Tapas – Comics and Novels

Tapas Review: Free to Read Until March 2027, but Nothing You Unlock Stays

Wait Until Free, ad unlocks and Free Access until March 31, 2027

With Ink sales and free Ink gone since October 1, 2026, a new reader is left with the free routes until the service ends at 23:59 PT on March 31, 2027. Wait Until Free (WUF) covers most premium series, one timed episode at a time. Timers were advertised as short as three hours, while reviewers since 2023 report 24 hours on most new releases and three days on some. Watch Ad for 1 Free Ep adds up to three WUF episodes a day, each readable for 72 hours, resetting at midnight Pacific. The Free Access subtab lists premium series that are free from first episode to last. Reviewers add that the newest episodes of ongoing series sit outside WUF.

Read offline: 30-day downloads that cannot outlast the shutdown

Any free or already unlocked episode can be saved on Android or iOS: tap the circled arrow in the episode list, and the file appears in Library under Downloads. Off Wi-Fi, the app asks first unless Download over Wi-Fi only is switched off in Settings. Each download deletes itself after 30 days for copyright reasons. A September 2026 reviewer found that reading progress in downloads did not sync back online. The End of Service FAQ settles the bigger question: after March 31, 2027, no content will be accessible, unlocked episodes included, so a download is not an archive.

450 Ink per episode, and Ink you can no longer buy or refund

Newer webcomics have cost 450 Ink per locked episode since April 2023, now 405 with 1-Tap, and on March 25, 2026 older webcomics rose from 376 to 450 Ink. Bundles took 20% off when 10 to 19 locked episodes remained and 25% from 20 up, while 1-Tap's discount fell from 20% to 10%. At 2024 US prices, Cafe Manga's Elizabeth Lew found the smallest pack at 1,600 Ink for $1.99; prices varied by region. Ink sales stopped on October 1, 2026, leftover Ink works until March 31, 2027, and the Refund Policy keeps every Ink transaction final. Unlocked episodes cannot move to KakaoPage or Kakao Webtoon, so a full series that an August 2025 reviewer put at $30 to $60 disappears with the service.

Kakao's exit, data shared for ads, and WEBTOON or Tappytoon instead

Chang Kim founded the service in 2012 as Comic Panda; Kakao Entertainment bought it in 2021 and in May 2022 merged Tapas Media into Radish Media, the surviving company. So the App Store still names Radish Media, Inc. as seller, while Google Play shows Tapas Entertainment Inc. Kakao closed Radish in 2025 and now centers on KakaoPage. On Android, the Data safety form lists approximate location, email, user and device IDs, purchase history and installed apps as shared with third parties, partly for advertising; Apple's label declares usage data used to track you. As alternatives, WEBTOON's Daily Pass opens one episode a day per completed series, readable for 14 days, and Tappytoon's Time Till Free opens a free chapter every 24 hours.