Webtoons allow you to enjoy a captivating story presented through beautifully composed art on a screen. The term webtoon is of Korean origin and basically means online comic or webcomic.
So, how is a webtoon different from a typical comic? Well, mainly in the way you read it. Unlike comics, webtoons are designed to be consumed through a PC or mobile screen and read from top to bottom. Webtoons are considered the updated version of old-style comic books, and their popularity is on the rise.
Let's look at the best platforms to find your next webtoon.
1. Webtoon
Starting with likely the most well-known option for reading webtoons online, Webtoon, also known as Line Webtoon. You can access the platform and all that it offers for free, and you can browse through a ton of categories and genres until you find exactly what appeals to you.
Webtoon has well-established comics, as well as a ton of originals, so you're sure to find what you're looking for, no matter what style and genre it is. Naturally, you can access Webtoon on your PC, as well as through its app. The app allows you to download comics and read them later, even offline, if you wish.
Webtoon implements a Fast Pass system that lets you read the latest published episodes before their official release date. So, if you just can't wait for the day to come, you can use your Fast Pass. To get one, you need Coins to buy it, and you can purchase Coins through the Webtoon platform or wait around for promotional events that grant you Free Coins.
If you can be patient and wait, though, Webtoon is still one of the best ways to read comics online for free if you're willing to wait.
2. Tapas
Tapas presents itself as a creator community with a library of over 103,000 stories published. The platform accommodates both readers and creators, offering a trove of stories to go through to keep the boredom away. There are a ton of genres available, and you can choose between free-to-read and premium stories.
The Tapas Premium Program caters to creators who wish to publish a paid series for the platform and the readers who want to support them by continuing to read. Generally, the first few episodes of a comic are free, and the rest need to be unlocked by paying with 'ink.' It's not unusual for platforms like Tapas to work that way. Of course, if you'd rather save money and read stories without spending a dime, there are other sites to read manga for free.
You don't pay for a set monthly subscription to access premium stories. Instead, you buy ink, which you can then use to unlock chapters. If you don't have money to spend on ink, you can earn it by watching ads, doing surveys, or playing sponsored games.
So if you'd rather avoid spending unnecessary money or time trying to read webtoons, be sure to tick the Free to read category before you get invested in a story.
3. Netcomics
Netcomics has an extensive free section you can browse for your daily fix of webtoons. There are a ton of genres you can choose from, and besides the Genre and Free tabs, there's also a Novels tab you can go through.
Netcomics tends to follow the same structure as similar platforms—the first few chapters of a story are free to read, and you'll have to pay for the rest. The site lets you choose whether to rent or buy a chapter, with the first being the cheaper option. And again, you don't use cash directly for purchases on the platform but rather have to buy some Netcomics Coin and then decide how to spend it on-site.
4. WebComics
WebComics is chock-full of webtoons to browse. There are a ton of sections to check out, like Best-Sellers, Daily, New Series, and Originals, among others. Sadly, the platform doesn't have a dedicated free section to indicate everything free to read, so you'll have to do some digging yourself.
An awesome feature WebComics offers when searching for what to read is how it lets you check the genre of what you're looking for, along with the state and the sequence. That means, among other things, you can specify if you want an ongoing or complete story.
WebComics has its own coin (gems) for in-platform purchases. If you don't have the money to spend, you can earn gems by doing various tasks like sharing codes or doing surveys. What distinguishes WebComics from other platforms is that, unlike the rest, it offers a membership for $5/month or $30/year that renders everything on the platform free for you.
5. Lezhin
Lezhin is one of the more popular webtoon platforms. It offers a dedicated free section you can check out, as well as many other useful ones to make finding your next read an easy experience.
Lezhin, too, has set up a coin system for making in-platform purchases. You buy coin bundles and then use your coins to unlock story episodes. On top of that, Lezhin lets you sign up for a VIP membership. If you become a VIP member, you get perks, like special VIP discounts for coin bundles and a monthly deposit of 45 coins into your account simply for being a member.
6. Toomics
Toomics offers a variety of genres to choose from, split into nifty sections like Today's Comics, Recommended, and Popular and New Comics. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a designated free section, but there are certainly free webtoons you can check out.
Since some of the featured content on Toomics is on the spicier side, you'd need to confirm you're over 18 to view it. Unless you do that, you'll be viewing the platform in family-safe mode and not be able to see the restricted webtoons.
Toomics follows the same pattern as other similar platforms. Generally, the first few episodes of a series are free to read, and the following will cost you coins. However, Toomics does offer a VIP Membership that gets you unlimited access to all of the webtoons on the platform for $8.99/month.
If Desktop Doesn't Work for You, Go Mobile
Webtoons continue to rise in popularity, so more and more platforms that offer access to intriguing content keep popping up. And, since we live in a digital world where convenience is key, these platforms (old and new) tend to come with apps.
If you'd prefer to avoid reading webtoons on your PC screen and accessing them on your mobile device, you can easily find great apps for Android and iPhone devices. You just need to know where to look.