Refining Fire vs Biblemaxxing
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Refining Fire
This app delivers encouraging Bible verses to your device, with options to refresh for a new passage, save favorites, and set daily reminders. Explore the full chapter for deeper study on iPhone and enjoy on-the-go access with its Apple Watch companion.
- Encouraging Bible verses
- Daily reminder notifications
- Save favorite verses
- Read full chapters (iPhone only)
- Apple Watch app
- Verse sharing
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Refining Fire provides encouraging Bible verses when and where you need them. Hit "refresh" to display a new verse, add the current verse to your Favorites, or set up a daily reading reminder. Additionally, you may deepen your study by reading the full chapter for any scripture excerpt (iPhone only). Refining Fire for Apple Watch allows you to read, favorite, and refresh verses on the go without needing your phone. Features: - Apple Watch app - Daily reminder notifications - Favorites - Sharing - Hundreds of verses Refining Fire allows you to choose between the King James Version (KJV) and the English Standard Version (ESV).
Biblemaxxing
This app integrates Bible reading into your daily phone usage by presenting a short passage each time you open a chosen app. It offers various Bible reading plans and translations, with a focus on privacy and a grace-based approach to streaks.
- Passage prompts before app access
- Multiple Bible reading plans
- Offline Bible translations
- Grace-based streak system
- Privacy-focused design
- Home and lock screen widgets
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Only about 1 in 10 Christians have ever read the whole Bible. Not because they didn't want to — because every plan asked for time nobody has. Biblemaxxing goes the other way: each time you open Instagram, one small passage stands at the door — short enough to truly read, sit with, and carry into your day. Keep unlocking your phone like you already do, and you'll finish the entire Bible, Genesis to Revelation, at a pace you'll barely feel. Your dashboard shows the day you'll finish. HOW IT WORKS • Choose your doors — the apps and categories that pull at you. Apple's Screen Time does the guarding, entirely on your device. • Open one, and a short passage stands at the door. Read it, tap, and you're in. • A daily portion paces you to your goal date — and it self-corrects with grace, never guilt, when life happens. THE WHOLE BIBLE, YOUR WAY • Whole-Bible journeys: The Great Story (narrative-chronological), cover to cover, chronological, and more • Gospels-first on-ramps, focus plans, or build your own • Catholic canon fully supported — all 73 books, deuterocanon included • Five translations bundled, fully offline: WEB, KJV, Douay-Rheims, BSB, CPDV BECOME MORE • A streak with grace built in — one missed day a week never breaks it • The faithfulness week: six of seven days seals it • Titles from Doorkeeper to Overcomer, and a crown for every whole Bible you complete • Book milestones with shareable cards, and a certificate at the summit • Home-screen and lock-screen widgets: your next verse, streak, and finish date — on iOS 17 you can even read and unlock right from the widget PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No tracking. What you read, when you read, and which apps you lock never leave your device. Anonymous subscription status is the only thing that does. PREMIUM Reading is free forever; the lock is the premium feature. And if your subscription ever ends, your apps unlock automatically — Biblemaxxing never holds your phone hostage. • Annual — $39.99/year, with a 7-day free trial • Weekly — $4.99/week Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://biblemaxxing.app/privacy.html "Meditate on it day and night." — Joshua 1:8
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Refining Fire at 5.0 against Biblemaxxing's 3.0. Refining Fire also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (28 vs 2). Biblemaxxing's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 15 months). On price and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Biblemaxxing sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Refining Fire asks for nothing beyond the download.
Refining Fire holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Refining Fire has 28 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Refining Fire ships an update every 15 months, Biblemaxxing fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Refining Fire | Biblemaxxing |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (28 ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 28 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 15 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Rebecca Hansmeyer | Refine Journal LLC |
Customer experience
Refining Fire
Biblemaxxing
In-app purchases
Refining Fire
No in-app purchases
Biblemaxxing
- Weekly$4.997 Days
- Annual (50% Off)7 Days trial$19.991 Year
- Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Questions
Is Refining Fire free?
Is Biblemaxxing free?
Which has better reviews, Refining Fire or Biblemaxxing?
Do Refining Fire or Biblemaxxing have ads?
Which is updated more often, Refining Fire or Biblemaxxing?
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