Mobile appVideo, music & mediaOriginal by Naver
WEBTOON, from Korea's Naver, redesigned the comic for the phone screen, presenting it not page by page but as vertical episodes scrolled with one thumb. A weekly release schedule builds the habit of following series the way you follow a TV show. An open section where independent artists can publish their work brings in new talent and a constantly growing catalogue.
Building something similar takes a reader that splits long images into pieces and loads them smoothly, series and episode management, early access and episode locking built on virtual currency, and an upload and statistics panel for creators. Comments, likes and subscription notifications keep the community alive, while content moderation and a multilingual translation workflow sit on the backend.
How WEBTOON works: the core user flow
How many apps and dashboards do you need?
Reader app
Readers who read vertical comics, follow series and spend virtual currency on mobile and web.
Creator studio panel
The panel where artists upload episodes, set release schedules and see earnings and readership statistics.
Editor and moderation panel
An internal panel for managing official series, translations, comment moderation and campaigns.
Critical features of a product like WEBTOON
Vertical-scroll reader
Long images are preloaded piece by piece, scrolling flows without stutter, and a low-data mode is offered.
Early access and episode locks
New episodes unlock with virtual currency for a set period and become free for everyone when the period ends.
Wait-for-free reading
Users can unlock one locked episode for free at set intervals, which encourages regular visits.
Open publishing section
Independent artists upload their work, and those that become popular can be promoted by editors to official series.
Episode comments
Each episode has comments, likes and a best-comments list, with spoiler hiding supported.
Translation workflow
Series are translated into other languages, and speech bubbles are managed with language-based layers.
What goes into the first version, what comes later
First version (MVP)
- iOS and Android vertical reader
- Series, episodes and a release calendar
- Virtual currency and episode locks
- Subscriptions, notifications and comments
- Creator upload panel
Later releases
- A wait-for-free mechanism
- An open publishing section and discovery algorithm
- A multilingual translation workflow
- Creator revenue share and tipping
Modules and how the budget is calculated
The budget is calculated with 360 SOFT’s pricing model from the modules below, about 26 screens and the project’s complexity: roughly 151 person-days for the full scope and 105 person-days for the first version. Every module you drop lowers the budget directly.
| Module | Phase |
|---|---|
| Sign-up, login, social login | First version |
| User profile and settings | First version |
| Roles and permissions | First version |
| Online payments (Stripe / PSP) | First version |
| Product / content catalogue | First version |
| Advanced search and filters | First version |
| File, photo, video upload | First version |
| Ratings and reviews | First version |
| Push notifications | First version |
| Multi-language | First version |
| Content management / blog | First version |
| Reporting and analytics | Later release |
| Admin dashboard | First version |
Hosting, SMS, map APIs, app store accounts and payment-provider fees are separate items. Maintenance and improvements (optional): €500 / month. We send a fixed written price within 24 hours after a free discovery call.
The hard parts
Image performance
Episodes are made of very long images, and without memory management and compression the app crashes on low-end devices.
Content moderation
User uploads carry the risk of copyright infringement, violence and inappropriate content, so age-rating labels and a review process are needed.
Virtual currency balance
Episode prices and free-access rules must be balanced carefully between reader satisfaction and revenue.
Business model
The core of revenue is virtual currency: readers buy coin packs for early access and locked episodes. Unlocking episodes by watching ads earns revenue from free readers. Adaptation licences for popular series (TV, film and merchandise) and an ad programme with revenue sharing for artists are long-term revenue channels.
Get a free quote for your project
Let us scope it together and send a fixed written quote within 24 hours. NDA on request; you own the source code.
Choosing a company to build an app like WEBTOON
Most people searching “build an app like webtoon” are really looking for a reliable app development company. When comparing quotes, check four things:
- Can you try similar products they have shipped, in the stores or live?
- Are the source code, design files, servers and store accounts transferred to you by contract?
- Do they show a working demo every two weeks, with written scope and acceptance criteria?
- Are maintenance, scaling and GDPR/security costs written into the quote?
Copyright and trademarks
A business model and features are generally not protected on their own, but the WEBTOON name, logo, interface design, content and source code are. That is why we build a product with similar functionality but your own brand, design and code. This is not legal advice; we recommend a trademark search before launch.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to build an app like WEBTOON?
A first version with a vertical reader, series management, virtual currency and a creator panel can be ready in a few months. The open publishing section and translation workflow are added in later phases.
How is content created?
The most common route is to produce original series with contracted artists and give independent artists an open publishing space. Translating licensed foreign series can help grow the catalogue as well.
Are there copyright or trademark issues?
The vertical comic platform business model and its features are generally free to use, but the name, logo, design, content and code cannot be copied. Contracts should be signed with artists for the series you publish; this information is not legal advice.
What should I look for when choosing a company to build an app like WEBTOON?
Choose a team that has optimised performance in image-heavy mobile apps. Be sure to ask about their experience with virtual currency and in-app purchases.
