NHN comico
NHN comico operates the comico and POCKET COMICS manga platforms, distributing smartphone-optimized vertical-scroll full-color original and licensed manga to readers across Japan and 10+ countries. The Tokyo-based NHN Corp. subsidiary monetizes via freemium coin purchases, IP licensing for media adaptations, and book publication partnerships with publishers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What NHN comico does
NHN comico Corp. (株式会社NHN comico), headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, operates a smartphone-first manga distribution platform under the dual brands comico (Japan domestic) and POCKET COMICS (international), delivering vertical-scroll, full-color manga optimized for iOS, Android, and web. The company was established on June 1, 2017, as a successor entity to the original comico service launched in October 2013, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Korean conglomerate NHN Corp., employing 46 staff as of December 2025.
The core technology is the proprietary 'Tate-Color' (タテカラー®) vertical-scroll reading format, paired with backend systems that support daily serializations, open creator submissions, reader-comment feedback, and the closed-beta floom creator-support service. The catalog spans 60,000+ works — combining original IP and titles from major Japanese publishers — and has produced multiple media adaptations including TV dramas, films, anime, games, stage plays, and novels. Distribution is self-serve via app stores and web, with a parallel global footprint covering South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, USA, Canada, UK, France, Australia/New Zealand, and China. POCKET COMICS has accumulated 30M+ downloads globally; comico alone reached 25M+ domestic downloads as of May 2026.
The business model is a three-stream hybrid: (i) freemium coin-based microtransactions for premium chapter access on the consumer app, (ii) IP licensing and co-production revenue from media adaptations across TV, film, anime, game, and merchandise, and (iii) revenue from compiled book publications (physical and digital) via publisher partnerships. Customer segments span individual B2C readers (primary), manga creators and publishers, and media/entertainment licensees, with awards and contests (comico WEBTOON BL Award, comico Tate-Color Award) used as both creator recruitment and discovery mechanisms.
NHN comico firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NHN comico
- Legal name
- NHN comico株式会社
- Website
- https://nhn-comico.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- NHN comico operates the comico and POCKET COMICS manga platforms, distributing smartphone-optimized vertical-scroll full-color original and licensed manga to readers across Japan and 10+ countries. The Tokyo-based NHN Corp. subsidiary monetizes via freemium coin purchases, IP licensing for media adaptations, and book publication partnerships with publishers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NHN comico industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Manga Platform
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Webtoon & Digital Comics Publishing Platforms (MPAJAMAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Webcomics & Digital-First Comics Publishing (MPAJAGAD), Digital Comics, Manga & Serialized Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAJ)
Keywords
Where NHN comico is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
NHN comico business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Freemium Coin System (Premium Chapter Purchases): Core service is free to download and read certain chapters for free; users purchase coins to unlock premium/paid chapters. This coin-based microtransaction model drives the majority of revenue.
- IP Media Adaptation and Licensing: Popular comico works are adapted into other media formats — TV dramas (e.g., 'どうか私より不幸でいて下さい', 'around1/4'), films (e.g., '傷だらけの悪魔'), anime, stage plays, novels, games (e.g., 'ミイラの飼い方'), and merchandise. Revenue generated through licensing, adaptation fees, and co-production deals.
- Book Publication (Physical/Digital): Successful webcomic series are compiled into physical and digital books ( tankōbon / e-books), generating revenue through publisher partnerships and sales.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free access with paid coin upgrades for premium chapters |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
NHN comico product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NHN comico operates a smartphone-optimized digital manga distribution platform using a proprietary vertical-scroll, full-color reading format called Tate-Color®. The company delivers a freemium catalog of 60,000+ works — combining 600+ original webtoon series with titles from major Japanese publishers — to consumers via its domestic comico app and global POCKET COMICS service across iOS, Android, and web. Revenue is generated through a coin-based microtransaction system for premium chapters, plus IP licensing for media adaptation (drama, film, anime, games) and book publication.
Product overview
NHN comico operates a dual-platform manga distribution model consisting of comico (domestic Japanese market) and POCKET COMICS (global expansion), both offering vertical-scroll full-color manga optimized for smartphones. The comico platform serves as the primary domestic offering with over 60,000 works including original content and major publisher partnerships, while POCKET COMICS extends the service internationally across Korea, US, Canada, UK, France, Australia, New Zealand, and Taiwan. Additionally, the company is developing floom, a creative support service for creators, reflecting a broader ecosystem strategy beyond manga distribution.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- floom (フルム): Creative support service for creators, currently in closed beta testing phase, designed to support artists with creative partners, gamification features, and workspace tools.
Products and services
- comico
- POCKET COMICS
- floom (フルーム)
Quantifiable outcome
- Global cumulative downloads exceeded 30 million (including POCKET COMICS)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use NHN comico
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
NHN comico technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
NHN comico partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- NHN JAPAN株式会社 (NHN Japan Corp.)coreNHN comico is a group company of NHN JAPAN株式会社. NHN JAPAN is the parent company that holds/oversees the group including NHN comico, NHN PlayArt, NHN Fukuoka, and NHN Techorus. The corporate group shares the common philosophy of 'Next Human Network — connecting people and creating a prosperous society through the infinite possibilities of the internet.'
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
NHN comico competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Piccoma (Kakao Piccoma): Kakao Piccoma is Japan's largest manga app by revenue and direct domestic competitor to comico. Both operate freemium manga apps with vertical-scroll full-color webtoons, original IP, and media adaptation pipelines targeting the same Japanese reader base.
- LINE Manga (LY Corporation): LINE Manga is another top Japanese manga app under LY Corp, offering a similar freemium digital manga catalog and webtoon originals. Competes head-to-head with comico for Japanese smartphone readers and creator submissions.
- Lezhin Comics: Lezhin Comics is a Korean-origin webtoon platform with a global footprint, offering digital-first full-color serialized comics on a paid chapter / subscription model. It is comparable to comico on format, monetization logic, and content positioning, particularly in adult/seinen verticals.
- Tapas Media: Tapas is an English-language webtoon and webcomic platform that POCKET COMICS targets in the US market. Both platforms distribute digital-first vertical-scroll comics with freemium/premium monetization and creator-submission models.
- BookWalker (Kadokawa): BookWalker is Kadokawa's digital manga and ebook store, with an app and global presence. It overlaps with comico in distributing publisher manga digitally and competes for paying manga readers, though with a heavier emphasis on tankōbon ebook sales.
Broad incumbents
- Webtoon Entertainment: Webtoon Entertainment (backed by LY Corp / Naver) operates LINE Webtoon, the global webtoon platform that POCKET COMICS most directly competes with internationally. It is the largest English-language and global webtoon distributor and represents both a direct competitor overseas and a benchmark for scale.
- MANGA Plus (Shueisha): MANGA Plus is Shueisha's official global manga reading app, distributing licensed Japanese manga simultaneously with Japan release. It is comparable to POCKET COMICS in distribution channel but operates as a major publisher's own platform rather than an aggregator.
- VIZ Media: VIZ Media is one of the largest English-language manga publishers and operates the Shonen Jump app. While primarily a publisher/incumbent rather than a vertical-scroll webtoon aggregator, it competes for the same smartphone-reading manga audience globally and for creator IP partnerships.
- Kakao Entertainment (KakaoPage): Kakao Entertainment operates KakaoPage and Piccoma globally, forming the world's largest webtoon platform group. It is comparable to NHN comico as a conglomerate-level manga/webtoon operator with original content, adaptation, and international expansion, but at materially larger scale.
Emerging players
- Tappytoon: Tappytoon (by Contents Lab Blue) is an English-language webtoon platform with a curated catalog of Korean and Japanese IPs. It competes with POCKET COMICS in international markets and represents an emerging alternative in the English webtoon space.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
NHN comico social profiles
Digital presenceNHN comico financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NHN comico leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
NHN comico subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
NHN comico funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NHN comico M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NHN comico
What does NHN comico do?
NHN comico operates a smartphone-optimized digital manga distribution platform using a proprietary vertical-scroll, full-color reading format called Tate-Color®. The company delivers a freemium catalog of 60,000+ works — combining 600+ original webtoon series with titles from major Japanese publishers — to consumers via its domestic comico app and global POCKET COMICS service across iOS, Android, and web. Revenue is generated through a coin-based microtransaction system for premium chapters, plus IP licensing for media adaptation (drama, film, anime, games) and book publication.
Is NHN comico a public or private company?
NHN comico is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was NHN comico founded?
NHN comico was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is NHN comico based?
NHN comico is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does NHN comico make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Freemium Coin System (Premium Chapter Purchases) is the primary driver. The others are IP Media Adaptation and Licensing and book Publication (Physical/Digital).
Who are NHN comico's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Piccoma (Kakao Piccoma), LINE Manga (LY Corporation), Lezhin Comics, Tapas Media and BookWalker (Kadokawa). Broad incumbents are Webtoon Entertainment, MANGA Plus (Shueisha), VIZ Media and Kakao Entertainment (KakaoPage). Tappytoon is listed as an emerging player.
Does NHN comico have an API?
No public API is recorded for NHN comico.
What industry is NHN comico in?
NHN comico's product category is Digital Manga Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAMAK, Webtoon & Digital Comics Publishing Platforms, with a secondary code of MPAJAGAD, Webcomics & Digital-First Comics Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.