Komic: A Year in Review

It’s been a year since I launched Komic, and what a year it’s been! I’ve seen incredible growth, received amazing feedback from users, and made significant strides in improving the app. In this post, I want to take a moment to reflect on the journey so far and share some of the highlights from the past year.

The Backstory: Solving a Personal Need

It started simply. Comics have been a passion of mine for years, and I eventually moved my digital collection to Komga. However, I couldn’t find a “perfect” iOS client that felt fast, native, and truly integrated into the Apple ecosystem. So, I decided to build it myself.

For a long time, I was the only user. But after seeing how well it worked for my daily reading, I decided to share it with the Komga community on the App Store.

Growth and the Reality of “Edge Cases”

The interest was immediate. But as the user base grew, so did the complexity. I quickly learned that users find scenarios you never could have imagined:

• Libraries with tens of thousands of comics.
• Unique server configurations and networking setups.
• Multiple devices and various OS versions.

These “edge cases” are where the real work happens. Seeing the app function in the real world and fixing those unexpected bugs has been one of the most rewarding parts of this process.

The Year in Numbers

Looking at the data today¹, the growth has been far beyond what I expected for such a niche tool:

• 6,000+ Downloads
• ~1,100 Monthly Active Users (approx. 150 daily)
• 4.8/5 Rating on the App Store

Key Lessons Learned

The biggest takeaway from this year? Downloads don’t tell the whole story.

Getting someone to install an app is easy; getting them to keep using it as their primary reader is the real challenge. I’ve learned to manage feedback, prioritize features that actually matter, and embrace the fact that software is never truly “finished.”

What’s Next?

The project is still evolving, and many of the best features added this year came directly from user suggestions. Thank you to everyone who has downloaded Komic, reported a bug, or shared their thoughts.

Here’s to another year of great reading!