Android Bible Apps

[Difflugia]

With my recent influx of Amazon Coins (tl;dr--buy these five free apps from Amazon and receive 1000 Coins; buy this game for 699 coins, get another 2000; total 2301 Coins) and a Memorial Day weekend with no plans, I decided to try out a few Bible apps for Android. My main goal was finding something that makes it easy to read study Bibles. There's a wide selection of study Bibles available as epub or mobi, but reading study notes alongside the Bible text is pretty much impossible. There is a pretty good selection of Android apps that have a split screen setup with both screens synced (so when I navigate one screen to Exodus 3:10, for example, the other screen moves there automatically).

Other than that, my criteria are:

• It must work offline
• A good selection of Bible translations and other resources
• Bibles need to be available with a paragraph view instead of each verse starting a new line
• Reasonably-priced Bibles (or the ability to somehow use the resources that I'd already bought in other electronic formats, but that's a long shot).
• A robust backup solution
• Easy to use (a big problem for most ebook Bibles is that footnotes are difficult to get to with a touchscreen)
• The ability to uninstall the Amazon Appstore and have the Bible app continue working (this is a personal paranoia thing that probably doesn't apply to most healthy people ).

I use a 7-inch tablet (NOOK HD with CM 10.1), so bear that in mind if you use a different form factor.

Tecarta Bible App

None of the apps that I tried had everything that I wanted. That said, my favorite is probably the Tecarta Bible app, so I'll talk about that one first. The big win for me is that they're integrated with the Appstore so that new Bibles can be bought with Amazon Coins and you even get 30% back from the in-app purchases in Coins. Also, the NIV Study Bible is (temporarily?) only $1.99 (or 199 Coins) if bought in-app (the named app is $19.99), which gives you the full NIV Bible and the study notes from the NIV Study Bible (I mention this specifically because some of the other apps require buying a Bible and study notes separately). The other Bibles are reasonably priced, as well, most being $4.99 or $5.99 (so you can get a pretty good selection with your free Coins). Most study Bibles are $14.99.

One downside for me is that most of the features (split screen, panel for footnotes) are designed to be used in landscape mode and I prefer portrait mode. It's not a real big deal, but a little annoying. The other is that all of the backup options are online. Most of the apps have this problem, though. Amazon claims that in-app purchases are available to other devices on the same account, but I haven't tried reinstalling through the in-app purchases, yet. Tecarta also allows you to create an account with them (you need a working email address) that you can sync your purchases to. I purchased Bibles using both the named apps in the store (NASB Bible, for example) and in-app purchases. I was able to sync both types to my Tecarta account.

If you buy one of the paid apps from the Appstore, the app requires the license check to run, so you couldn't uninstall the Appstore. After syncing to Tecarta, though, I was able to re-download my purchases after installing the free KJV app. The Tecarta website is a little sparse and unprofessional-looking, though, so I'm a little concerned about the longevity of the company and thus my ability to redownload Bibles in the future.

The Tecarta app has a reasonable selection of Zondervan and Thomas Nelson Bibles, but nothing Catholic (RSV, NRSV or NAB), nothing in Greek or Hebrew and only the KJV from the public domain (no ASV, Darby, YLT, etc.).

The interface is somewhat unintuitive to start, but Tecarta has online help videos explaining the different features. After having watched them, I have no difficulties. Long-tapping on a footnote superscript brings up the footnote text. Even with a small font, it's easier to hit the footnote than in reader apps with ebooks, but I still occasionally have to try a few times to hit it.

Logos Bible App

If cost were no object, Logos would be my hands-down favorite. The app is free and a few resources are available for free while online, but anything available offline has to be paid for, including public domain resources. It's also not integrated with either Play or the Appstore, so you need a separate account with the Logos website to buy and download resources. The company's been around for a long time, though, and I still have resources available that I bought on CD fifteen years ago (the software was named Libronix for a while, so if you still have the installers for your software and sync to an account, the resources will be available online and in the Android app). Unfortunately, the resources are more expensive than any other electronic sources. That said, Logos has an amazing selection and includes a wide range of doctrinal views. If there's something esoteric that you want, odds are good that they've got it. Any purchased resources are also available for use with the desktop app and online with a web interface. Additionally, Logos offers a free book each month (there's a mailing list signup on the website), so it may be worth installing just for those.

The app is relatively easy to use and figure out, but they seem to still be tweaking the Android interface as it seems to change slightly with each update. Footnote superscripts need to be tapped, but the app seems to be pretty forgiving about exact tapping location and isn't too frustrating for me.

Aside from being crazy expensive, my only real complaint (which applies to the desktop as well as Android app) is that the startup screen is packed with as many ads for Logos things as will fit.

Olive Tree Bible Study

Olive Tree Bible Study is sort of in between Tecarta and Logos. Olive Tree resources are slightly less expensive than Logos, but more expensive than Tecarta. The same pattern holds with availability as well; Olive Tree has many more Bibles and books available than Tecarta, but nowhere near the vast Logos library. They seem to be dabbling in the app markets as well, having a few resources that can be bought preinstalled with the app (ESV, NKJV, NIV at Amazon, a few more at Google Play). As far as I can tell, though, these can't be synced with the Olive Tree server, so any reinstall has to be done through the corresponding app market and the resource isn't available for use with the desktop app. Once installed, though, the resource is available to the free version of the app, so the Appstore can later be uninstalled.

The main selling point for Olive Tree over Logos is that Olive Tree has a respectable number of free (mostly public domain) resources available that can be used offline. You need to create an account with Olive Tree to download them, but you don't need to enter a credit card or any payment information. Olive Tree's also been around a lot longer than Tecarta and was recently acquired by HarperCollins, so I'm less concerned about the company disappearing (not unconcerned, just less concerned). Olive Tree also offers free books occasionally, so it might be worth installing (or at least creating an account) to get those.

I found the Olive Tree app interface to be a little difficult to get used to, but not too bad. Tapping footnote superscripts is a little more touchy than with Logos, but once you get it, there's a scrollable window with all footnotes that lets you check several at once.

AcroBible

AcroBible Study Bible is similar in concept to the Tecarta Bible software, but inferior in execution. It allows purchasing Bibles in-app through the Appstore or Google Play and prices are similar, but it has a smaller selection. The interface is easy to use, but verses aren't divided by paragraph (instead of one verse per line, they're all displayed end-to-end, like one big paragraph). I couldn't see any reason to choose this one as long as Tecarta is still in business.

CadreBible

CadreBible is only available at Google Play and requires an account at their website to purchase resources. The application is fine, but there's really nothing to recommend it over any of the others. There's no desktop application, the prices are comparable to Olive Tree, but the available library isn't much bigger than Tecarta's. There are a few interesting resources (Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, for example), but not enough to compete with either Logos or Olive Tree or justify higher prices than Tecarta.

I'll pass.

PocketBible

Laridian's PocketBible is in just about the same boat as CadreBible. The app is easy to use and has a few free resources available, but prices aren't especially low and you need an account at Laridian's website to download or purchase resources. Unlike CadreBible, there is a desktop application and they also have applications for a pretty large selection of mobile platforms (Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and Palm). My main reason for selecting this one would be if had previously bought Laridian resources for other platforms like I had for Logos (I didn't) or if I currently used multiple devices that Laridian supports (I don't).

Free and Open Source Apps

The next few are all free and (with one exception) open source. The libraries are more limited, but more free resources are available than for Logos or Olive Tree and if you have the motiviation and technical ability, you can roll your own.

And Bible

And Bible (Google Amazon) is currently my favorite open source Bible app. It's based on the JSword library (a Java implementation of the C++ Sword project) and uses a standard module format that's been in active development for a number of years, so there are lots of resources available (especially many non-English languages with inadequate support from other apps). Since the format is non-proprietary and described rather adequately online, I originally had fantasies of converting my epubs to Sword modules and using them with this software. I got a few done, but the process is tedious and sideloading to And Bible involves ADB and isn't straightforward. I've since decided that spending another few dollars to get my Bibles in another format isn't quite as offensive as I first thought.

There really is a huge number of modules available. Most of it's public domain, but the ESV and HCSB are both available for free. There are a few modules available for purchase (there's a password process for installing them; I haven't bought any, so I'm unsure of the details), but most non-free publishers have been uncooperative.

I like the interface. It rivals both Logos and Olive Tree in usability and I prefer And Bible's method of reading footnotes (move the verse to the top of the screen and long-press; I don't have to hit a specific spot in the text). Most of the flaws are in the JSword library itself. Most notably, paragraphs aren't indented and different methods of numbering verses are poorly supported (so Protestant Bibles are fine, but Catholic Bibles and translations of the Septuagint tend to have problems). Commentaries also don't show quite as well as they do in the other software packages as you only see the commentary for one verse at a time instead of as a scrollable view.

There are some problems (that hopefully will be addressed in future development), but this is the app to start with if you want to go completely free (in the senses of both "free speech" and "free beer").

BibleTime Mini

BibleTime Mini is only available at Google Play. It's also based on the Sword Project, so it has access to the same set of resources as And Bible (unfortunately, they store downloaded resources independently, so if you have both, you have to download your resources twice). BibleTime Mini is somewhat more polished than And Bible and is based on the C++ library, which tends to lead the Java library in development. The downside for me is that Bibles are shown with each verse on its own line without having a paragraph option, so if that doesn't bother you, BibleTime Mini is certainly worth a look.

QuickBible/Alkitab

Quick Bible is the a version of the Indonesian language Alkitab that defaults to English and the KJV. Neither is available at Amazon.

The interface is much simpler than And Bible, but so is the Bible format. The author has several public domain Bibles available on his Google Drive that are accessble from within the application, but also has instructions on his blog for creating your own Bible modules. Quick Bible doesn't do paragraphs, but it's certainly the easiest and most straightforward to use. It's also designed specifically to use as few resources as possible, so it will work on old devices with obsolete versions of Android.

MySword

I only mention MySword because it always comes up in searches for free Bible apps, but the whole thing seems kind of shady. It uses modules from (though isn't affiliated with, as far as I know) the desktop e-Sword software (which is free, but not open-source). The reason I say it's shady is because it's described as "free", but there's a "premium" version. The "premium" version is also described as "free", but is only available to those that make a donation to their "ministry" (their website doesn't say how much you need to "donate" anymore, but it used to be $50). One of the "premium" features is paragraph display for Bibles.

No thank you.

Single Translation Apps

There are a few apps that are just a single Bible translation, but some of them are reasonably well done and free. These are the free ones that have interesting translations (free KJV apps are figuratively a dime a dozen) and the publisher is likely to have legally received authorization to publish the translation (there are stacks of shady NIV apps that probably violate Zondervan's copyright).

Crossway's ESV App

Available at Google and Amazon, this app is only the ESV, but it's reasonably well done. Verse lookup is easy, paragraphs are displayed, there's a search, footnotes aren't difficult to tap and you can change the font size. One downside is that it has no light-on-dark night mode (I think all of the other apps I've described have a night mode).

Parable Bible Apps

Parable (a Christian bookstore) has two free Bible apps available, one with the NKJV (Google, Amazon) and the Catholic edition of the RSV (Google, Amazon). These apps are actually rebranded from FutureSoft and they're available in several other forms, but Parable's are the only ones that don't try to get you to buy something else (several sell Bible audio and one tries to sell a Catholic study Bible). The interface isn't as nicely done as other apps that I've listed and neither does paragraphs, but the NKJV and RSV-ce are difficult to find for free (and the RSV-ce is difficult to find at all).

[Danger]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...library.mobile

1. The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (2013 revision) published by Jehovah’s Witnesses. This version contains:
• An introduction that answers 20 Bible questions.
• An outline of contents at the beginning of each Bible book.
• Footnotes and cross references.
• An index of Bible words and a glossary of terms.
• An appendix that includes maps, charts, and timelines, which help you gain the most from your Bible reading.
2. The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References (1984 revision)
3. The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures. This Bible contains the Greek text edited by B. F. Westcott and F. J. A. Hort. Between the lines you will find a word-for-word English translation.
- Note: The Kingdom Interlinear Translation is only available on Android 4.0 and later.
4. The Bible in Living English (Steven T. Byington)
5. The American Standard Version
6. The King James Version

BIBLE FEATURES
Choose a Bible translation, then select a specific Bible book and chapter. While viewing a chapter, you can:
• Tap a verse number: Compare all available Bible versions.
• Tap a footnote marker or reference letter: View the associated material side by side with the Bible text.

BIBLE SEARCH
Find words and expressions that appear in the Bible text, and navigate to them directly. Sort the search results by the order in which they appear in the Bible or by how frequently they are used in publications produced by Jehovah's Witnesses.

[HarryT]

I've used the Olive Tree software for years, and it's pretty good, particularly when using parallel translations. I read Koine Greek, so it's convenient to have the original Greek version and an English translation displayed in parallel.

My only real issue with Olive Tree is the fact that they don't have any of the "scholarly" study bibles or commentaries as opposed to the "Evangelical" ones. As someone who studies the bible as a work of literature rather than for religious reasons I'd love to have "secular" works like the Oxford Bible Commentary available.

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by Danger

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...library.mobile

Thanks for the link! It's worth installing for the Kingdom Interlinear alone and the Byington translation is one I hadn't seen before.

I went to the JW website to make sure the app is legit (it is) and noticed that they've put the Watchtower Library online. Now I can stop bugging Witnesses to bring me a CD every year.

Originally Posted by HarryT

I've used the Olive Tree software for years, and it's pretty good, particularly when using parallel translations. I read Koine Greek, so it's convenient to have the original Greek version and an English translation displayed in parallel.

My only real issue with Olive Tree is the fact that they don't have any of the "scholarly" study bibles or commentaries as opposed to the "Evangelical" ones. As someone who studies the bible as a work of literature rather than for religious reasons I'd love to have "secular" works like the Oxford Bible Commentary available.

The scholarly world seems to be reluctant to embrace electronic publishing. Many books that are currently in print aren't available electronically and those that are tend to be PDF. Even the Kindle version of The New Oxford Annotated Bible is Amazon's "Print Replica" format (which is just a PDF under the hood). As booksellers have been dropping PDF as a format, I've been grabbing copies of the few academic books that I find for fear that the books will simply be made unavailable in the future rather than converted to epub. This book, for example, is really good if you can stomach reading a scan (at least it's couponable) and there are several others by the same author that I'd like, but are unavailable electronically.

Logos actually has many resources that aren't available elsewhere as ebook, but I'm reluctant to buy them at Logos prices, particularly since Alf doesn't have a Logos plugin. I'd like to replace my paper copy of The Jewish Study Bible, but $36 for something that won't go into Calibre is a little steep for me.

[Robotech_Master]

Have you tried Lifechurch.TV's Bible app? It's free, has a lot of translations, some of which are on-line only but others downloadable, and seems to be pretty well-made in general. (It does pop a reminder every so often telling you that spending five minutes with your Bible can make a great difference in your life, but eh, I can deal with that.)

[sirmaru]

I own Tecarta, Logos and AcroBible and found the AcroBible is the best for me. I can type my notes into the NIV Bible at their website and then sync to my Samsung Galaxy s5 and my Kindle Fire HDX.

I used to use Logos for years on my PC but stopped using it altogether. I exported my custom notes from there and then pasted them into AcroBible at their web site.

I like their Three Tap verse locator with huge icons so that I can use my s5 or HDX in Bible studies. I usually get to the verses long before anyone else is even close. There is no way to get to verses that rapidly with Tecarta or Logos. Plus, a history is kept of all verses accessed so returning to older verses is even more rapid.

I also find the largest font in AcroBible is far larger than available in Tecarta or Logos. My eyes require those fonts.

My custom tabs are shown in alphabetical order on the s5 but are not in order on the HDX for some reason. I have hundreds of those tags which get me to all verses related to any topic I set up to capture them.

I like the Strong's Numbers available on both to get the Greek and Hebrew equivalents rapidly.

I did not find Tecarta and Logos that convenient.

I tend to use the s5 more than the HDX since I can carry the former in my shirt pocket.

I purchased it from the Google Play Store for my s5 and the Amazon App Store for my HDX. I don't like using the Amazon App Store on my s5 or the Google Play Store on my HDX. Those two apps are slightly different and purchased the most expensive version for each one separately from the proper store.

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by Robotech_Master

Have you tried Lifechurch.TV's Bible app? It's free, has a lot of translations, some of which are on-line only but others downloadable, and seems to be pretty well-made in general. (It does pop a reminder every so often telling you that spending five minutes with your Bible can make a great difference in your life, but eh, I can deal with that.)

I haven't tried it. I pretty much steered clear of anything that promised free access to a whole bunch of modern Bibles, but I checked their website after your suggestion and it looks OK. I'll play around with it and see what I think.

Originally Posted by sirmaru

I own Tecarta, Logos and AcroBible and found the AcroBible is the best for me. I can type my notes into the NIV Bible at their website and then sync to my Samsung Galaxy s5 and my Kindle Fire HDX.

I used to use Logos for years on my PC but stopped using it altogether. I exported my custom notes from there and then pasted them into AcroBible at their web site.

I like their Three Tap verse locator with huge icons so that I can use my s5 or HDX in Bible studies. I usually get to the verses long before anyone else is even close. There is no way to get to verses that rapidly with Tecarta or Logos. Plus, a history is kept of all verses accessed so returning to older verses is even more rapid.

I also find the largest font in AcroBible is far larger than available in Tecarta or Logos. My eyes require those fonts.

My custom tabs are shown in alphabetical order on the s5 but are not in order on the HDX for some reason. I have hundreds of those tags which get me to all verses related to any topic I set up to capture them.

I like the Strong's Numbers available on both to get the Greek and Hebrew equivalents rapidly.

I did not find Tecarta and Logos that convenient.

I tend to use the s5 more than the HDX since I can carry the former in my shirt pocket.

I purchased it from the Google Play Store for my s5 and the Amazon App Store for my HDX. I don't like using the Amazon App Store on my s5 or the Google Play Store on my HDX. Those two apps are slightly different and purchased the most expensive version for each one separately from the proper store.

I don't take in-app notes nor do I use Strong's numbers, so those didn't factor in my decisions. When I was using paper Bibles, it was easier for me to follow along in a second Hebrew or Greek Bible than to look up the Strong's numbers and now with the apps, I do things the same way and have either Greek or Hebrew in a synced window. It didn't really occur to me to do the instant lookups that an application can do, even though it was available. It's embarrassing now that I think about it, because I actually turn off Strong's numbers when the app I'm using has them. I also still take notes on paper, even when I'm using a tablet to read or study. It sounds like I need to adjust to a somewhat more modern way of doing things.

[sirmaru]

Another feature of the AcroBible app is that one can apply more than one tag to any verse (blue predestination world) and the color tags will appear on those verses. I use Gold for "Science Syncretization", Green for "Prophecy", Blue for "Doctrine", Red for "Conflict" and Yellow for "Faith".

I have allowed my comments to appear under each highlighted verse within the NIV Bible using the AcroBible Settings.

I can also mirror my AcroBible App screen direct to a Samsung Smart TV screen using my Samsung Galaxy s5 allowing the rest of the Bible Study participants to dispense with the small font pew NIV Bibles.

Since the pastor and the group are constantly jumping to new verses, the Three Tap Verse Locator allows me to keep up and the One Tap Verse History allows me to go back.

I really doubt if any other Android Bible Apps can perform all these AcroBible Functions at a very small App cost compared to the PC Logos Bible Apps costing thousands.

Finally, one gets all the resources one needs with the purchase of the most expensive AcroBible NIV App for just $ 9.95. It never pushes new resources at added cost as Logos always does. if one wants a huge amount of resources, then the Logos PC App and Android App is the way to go. However, I don't want to add anything to what I already have in AcroBible. Logos 5 for the PC is the most comprehensive way to study the Bible with thousands of resources. I simply don't have the time to use them.

[cvkemp]

I have the Pocket Bible and have used it for over 10 years. What I like about it is that it works over all OSes and it does a great job of syncing your readings. And the concept that once you buy a bible you have it across all platforms.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by cvkemp

I have the Pocket Bible and have used it for over 10 years. What I like about it is that it works over all OSes and it does a great job of syncing your readings. And the concept that once you buy a bible you have it across all platforms.

That's pretty much true with Olive Tree, too. They have client software for PC, Mac, Android and iOS, and the resources you have in your Olive Tree account are available in all clients - you simply sign in to your OT account from the client.