Read CBR & CBZ Files on iPhone & iPad
iOS has no built-in way to open a CBR or CBZ file. ComicVerse is a free, ad-free reader that does, along with CB7, CBT, PDF, and image-based EPUB.
Supported Formats
| Format | Extension | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| CBZ | .cbz | ZIP archive, the most common and the fastest to open |
| CBR | .cbr | RAR archive |
| CB7 | .cb7 | 7-Zip archive, smallest files |
| CBT | .cbt | TAR archive |
.pdf | Common for official digital releases | |
| EPUB | .epub | Image-based comic EPUBs only |
Pages inside archives can be JPG, PNG, GIF, or WebP. BMP and TIFF also work inside CBR and CBT. See Supported Formats for the full detail.
Getting Files onto Your Device
From the Files app. Open the Library tab, tap +, choose From Files, and select one or more comics. Anything reachable from Files works, including on-device storage, iCloud Drive, and any storage provider you've connected. Multi-select to import a batch.
From a comic server. If you run Komga, Kavita, Calibre-Web, or any other OPDS server, connect to it and stream or download without copying your collection to the device. See the OPDS guide.
From Dropbox. Available under Cloud Storage in the same browser as OPDS servers.
See Importing Comics for the full walkthrough.
Reading
Tap any comic and hit Read Now. The reader opens full-screen with the controls hidden, and one tap shows or hides them.
There are three reading modes: Single page, continuous Scroll for webtoons, and Double-page spreads for iPad and landscape. ComicVerse also detects panels automatically and guides you through a page panel by panel, which makes dense pages readable on an iPhone screen. Switch to right-to-left for manga in the reader settings.
More in The Reader.
Where Your Files Live
Comics you import are stored locally on your device and aren't uploaded anywhere. If you sign in with Apple, your reading progress and favorites sync across your devices, but the comic files themselves stay put.
What It Costs
Reading is free. Importing, OPDS browsing, streaming, downloading, and the reader have no charges and no subscription. ComicVerse also includes an AI comic creation studio, which is the only part that uses credits, and you never have to touch it to read your own library.
See Also
- Supported Formats
- Organize Your Library
- OPDS reader for iPhone and iPad
- Troubleshooting for unsupported formats, missing covers, and page order