Which Manga App Should You Use in 2026?
Shonen Jump, MANGA Plus, VIZ Manga, and now MANGA MILLION all offer official manga, many of the same series, and a free tier. They are not the same thing, though, and choosing the wrong one can mean paying for chapters you could read free, or installing an app that doesn’t work in your country. Here is the short answer, followed by the full comparison.
The short answer:
- Want new chapters free, anywhere in the world? MANGA Plus.
- Want to catch up on older series for free right now? MANGA MILLION, while it lasts.
- Live in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or Ireland and want the deepest English library? Shonen Jump ($3.99/month) and, for non-Jump series, VIZ Manga ($1.99/month).
- Reading Blue Lock or Attack on Titan? None of these. Use K MANGA, Kodansha’s app.
For every other legal option, see our full guide to the best sites to read manga online free.
Who Runs What
The confusing part is that two companies publish the same Weekly Shonen Jump series:
- Shueisha is the Japanese publisher of Weekly Shonen Jump. It runs MANGA Plus (global) and the new MANGA MILLION.
- VIZ Media is the US company that licenses Shueisha’s series in English. It runs the Shonen Jump app and VIZ Manga.
So One Piece or Jujutsu Kaisen can appear on both MANGA Plus and Shonen Jump. The differences are the free model, the price, and where you live.
MANGA Plus (Shueisha)
MANGA Plus (mangaplus.shueisha.co.jp) publishes new chapters at the same time as Japan: Weekly Shonen Jump chapters go up at 5 a.m. Japan time. The first three and newest three chapters of a series are free, and for many ongoing series you can read every chapter once for free. MANGA Plus MAX, the optional subscription, lists a Standard plan at $1.99/month for ongoing series and a Deluxe plan at $4.99/month that adds completed classics like Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach, Demon Slayer, and Death Note, with 17,000+ chapters in English.
- Works in: Worldwide except Japan, China, and Korea.
- Account needed: No.
- Languages: English plus Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, and more on some titles.
MANGA MILLION (Shueisha, New in 2026)
MANGA MILLION (mangamillion.shueisha.co.jp) launched on August 6, 2026 to celebrate Shueisha’s 100th anniversary. It offers about 400 titles and one million pages in 100+ languages, free with no registration. The catalog includes One Piece (in 107 languages), Naruto, Bleach, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Kingdom, Oshi no Ko, SPY x FAMILY, and Chainsaw Man, plus more than 150 shojo and josei titles such as NANA and Kimi ni Todoke. About 300 works are getting an official English translation for the first time, and Shueisha told Anime News Network the translations were done by professionals, not AI.
It is limited-time. Oricon reported it is scheduled to run through the end of December 2027; Shueisha told ANN the end date had not been decided.
- Works in: Worldwide (only partly available in Japan).
- Account needed: No.
- Best for: Binge-reading older series and shojo classics free.
Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)
The Shonen Jump app and website (viz.com/shonenjump) focus on Jump series in English, with a vault of 20,000+ chapters. New and recent chapters of many ongoing series are free, and the opening chapters of many series are free to sample. A membership costs $3.99/month and opens the full vault.
- Works in: More regions than VIZ Manga, including the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Philippines, Singapore, and India.
- Account needed: A free account for reading.
- Best for: Reading an entire Jump series in English without buying volumes.
VIZ Manga (VIZ Media)
VIZ Manga (viz.com/vizmanga) is VIZ’s second subscription, for its non-Jump library of 10,000+ chapters: romance, horror, comedy, fantasy, and classic creators. It costs $1.99/month, and some chapters are free.
- Works in: US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland only.
- Best for: Readers who want VIZ’s romance and horror catalog.
Comparison Table
| MANGA Plus | MANGA MILLION | Shonen Jump | VIZ Manga | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Run by | Shueisha | Shueisha | VIZ Media | VIZ Media |
| What’s free | First 3 + latest 3 chapters; many series once | Everything (limited time) | Recent + opening chapters | Some chapters |
| Paid plan | $1.99 / $4.99 per month (US) | None | $3.99 per month | $1.99 per month |
| Catalog | Shueisha, same day as Japan | ~400 Shueisha titles | 20,000+ Jump chapters | 10,000+ non-Jump chapters |
| Regions | Worldwide except JP, CN, KR | Worldwide | Many English-reading regions | 6 countries |
| Account | Not needed | Not needed | Free account | Free account |
Which One Should You Use?
If you live in the Philippines, India, Singapore, or anywhere outside the US: Start with MANGA Plus for current chapters and MANGA MILLION for catch-up reading. Both are free and work almost everywhere. Shonen Jump also works in these countries if you want its English vault.
If you live in the US or UK: Use MANGA Plus for free new chapters. If you read many Jump series, Shonen Jump at $3.99/month is the cheapest way to read full series legally. Add VIZ Manga only if you want its non-Jump titles.
If you only want to read free: MANGA Plus plus MANGA MILLION covers almost all Shueisha series today. For other publishers, use K MANGA (Kodansha), Manga UP! (Square Enix), and Comikey — see our free manga sites guide.
If you want full volumes free: Borrow them with a library card on Hoopla or Libby.
What About K MANGA and Manga UP!?
These are the official apps of two other big publishers. K MANGA (Kodansha) carries Blue Lock, Attack on Titan, Tokyo Revengers, and Fairy Tail, with free serialized chapters and free tickets. Manga UP! (Square Enix) carries The Apothecary Diaries, Fullmetal Alchemist, and My Dress-Up Darling, with daily free unlocks. None of the Shueisha or VIZ apps have these series.
FAQ
Is MANGA Plus free?
Yes. The first three and newest three chapters of every series are free, and many ongoing series can be read in full once for free. The MAX subscription is optional.
Is Shonen Jump free?
Partly. Recent chapters of many ongoing series and the opening chapters of many series are free. The full vault requires a $3.99/month membership.
What is the difference between MANGA Plus and Shonen Jump?
MANGA Plus is run by Shueisha, the Japanese publisher, and works almost worldwide. Shonen Jump is run by VIZ Media, the US licensee, and has a larger English back catalog but works in fewer countries.
Is MANGA MILLION legal?
Yes. It is Shueisha’s own official platform, free for a limited time for its 100th anniversary.
Which app has One Piece?
MANGA Plus (new chapters free, same day as Japan), Shonen Jump (English vault), and MANGA MILLION all carry One Piece.