Many Christians prefer the good old print Bibles, but there are mobile-based Bible apps that you can use in situations where you don’t have access to your print Bible. Among the most popular ones are YouVersion bible and Bible Gateway App. Several people already use these apps in all situations, but picking one that is good for you can be challenging.
So, below, we’ve compared the YouVersion and Bible Gateway app to help you choose one that suits you best.
YouVersion Bible App
YouVersion Bible is arguably the best Bible app available today and comes with many features. Right on the homepage, you’ll see the verse of the day alongside the verse of the day story and a guided prayer based on the day’s verse.
You can share the verse of the day with friends through email, WhatsApp, and other social media apps. You can also create a community of friends on the app, where you can discuss the Bible with them.
The app has a ton of Bible versions, and you can download any number of them to read offline. Depending on your location, the app also supports several local languages in which you can read, in addition to global languages like English, French, and German.
When busy, you can listen to the word being read with the audio version, which is only a click away from the written version. With the Plans feature, you can also plan your Bible reading to fit your schedule.
There is also a prayer for each day, and you can keep a record of your Bible study with notes and badges. Like most other Bible apps, you can use the YouVersion Bible app completely for free.
YouVersion Bible App Features
- Choose from thousands of Bible versions in over 1,750 languages
- Pick from over 60 languages for your Bible App interface
- Download select Bible versions to access when you’re offline
- Listen to select Bible versions and enjoy skip, playback speed, and timer controls.
- Learn more about the Verse of the Day in Guided Scripture with an engaging video and personal reflection questions
- Tap through Scripture and prayer prompts in Guided Prayer, or write your own prayers using the Prayer feature
- Choose from thousands of Plans that focus on specific topics, portions of Scripture, or the entire Bible in a year
- Watch videos from Christian organizations such as Bible Project and The Chosen
- Search for what the Bible says about any topic you’re wondering about
- Tap on a verse to see your Notes and related content such as videos, Plans, and study notes MAKE IT YOUR BIBLE
- Themes let you select a color palette for your entire Bible App experience
- Create and download Verse Images for any verse you’d like—it’s shareable art
- Highlight with custom colors and create notes
- Bookmark passages to share, memorize, and keep at the front of your mind
- Share verses with friends using social media, email, or text
- Add notes on any verse—make them private or let your Friends see them
- Access your account from any supported device
- Adjust lighting, font, font size, and line spacing for easy reading BRING YOUR FRIENDS ALONG
- Center your friendships around Scripture by adding your Friends to the Bible App
- See an activity feed that shows what you and your Friends are noting, bookmarking, and highlighting
- Comment on the Verse of the Day with your Friends—ask questions and share how God is speaking to you
- Write your own prayers and share them with your Friends to pray together
- Do Plans together and discuss what you’re learning CONNECT WITH YOUVERSION
Verdict: The YouVersion Bible app is best for readers who want to find and follow interesting topic plans from their favorite authors and Bible teachers. However, because the plans come from various sources, some plans are far more in-depth, interesting, or applicable than others.
Download: YouVersion Bible for Android | iOS(Free)
Bible Gateway
Bible Gateway is a searchable online Bible tool hosting more than 200 versions of the Bible in over 70 languages that you can freely read, research, and reference anywhere. Including a library of audio Bibles, mobile apps, devotionals, email newsletters, and other free resources, Bible Gateway equips you not only to read the Bible, but to understandB. You can search the entire Bible for a keyword or a verse and choose from different Bible versions.
The verse of the day is the first thing you see every day, and you can take notes on your own or when listening to a sermon. The app’s scripture engagement exercises also help you interact with the Bible more practically. Like YouVersion Bible app, you can favorite or highlight interesting verses and even share them.
All these features come with the free version, but you can upgrade to the premium version to unlock even more exciting features. You can start a 30-day free trial before subscribing to the full version. Chapters are titled to give you a clear idea of what you’re reading.
Bible Gateway features
- Read more than 90 different Bible translations, including the NIV, KJV, ESV, NKJV, HCSB, NASB, CEB, The Message (MSG), Amplified Bible (AMP), and many more.
- Listen to over 20 audio Bibles, including English, Spanish, Arabic, Thai, and other languages.
- Search quickly and easily for any verse, passage, or keyword.
- Learn more about any Bible passage with a library of trustworthy Bible commentaries and other references.
- Take personal notes, highlight Bible text, and star your favorite verses.
- Study Scripture at any time—even late at night—with night mode toggle.
- Enjoy a daily Verse of the Day in the translation of your choice.
- Follow one of many different Bible reading plans.
- Share your favorite Bible verses with your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter.
- For iPad users, view up to three different translations side-by-side.
- Biblegateway website
Verdict: While the Bible Gateway website is a favorite for quickly looking up Scripture verses in multiple translations, the app’s features seem basic and limited compared to YouVersion bible app.
Download: Bible Gateway for Android | iOS(Free, subscription available)
Conclusion
As someone who has utilized both the YouVersion bible and Bible Gateway apps for a long time, I can say, without reservation, that the You Version App is better. I have no issues with navigation. There are many versions of the bible available, both in English and many other languages. Many of the English versions also have an audio version of the Bible available, as well. Also, there are thousands of Bible reading plans and topical devotionals to choose from.
The Bible Gateway bible has been a major player in making the digital Bible accessible.
Unfortunately, the Bible Gateway is just not as great as The Bible App by YouVersion. It features numerous translations, audio Bible support, and reading plans, but the interface isn’t great. It’s also ad-supported, which just looks odd in a Bible app.
Having said that, both the YouVersion bible and Bible Gateway apps have unique features, but both of them aim to serve one purpose: make Bible study as easy and fun as possible. So, it doesn’t really matter which app you choose to install in the end.