Best Bible App For Mac

Youversion Bible App For Mac
Best Bible App For Mac
Online Bible For Mac
Best Bible App For Windows
Best Bible App For Mac
Bible Software For Mac

The Bible is the most read book in the world, and tiny Bibles with microscopic text have always been popular because of their portability. But, now, today, thanks to ultra-portable devices like the iPhone and iPad with their awesome Retina displays, and apps like Olive Tree's BibleReader, the Bible is more portable and easier to read than ever.

If you search for Bible in the App Store, you will be flooded with an overwhelming amount of app choices, from good to bad to just plain different. There are so many that it's almost impossible to figure out which one to get. So I went on the hunt for the perfect Bible app. It had to gorgeously rendered, packed with features, highly customizable, and run perfectly smooth. And I kept coming back to Olive Tree's BibleReader for iPhone and iPad.

Olive Tree BibleReader is a universal app for the iPhone and iPad, but I will be using screenshots of the iPad for this review. The iPhone version has the exact same features as the iPad version.

This ranking is based on a metascore aggregation of other ranking lists and offers the best of the best in study apps. From free apps to those that cost a few dollars, you’ll find the perfect app for your specific study needs. Pastors who want Bible software is a niche market and fewer of those pastors will buy a program like BibleWorks due to their failure to offer a mobile app and because of the following reasons No Native Mac App – the company’s Mac app is a WINE port. Accordance Bible Software is a powerful Bible study tool for Windows, Mac, iOS & Android. Whether you are a pastor looking for a sermon prep tool, a scholar studying biblical languages, or a serious Bible reader wanting to go deeper, Accordance can take you to the next level!

Youversion Bible App For Mac

The integrated in-app store

Included in all of the Olive Tree Bible apps is an integrated store where you can buy more books including other version of the Bible, commentary, reference materials, devotionals, and more.

All books that you purchase will be synced to your Olive Tree account so that you can download them to another device at no additional cost or re-download them if you accidentally delete them or need to restore your iPhone or iPad.

Split screen UI

One of the really neat features of BibleReader is that you can split your screen into two panels. If you're using BibleReader in portrait, the screen will split horizontally, and when in landscape, it will split vertically. In each panel, you can have any of the books you have in your Olive Tree Library.

Here's a few different situations that one may find the split screen to be useful:

While at church, your pastor has one main passage that he's covering, but also references other verses. You can use one panel for the main passage, and the other to browse to the other verses.
You want to compare two different versions of the Bible side-by-side -- basically converting BibleReader into a parallel Bible.
You want to read another book, like a devotional, while having your Bible open to reference at the same time. Or maybe the Bible is the main book you want open, and you want to have easy access to a reference book.

If you don't want the split screen, you can simply slide the one you don't want off the the screen. This is also nice in case you want the split screen, but not the entire time. You can keep your secondary book open in the second panel, but keep it hidden until the moments you need it.

You also have control of where on the screen you want the split to take place -- it doesn't have to be directly down the middle.

Navigation

It's no secret that Bibles are huge and that people don't typically read them from front to back like other books. Often times, someone is looking for a specific book, chapter, or even verse in the giant book, so having a good navigational system is extremely important for a Bible app -- and Olive Tree has nailed it with BibleReader.

The 'Go To' button at the upper-left of the screen is how you navigate to a specific section of the Bible. Tapping it will pop up a menu that lists all the books of the Bible in chronological order. You can also pull it down to discover a search field that allows you to type in the verse. It does recognize abbreviations, so, for example, '1 Cor 13:4' will take you to 1 Corinthians 13:4. You can also choose to see the books of the Bible displayed as a grid with their abbreviations.

Another trait that most Bible's have are superscripts that reference other relevant verses. In a printed version, you would check the bottom of the page to check the reference, then flip to the verse. With BibleReader, you simply tap the superscript and a list of all the verses associated with the nearby superscripts will appear. Tapping on one of the verse references will navigate to that verse right inside of the popup. It's very cool. You can then either read it in the popup, or choose to have it opened in the main or split window.

Highlights, underlines, and notes

People love marking up their Bible with highlighters, underlinings, and notes -- BibleReader lets you do all these things.

To select a verse, you simply tap on the verse number. Or if you want more or less than one verse, tap your finger on a word to select it, then drag the handles to extend your selection. You then see a popup of choices: copy, highlight, note, bookmark, or share. These choices are pretty self explanatory.

Highlights in BibleReader are so much cooler than with physical highlighters. You can choose for your highlights to have a traditional look, or you can customize the intensity, color, and highlighter style. For underlining, you can have the underline look like it was made with either a thin highlighter or with a pen. You can do this every time you add a highlight, or you can create your favorite looks and save them for quick access.

When you create a note, a little note icon will be placed in front of your selection as an indicator of there being a note present. Tapping the icon will popup the note.

Customizations

One of the great features of Olive Tree's BibleReader is that its look is very customizable. The default look is very traditional and easy to read, but if you want to change the font type, size, color, or background, you can. Want the words of Jesus to be in something fun like pink or green? Not a problem!

You can set different customizations for each of the three different window types: main screen, split screen, and popup.

Which version?

Olive Tree has many different Bible versions available in the App Store and making a decision on which one to buy can be a big overwhelming if you don't know which version you want, or if you're interested in more than one version. The good news is that since each app allows you to sync your Olive Tree library, it ultimately doesn't matter which one you choose.

If you are only interested in a specific version, I recommend just buying that one as it will be the quickest way to get it on your iPhone or iPad.

The most confusing part of the available apps is that it isn't clear what the difference is between the free Bible+ version and $0.99 BibleReader version. BibleReader includes the ASV, KJV, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, and Jamieson, Faucett, and Brown Commentary. Bible+ comes with ASV and KJV and the Matthew Henry’s concise commentary is available for free in the integrated store. The Jamieson, Faucett, and Brown Commentary is also available, but not free. So, to sum it up, the main difference is that BibleReader comes with The Jamieson, Faucett, and Brown Commentary.

The other difference is, of course, what it will be named on your Home screen. For example, since I purchased NIV BibleReader, the icon on my Home screen is called NIV BR.

The fact that there are so many apps is confusing and overwhelming. If you're at a loss, I recommend just downloading the free version and browsing the in-app store for what you want to purchase.

The Good

Content is stored locally to your iPhone or iPad, so an internet connection is not required
Highly customizable
Lots of highlighter and underlining options
Two pane UI is very convenient.
Keep notes and customizations synced between devices
Universal for iPhone and iPad

The Bad

Too many apps to choose from. Would be less confusing for users if there was only one app.

The bottom line

Olive Tree's BibleReader is a fantastic Bible for your iPhone and iPad. The Bible has always been one of those books that I wanted to continue to read in print because of how much marking-up I like to do and I always thought it felt more personal. Since discovering BibleReader, it's the only Bible I ever read. I even bring my iPad to church and make notes and highlights into the app while my pastor gives his sermon. And not to brag or anything, but I can also navigate to verses faster than anyone else with BibleReader on my iPad.

Bible+, Free - [Download Now](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bible?at=10l3Vy&ct=UUimUdUnU14065YYw /id332615624?mt=8&at=10l3Vy&ct=d_im)

BibleReader, $0.99 - Download Now

NIV BibleReader, $9.99 - Download Now

All Olive Tree Bible Apps - App Store dev page

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

Screenshots

Description

Designed for deeper Bible study, join over 4 million users on “The Bible Study App.” Learn from great scholars through thousands of resources including commentaries, maps, and dictionaries all available off-line. If you like to highlight Bible verses, take notes, bookmark passages and have everything sync to all your devices, then this is your Bible Study App.
OVER 4 MILLION HAPPY BIBLE+ USERS
'I highly recommend you give Bible+ a try.' - ZDNet.com
'I feel confident investing in Bible+.' - About.com
'I love this app! The direct linking to reference material, notes, bookmarks, etc. makes this even better than my favorite printed bible.' - iPad user
CLOUD SYNC
Sync your Bible study resources, bookmarks, notes, Scripture verse highlights, and book ribbons between any device with Bible+.
POWERFUL RESOURCE GUIDE
With our one-of-a-kind Resource Guide, you can perform powerful searches through your entire Library of Bibles, Bible commentaries, Bible dictionaries, and more.
OFF-LINE BIBLE STUDY
Your library, notes, highlights and all of the app features are stored on your device so that you have full functionality when you are offline or in airplane mode.
FAST VERSE NAVIGATION
With our unique 3-touch Verse Chooser, you can navigate quickly and easily to the exact Bible verse you want.
SPLIT-SCREEN BIBLE STUDY
The split-screen view allows you to open two books at once to compare Bible translations, view your study notes while you read the Bible, or follow along with a commentary while you study Scripture.
PERSONAL BIBLE STUDY
* Bookmark verses
* Highlight words and passages
* Take notes that can be tied to Bible verses (like margin notes in your paper Bible)
* Organize your Library of Bible resources
* Tag anything to find it quickly later
* Leave a book ribbon on a page in order to pick up where you left off
* Select and copy text from any Bible or book in your Library
HUNDREDS OF BIBLE STUDY RESOURCES
The Olive Tree collection of Bible study resources is constantly growing and offers over a hundred FREE resources and over a thousand titles available for purchase.
POPULAR BIBLE VERSIONS
* NIV, NKJV, ESV, NLT, NASB, The Message, Amplified, HCSB, NCV, Complete Jewish Bible, JPS Tanakh
* Best-selling study Bibles: ESV Study Bible, NLT Study Bible, NIV Study Notes, and more
* Bibles with deuterocanonical books: NABre, NRSV and RSV
* Non-English Bibles: Reina-Valera, Traduccion en lenguaje actual, Dios Habla Hoy , Luther Bibel 1984,
Schlachter, and Elberfelder, Louis Segond, and more.
* Original language Bibles: Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Hebrew Old Testament), Greek New
Testament (NA27), UBS-4, Septuaginta
* Strong's Dictionaries, and KJV and NASB with Strong's Numbers
* Commentaries and Study Tools: Dake’s Study Notes, Jamieson, Fausset and Brown (FREE); Matthew
Henry's Concise Commentary (FREE); Expositor’s Bible Commentary; Vine’s Expository Dictionary

What’s New

This update contains a quick fix for the split window. Other than that, it's small bug fixes like usual around here!
Are you enjoying the app? We'd love to hear your thoughts in a review.

4.2K Ratings

Love it on my phone, tablet and laptop

This app works on all my devices and I use it every day. I love the reading plans, Bible Translations and study resources (love the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge). Great app to use for linking translations to Greek and Hebrew using Strong’s Concordance. Love the notes available like Dake’s.
Update: January 31, 2018 - I read a review where the reviewer said the resource window was slow to update on the Mac OS X version. I use this app on my MacBook Pro (maxed out memory for better performance in general) and I’m not seeing what I would call “slow” response in the resource window updates as I change verses. I use the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge regularly and find the response to be very good as I scroll through verses and click on the TSK cross references to read the related verses. I also use Strongs and commentaries where I get the same good response. It’s not instantaneous, but the updates happen in under 2 seconds. Performance can be affected by other apps open at the same time and the amount of available memory. I do have to watch one particular website (LinkedIn) in Safari - if that is open then CPU utilization is high and performance degrades. I would suggest using “Activity Monitor” (you’ll find this app in APPLICATIONS/UTILITIES) to see what is using resources if you experience performance issues.

Excellent Structure - It’s What You Make It!

Over the years I have tried numerous Bible Study Programs, lots of them. Some cost hundreds of dollars. But even the most expensive isn’t as versatile and buildable as this one. They provide you with the basic program and you can build it to be exactly what you want it to be. Yes, there are many in App purchases that can be made - but there is a wide assortment from which to choose. You can spend very little and have an excellent quick access study tool, or you can build it as you go into a complete research tool on a scholarly level. It is what you make it to be! I have a very thorough program set up now, that helps me greatly in my graduate and post-graduate studies. And I can always add more to it if I want to keep building it. It is a very valuable study tool where I can have a room full of research books without the physical shelves to have to file them on. It’s all on my computers. I can access it on my desktop, laptop, iPad, or even my iPhone from anywhere! It’s like having my study with me at all times. If you’ll give it a try, I’m sure you’ll see that it will enhance your Bible studies in an awesome way.

Good but needs a refresh… STILL.

Its been nearly 18 months and no update for the MAC/PC version? Love the app its just that the improvements seem to be a bit slow in coming at present. The ios version is stellar these days - the Mac version is good but could use a bit of a refresh maybe.
UPDATE - Still no real change in the MAC version to date. In particular, when I change verses, the resource window is slow to respond. Also, if I search for a word or phrase, there should be a way to move that search to the main window but instead I have to retype the reference in on the main window. The non iOS version just isnt as elegant and smooth to use as its mobile counterpart. I use my MacBook and my iPads evenly so theres a clear distinction on UI, ease of use between them. Love the iOS version and tolerate the MAC version at the moment. Hoping for a refresh soon.
UPDATE TO THE UPDATE - STILL STILL no real change. It’s functional enough but the same issue continues: You do a search and its a side window thing! Changing versions, using the resource guide etc. are all MAIN window functions predominately but the minute you do a search you have this wrangling to do if you want to research deeper. Just feels convoluted. I’d switch to a different app but I’m heavily invested in their ios versions so here I stay, for the meantime.

Online Bible For Mac

Information

Size

74.7 MB

Compatibility

OS X 10.10 or later, 64-bit processor

Age Rating

Rated 4+

Best Bible App For Windows

Price

Free