Bible Apps for Mac
One of the first issues I had after switching to a Mac was finding software. Many programs, including my favorite Bible program E-Sword, were simply not available for the Mac. It was quite a learning curve to say the least.
I really like the addition of the App Store to OSX 10.6, and it has helped with me to find great software. However, Bible software is the one area I have struggled to find adequate software. Even after a year of searching I have yet to find an application that I have embraced.
In this article, I’d like to list the Bible applications available for the Mac, focusing primarily on free ones. I’ll give some basic information and my general opinion of them.
I realize that my need and wants are not going to be same as many people’s. To give you a basic idea of what I’m looking for, here’s some features I am looking for:
- King James Bible. It’s the only one I use.
- Ability to easily perform word searches.
- Greek and Hebrew dictionary support.
- Basic Bible study tools, such as a Bible dictionary.
- Affordable, or at least have a good demo.
So here’s the run down, in alphabetical order:
- Cost - $29.99 in App Store
- Website - www.abiblesoftware.com/ or Mac App Store
- Version Reviewed - Demo
A-Bible's title is short for "Asia Bible". It is very evident that the main audience for this app are from that area. There are a lot of features for Japanese, Korean, and Chinese users. There is a version also available on Windows.
Unfortunately, I'm just a simple English speaker. So that means that there are a lot of things about A-Bible that just do not apply to me. Using the demo you get the feeling that English is really more of a feature than a focus. Every default is set to a Japanese (I think) version and some example text in the Preferences is not English.
I'm not griping at all about the language issues. The developer is very much up front about what the software is and who it is for. If you need this type of multiple language support then I think this is the app for you. For basic English-only use I would look elsewhere because there just isn't enough differentiation between its English study features and some of the free offerings.
- Cost - $1.99
- Website - Mac App Store
- Version Reviewed - 1.0.0
From the makers of A-Bible, this is a daily Bible reading app. It has better features and options than the other Mac App Store offering Daily Bible. Like A-Bible it has a lot of features relevant to languages like Japanese and Chinese.
I don't see much use in apps like this, but right now if I did want a daily Bible reading app on my Mac I would use this one.
- Cost - $150+
- Website - accordancebible.com
- Version Reviewed - 9.3 Demo
Accordance is probably the premier Mac-only Bible study tool. The price tag will probably scare away most customers though. I’m not sure why a free version with very limited tools couldn’t be released. The demo gives you most of the features of the full version, the main limit is that it closes after sixty minutes of use.
Accordance appears to be a very good option with a strong community of users. The interface is one of the best I used in this survey, and one of the few that makes serious study possible. I think it is a little too advanced perhaps for the casual user but has all the features I am looking for.
The biggest limit to me is the price tag. It is difficult for me to shell out premium money for mostly public domain works. Most of these add-ons and features are free in other programs. However, the interface and features make Accordance one of the only real choices for study.
- Cost - Free
- Website - www.kiyut.com/products/alkitab/
- Version Reviewed - 2.6.1
Alkitab (from an Indonesian word for “Bible”) is a free application based mainly on the JSword project. There are multiple projects based on the Sword Project, including Bible Desktop. The developing company is called KIYUT that is based in Indonesia.
Alkitab is a bare-bones approach to Bible study software. It is definitely usable to do simple searches, but I doubt you will get much serious study done with it. There are many included commentaries and such, but they do not tie in to the verses you are viewing in the Bible.
Overall, Alkitab is serviceable for light use and fairly simple to use for simple Bible searches. For more serious use, including any use of commentaries, look elsewhere.
- Cost - Free
- Website - www.crosswire.org/bibledesktop/
- Version Reviewed - 1.6
Like Alkitab, Bible Desktop is based on the Sword Project. It is available on multiple platforms.
Bible Desktop is basically the same as Alkitab in a different layout. The same basic features such as search are very much usable, but don’t expect to do much heavy studying with it.
Bible Desktop is light and usable for VERY simple usage such as quick searches and copying/pasting verses. Look elsewhere if you want to do anything resembling studying.
- Cost - FREE
- Website - www.bible-explorer.com/
- Version Reviewed - 4.0
Bible Explorer is a free download from the makers of WORDsearch. It is available on Windows and Mac.
First of all, my technical gripes. I was required to restart on installation, which is really just an annoyance. Next, Bible Explorer uses the X11 windows system, which is an even bigger annoyance. Next, no Bible or books come preinstalled, which is only a slight annoyance.
In the end, Bible Explorer is a very limited compared the company’s more powerful offering WORDsearch. It may be a decent piece of software, but it feels too much like a bad port of a Windows 98 application.
- Cost - $.99
- Website - Mac App Store
- Version Reviewed - 1.0
This one is really a stretch to even be included, but it is the first Bible program to be listed in the Mac App Store. It is designed with one thing in mind: reading through the Bible in a year’s time according to one of three plans. I’m really not sure how useful it would be to anyone unless you just enjoy reading for 15+ minutes a day on your computer monitor. If I were going to get an app like this I would go for A-Bible Manna which is also in the App Store.
- Cost - FREE
- Website - www.eloquent-bible-study.eu or www.macsword.com
- Version Reviewed - 2.3.1
Formerly titled MacSword, this project is also based on the Sword Project like Alkitab and Bible Desktop. It is far superior to those two offerings, but is still far from user friendly in my opinion. I have used this one more than any other, but that isn’t saying much.
I think that if someone spent some time to learn the intricacies of this program then it may be useful. I’ve really only been able to use it for very basic reading and very light study.
- Cost - Free “Lite” version available, $70 for Premium
- Website - http://globible.com/gloformac/
- Version Reviewed - 1.0
Glo is meant to be more of an experience than a study tool. The graphics and UI are really beautiful, but the features are very limited in the “Lite” version. You can read the Bible and view some maps and pictures, but that’s about it. The premium version retails I believe for $70 and is available in the Mac App Store. You’d have to go for the Premium version to get anything out of it.
- Cost - $90?
- Website - www.ilumina.com
- Version Reviewed - none
This is an outdated title that sometimes appears in searches for Mac Bible apps. I’m not very familiar with it since there is no demo version available. Seems to have been a while since the last update.
- Cost - FREE
- Website - www.online-bible.com/maconlinebible.html
- Version Reviewed - 4.1.1
I recall a day when the Online Bible was one of the more popular software names I heard. That day has long since past. This is about as primitive as an interface can be. It does seem to have some power behind it and there are some features that are pretty good, but I can’t help but feel that I am using something from fifteen years ago.
- Cost - $150 - $4,300
- Website - www.logos.com/mac or www.macbiblesoftware.com/
- Version Reviewed - None
I have heard many people say that Logos is the best software around for Bible study. I can’t say much about it because I have never used it, and as long as it has a price tag starting at $150 I probably will not. I just have a really hard time spending that much money blindly on software of this nature, especially when many of the study helps you receive are public domain and the only Bible version I need is the King James.
- Cost - $25 and up
- Website - www.quickverse.com/Shopfiles/categories.asp?category=63
- Version Reviewed - 3.0 (White Box)
I had bad experiences with QuickVerse dating back to my days using Windows 95. I was pretty desperate to try to find a decent Mac Bible app and I just happen to find a copy of this software at Half Price Books. Total waste of money.
The interface is not user friendly. The Bible text only display in paragraph form with absolutely no option to have it displayed as one verse per line. The pricier versions may be better (I hope they are), but I doubt I ever try them again.
- Cost - $35 and up
- Website - http://www.wordsearchmac.com
- Version Reviewed - None
WORDsearch is the premium offering from the makers of Bible Explorer. There is no demo or trial, but if it is anything like Bible Explorer then you can’t count me out. From the looks of the information on the website it suffers from the same problems, including the use of X11 and WINE. It just looks like another example of a poorly ported Windows app.
