ComicReader vs Varys for Plex Usage & Stats
Finally a comic reader for iPad done right! ComicReader was designed with one goal in mind: providing the best experience for comic fans with large collections. This is an open source App based on ComicFlow, which stopped receiving updates and wasn’t optimised for the latest devices.
Features:
- Polished interface
- Can handle very large comic collections (1,500+ comics and dozens of GB) without crashing or becoming unusable
- Imports new comics in the background
- Doesn't need to pre-process comic files before you can read them
- Supports .cbr, .cbz and pdf files
Importing Comics - iTunes with USB cable:
- Connect your iPad to your computer and launch iTunes
- In the Applications section, select ComicReader in the list at the bottom
- Drag and drop comic files into the Documents area
- If ComicReader is already running, display the settings window (upper-right button) and tap on "Update Library"
Importing Comics - Web Server over WiFi:
- Make sure your iPad and computer are on the same WiFi network
- Launch ComicReader
- Display the settings window (upper-right button) and set the Web Server setting to "Website" mode
- Open the provided URL in a web browser on your computer
- To upload comics as part of series, first create a folder then upload the comic files into it
Instead of a web browser, if you prefer to use a WebDAV client (e.g. Transmit or ForkLift for Mac or CyberDuck for Mac / Windows), set the Web Server setting to "WebDAV" mode and connect the client to the provided URL.
-Alternatively you can use the "Add Files" from the settings menu to use the build in browser which will allow you to add from the files app.
Deleting or changing a comic or series status:
- Tap and hold on a comic thumbnail or a series thumbnail
- Choose the appropriate option in the pop-up menu that appears
ComicReader (like ComicFlow before it) is also the first (and only?) open-source comic reader for iPad: get the full source from https://github.com/pclemente/ComicReader, forked from https://github.com/swisspol/ComicFlow under GPL v3 license.
ComicReader improves from ComicFlow by adding a dark theme, improvements to the efficiency and adapts to all modern iOS devices, taking full advantage of Apple Silicon.
Looking for free public domain comics? Check out http://digitalcomicmuseum.com!
- Apple App Store
- Free
- Utilities
Store Rank
- -
Plex Dash? Compare both apps on features.varys-app.com!
Varys for Plex connects to your existing Plex Media Server and gives you easy access to several data.
This app requires Plex Media Server v1.15.3 or higher with remote access enabled and working. Please note that most of the features require an active Plex Pass subscription. This app works with servers you are logged in as admin only. Latest version of Plex Media Server is recommended.
Free trial of Varys Pro is available!
FEATURES
- Universal app for iPhone and iPad
- App for Apple Watch (requires watchOS 6 or higher)
- Easy app linking with Plex Media Server (incl. two-factor auth support)
- List of current streams incl. details like user, player, quality, eta
- List of running conversions incl. details like transcoding speed and remaining time
- Option to terminate streams with optional message
- All details to streamed media e.g. summary, file size, bitrate, resolution, audio/video/subtitle tracks, duration, release date, rating, related media and more
- Watch history for media items
- Cross linking between related media, track/album/artist, episode/season/tv show
- Cross linking to the official Plex app (if installed)
- Cross linking to IMDb, TMDb and TVDb
- Fast server switching (if you own multiple Plex Media Servers)
- Plex Media Server console
- Dark Mode / Light Mode (requires iOS 13)
- Compact mode
- Face ID/Touch ID support
ADDITIONAL FEATURES OF PRO VERSION
- Realtime server CPU / RAM / bandwidth monitoring
- Complete user management incl. sending/accepting invites and granting/revoking access to libraries, allow/deny sync, camera upload, plugins, live tv
- Plex Media Server update monitoring incl. release notes
- Playback history (optionally choose Tautulli as source)
- Playback history details (requires separate Tautulli server)
- Recently added media
- User list incl. playback statistics and filter option
- Top played movie/tv show/artist
- Statistics graphically represented as charts
- List and details of all libraries incl. search and filters with access to all media details without having those streamed
- Library size and total duration info
- Library statistics
- Manual update of libraries
- List and manage collections
- Change covers and artwork on the go
- Authorized devices management
- Plex Dance™
- Live TV & DVR guide refresh
- Number of current streams as app icon badge
- Siri Shortcuts (requires iOS 13)
- Huge number of Widgets (requires iOS 14)
- Lockscreen Widgets (requires iOS 16)
- Today widget for an easy and fast overview of current streams and updates
- Dynamic tabs
- Multiuser support
- Overview over all your servers
Varys for Plex is not affiliated with Plex Inc.
- Apple App Store
- Free
- Utilities
Store Rank
- -
ComicReader VS. 
Varys for PlexMarch 15, 2025