As the popularity of anime continues to skyrocket in India, there is little doubt that the number of manga readers and enthusiasts is on the rise. However, there seems to be a lack on information available on where fans in the country can read manga legally and for free to a certain extent.

As it currently stands, piracy is rampant in Indian when it comes to consuming manga. While ignorance plays a huge part, unavailability of proper content legally and at affordable rates too has played a part in it. However in recent times, manga reading apps and websites have been gaining prominence in the country.

This has prompted us to make a guide on the list of official manga reading platforms available in India.

Read on to know more!!

Shonen Jump app & website by Viz media:

Viz media’s Shonen Jump app, and the shonen jump section on their official website is the best option to read manga legally in India right now. Shonen Jump publishes manga in English mainly from Weekly Shonen Jump along with select titles from Shonen Jump+ and other magazines of Shueisha.

Pricing: ₹290 per month for membership. The membership plan allows you access into the Shonen Jump vault, and trust me, the collection is immense. You can unlock over 15,000 chapters which come with the app, and new series are being added frequently to it!

In the free plan, the latest three chapters and the first three chapters of a manga are available to read!

Prominent titles: Where do I even start? But here we go! Dragon Ball (all of em), Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Death Note, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Jujutsu Kaisen,Hunter x Hunter, Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, One Punch Man, Chainsaw Man, Tokyo Ghoul, Kaguya Sama, Spy x Family, Haikyuu, Food Wars!, Assassination Classroom and others.

Availability: Both app (android + iOS) and website. 

MangaPlus app and website:

MangaPlus is probably the most famous legal manga reading app that is known to audiences in India. It is an official manga reading platform directly from the publishing giants Shueisha. Manga Plus was created with the intention to cater to manga fans across the globe. It primarily contains the latest three chapters and the initial three chapters of a series.

MangaPlus basically helps you stay up to date with your favorite series, and the best part? You don’t have to spend a dime to read the chapters here!

Pricing: Completely Free! However, not all chapters are available to read on the app, and you will eventually be redirected to Viz’s Shonen jump app. On the other hand, there are some series that are entirely free to read at the moment, because of MangaPlus’ third year anniversary plans. So, don’t miss out on the opportunity!!!

Prominent Titles: Everything that is available on Shonen Jump app and more! Especially lesser known but interesting titles like MarriageToxin, and others.

Availability: Both app (android + iOS) and website

Crunchyroll manga

If this is news to you, then you have been living under a rock. Crunchyroll also has a manga section, where fans can read their favorite manga titles on the fly. The manga can be read both on their website, or by downloading the Crunchyroll Manga app from Google Play or the App Store.

Crunchyroll might stand out as the best option as it gives both anime and manga on the same platform for fans, without charging anything extra. However, the only possible downside for Crunchyroll manga is that its library is not that huge. This will definitely improve in the future though, as the streaming giants are looking to establish a foothold in the country.

Pricing: The manga library gets unlocked when you purchase the subscription for Crunchyroll’s streaming services. Pricing starts from ₹79 per month in India. 

Prominent Titles: Genshin Impact, Sun-Ken Rock, Scum’s Wish, Talentless Nana, Arakawa Under the Bridge, Inside Mari and others.

Availability: Both website and app (android + iOS).

Mangamo

Mangamo is a digital manga reading app with over 300 manga titles in its library. The app majorly has titles from Kodansha and also has some original titles.

The best part about Mangamo has to be its UI, which gives off a very sophisticated vibe. However, some titles are only available partially on the app because of the recent licensing issues with Kodansha. 

Kodansha’s official app will replace it mostly in the future. It does have some unique manga that’s only available on its platform though, and some of them are really intriguing.

Pricing: ₹199 per month, unlimited access to their whole library. Can read up to two chapters for free without subscription. In the case of some titles, over 10 chapters are available to read for free!

Prominent Titles: Loving Yamada at LV999!, Fairy Tail, Record of Ragnarok, Tokyo Death Game and others

Availability: App (iOS + android) only.

Manga Up! 

Launched in July 2022, Manga Up! is an app by Square Enix for fans to read manga titles from Square Enix. It follows a similar pattern as to Shonen Jump and other manga reading apps, letting users read the first few chapters for free. 

However, the subscription model of Manga Up! is very different from the aforementioned apps. Manga Up! Platform was originally launched in 2017, but a global version was only released in 2022.

The app was in the limelight for how it censored content heavily. However, the staff have since addressed the issue at hand and made the censorship less intrusive. 

Pricing: The pricing plan here is akin to pay per view, with readers having to expend a certain amount of coins for each chapter. The coins need to be purchased from the app. The plan starts from ₹89 for 160 coins. Anywhere between 10-20 coins are required for reading a chapter, depending on a series’ popularity.

Prominent Titles: Fullmetal Alchemist, My Dress Up Darling, Kakeguri, Toilet Bound Hanako Kun, Pandora Hearts, Soul Eater, Danmachi and others.

Availability: App (android + iOS) and website (only free chapters are available to read on the website).

Azuki Manga services:

Azuki is a digital manga service which debuted on June 28, 2021, on iOS, Android, and web browsers globally except Japan. The service offers simulpub manga chapters shortly after they launch in Japan in addition to a library of other titles.

Azuki has tied up with Kodansha, Kaitan Books, Glacier Bay and Star Fruit Books to offer their manga titles on the platform.

This is yet another manga service which was affected by Kodansha’s licensing issues earlier this year. However, Azuki has a set of unique manga titles that are interesting to read.

Pricing: Arguably the costliest premium subscription plan in this list is that of Azuki. They don’t have a plan that is tailored to the Indian audiences, and so readers will have to shell out a bumper 4.99$ (almost ₹400) per month to avail the entire library.

Like other services, the first three chapters of the manga are free to read, however, these free chapters come with Ads!.

Prominent Titles: Well, Azuki is another service that was affected by Kodansha deciding to change their licensing policies, so there is no guarantee about the Kodansha titles available on the app for now. But, to name some titles: Attack on Titan, Eden’s Zero, Tokyo Revengers, Land of Lustrous, Battle Angel Alita etc.

Some other prominent manga on Azuki include Flowers of Evil, Hikaru in the light, The Yakuza’s guide to babysitting, Fairy Tail, Chihayafuru, Fire Force and others!

Availability: App (android + iOS) and website!

Which platforms do you use to read manga officially in India. Are there any other legal manga websites/apps you would like us to include in this? Let us know in the comments below!

P.S. Janhit me jaari. In collaboration with Nagpur Anime Club and others!