You know… I’ve recently been trying out Logos and, I’m afraid my life has changed. I can’t imagine ever being satisfied with e-Sword again. The layout with Logos is so much more modern. And talk about feature-rich! Of course, one pays for all that power. But if you use the page at…
at least you get 15% off for all Logos products. So, although the normal price for the Bronze package (about 5 gigs worth of resources) is $629.95, you’ll download it instantly (ok… maybe not INSTANTLY. You’ll have to go somewhere where the internet is fast just to grab it!) for $535.46 … or $50/month, if you need the easy-payment plan. But my goodness… Look at the offering at…
https://www.logos.com/product/24534/bronze
And what’s really cool is — once you buy it, you own it. You don’t need the internet. And you can use the same basic interface across all your devices. So now my iPhone has the most powerful Bible interface I’ve yet to see. Any notes I make on one device instantly hive over to the other. Own an iPad? (I don’t — yet.) Same same. It’s like a dream. Hover your mouse over your favorite version and you can instantly check out all the Greek (person, case, etc., all the details). On the same set of panels, you’ll see reference materials, text comparisons, commentaries, passage guides, cross-references, parallel passages, outlines, people, places, things, events, media, and more. PLUS — you can turn any set of versions into an interlinear format. I wish I could just buy Logos for everybody on the Brigada email list. The bottom line is — it’s the standard by which all other versions should be judged. Check it out today. (Truth is advertising: Logos sends a portion of your purchase to Brigada as a gift, so, yes, you’re helping Brigada while you read and study the Word. But check me out on all of the above facts. It’s all true — and I love the interface. That’s true too. I haven’t closed it since first opening it up on my laptop. I’m using it for personal reading, along with preparing lessons and sermons too.)
I’m a wannabe Logos owner, but even with the 15% discount, it is a bit too rich for my budget. However, there are some good alternatives. YouVersion is my go-to app for Bible reading (thankfully it offers some good versions for offline reading) and devotional reading. For study, I use Laridian’s PocketBible, which runs on PC, Mac, iOS, Android, Windows Phone 8, Windows RT, and maybe other platforms. Like Logos, once you buy the books, they are yours for life on any of the devices you choose. Fewer book options than Logos, but it is very affordable. The only negative is that there are few Bible versions in languages other than English.
http://www.laridian.com
OliveTree is also worth a look.
I’ve been poking around with Logos lately (mostly because they’re the only one that has digital copies of Zondervan resources) and it’s okay. However, what I find to be TRULY the best off-line Bible software is e-Sword (http://www.e-sword.net). The interface is really simple. It just works. You can’t beat the price tag — free (unless you wish to donate to support Rick Myers). There are at least as many resources available (both free and paid-for) as for Logos, though many of them are a little clunky because they’re created by volunteers. I have been using it for about 10 years now and even with a Logos account, I can’t see giving it up. It’s definitely worth a look.
e-Sword is designed to work on Windows, but will run on a Mac with CrossOver for Mac and on Linux in wine. There are also apps available for iOS. Not for Android though.