pictures | Yes, read as a comic |
| Folder of pictures | JPEG, PNG, WebP... | Yes, read as an album |
The extension often lies: many CBR files are really ZIP archives that were renamed. A reader that trusts the extension fails on them; one that looks at the first bytes of the file opens them anyway. Pagira does the latter.
Import, or read in place
Most comic readers start by asking you to import your albums into their own library. It looks tidy, but it has a cost: a second copy of every album filling up the device, a collection you can only reach through that app, and that goes with it if the app is deleted.
The alternative is to read in place. Your albums stay where you put them, in Files or iCloud Drive, organized your way: one folder per series, one per author, sub-folders included. The reader shows that tree as it is and reads the pages straight from the archive, without unpacking it. That is how Pagira works: nothing is copied, nothing to import.
What makes a real comic reader
Showing pictures one after the other is not enough. What makes the difference:
- Two-page spreads. Held sideways, an iPad or iPhone has room for two pages, as in the printed album: the cover on its own, then the pages two by two. A page that is already wide, a double-page panel, stays alone.
- Right-to-left manga. Some albums say so in a small
ComicInfo.xmlfile, most don't. Pagira follows the album when it says so, and lets you set the direction per album in Aa › Reading Direction otherwise. Spreads follow too: the first page is on the right. - Vertical scrolling for webtoons and strip manga: pages follow one another from top to bottom, with zoom.
- Full screen from the start: tap an edge to turn the page, the middle to show the controls. A band of page thumbnails and Go to page reach any page at once.
- Comfort: pinch or double-tap to zoom, adjustable brightness, the screen stays on while you read, the arrows and the space bar of an iPad keyboard turn the pages, bookmarks mark a page.
Reading on two devices
A comic is often started on the iPad at home and read on the iPhone on the train. In Pagira, Home's Currently Reading shows your albums with their cover and your progress, and the page and reading direction follow through iCloud. The cover shows on the other device too, without downloading the album.
For a trip, Download keeps a copy of an album or a whole series on the device. If the download is interrupted, it resumes on its own.
One app for the whole folder
A collection is rarely only CBZ. There is the graphic novel in EPUB, the art book in PDF, the publisher's notes as a web page. Pagira opens each file in the right reader: the comic in the comic reader, the EPUB in the book reader, the PDF in the PDF reader. That is what version 3.0 brought.
In practice
- Install Pagira from the App Store (iPhone and iPad, iOS 17 or later).
- Tap Open a folder or file and pick the folder that holds your comics: On My iPad, iCloud Drive, or any location in Files.
- Tap an album: it opens full screen, on the first page or where you left off.
You can also tap a .cbz or .cbr file in the Files app and open it with Pagira. The trial gives you everything for 20 document openings, opening a folder doesn't count. After that, a one-time purchase of $11.99, no subscription, no account, and your files never leave your device.
Frequently asked questions
Can Pagira read comics?
Yes. Since version 3.0 (October 2026), Pagira reads CBZ, CBR, CB7 and CBT comics on iPhone and iPad, as well as .zip, .rar or .7z archives holding only pictures, and folders of pictures.
Does Pagira read manga right to left?
Yes. The direction is taken from the album when it gives it (ComicInfo.xml), and set per album otherwise. Two-page spreads follow it: the first page is on the right.
Can I read webtoons with Pagira?
Yes, with vertical scrolling: the pages follow one another from top to bottom, with zoom.
Does Apple Books open CBZ or CBR files?
No. Apple Books reads EPUB and PDF, not comic archives. Pagira reads all of them.
Do I have to import my comics into Pagira?
No. Pagira reads your albums where they are, in the Files app or iCloud Drive. Nothing is copied.
Can Pagira read comics bought on Kindle or Comixology?
No, they are protected by DRM. Pagira reads DRM-free files that you have on your device or in iCloud Drive.
