# Bible Study App by Olive Tree vs The MacArthur Study Bible

Bible Study App by Olive Tree and The MacArthur Study Bible both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 94% of Bible Study App by Olive Tree's written reviews are positive against 66% of The MacArthur Study Bible's. Bible Study App by Olive Tree also leads on ratings volume (324K vs 18K) and chart position (#111 vs unranked). The MacArthur Study Bible's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Bible Study App by Olive Tree sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and The MacArthur Study Bible sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Bible Study App by Olive Tree against 4.9 for The MacArthur Study Bible. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bible Study App by Olive Tree has 324K ratings behind it against 18K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 94% of Bible Study App by Olive Tree's written reviews are positive against 66% of The MacArthur Study Bible's.

Bible Study App by Olive Tree ships an update fortnightly, The MacArthur Study Bible monthly. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Bible Study App by Olive Tree | The MacArthur Study Bible |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (324K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bible-study-app-by-olive-tree/id332615624/reviews) | **[4.9 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-macarthur-study-bible/id992237916/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **324K** | 18K |
| Positive reviews | **93.6% of reviews** | 65.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#111** | — |
| Size | 114 MB | 112 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gospel Technologies LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1531548977) | [Grace to You](https://appshunter.io/developer/992237915) |

## What reviewers say

### Bible Study App by Olive Tree

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bible-study-app-by-olive-tree/id332615624)

**Currently charting:** #111 Top Grossing · Reference, #132 Top Free · Reference (US App Store)

This app provides a comprehensive Bible study experience, integrating commentaries, original language tools, and expert resources directly with scripture. It offers features for understanding text, building study habits, and accessing content offline, with options to listen to audio Bibles and watch educational videos.

**Highlights:** Integrated commentaries and study notes, Parallel translation comparison, Original language tools (Greek/Hebrew), Customizable reading plans and reminders, Offline Bible and resource access, Audio Bible playback, Highlighting, bookmarking, and note-taking

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Starter Pack Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| ESV Study Pack Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| NIV Study Pack Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| NKJV Study Pack Monthly | $5.99 | per month |
| NIV Bible | Free | one-time |
| New Living Translation - NLT | $9.99 | one-time |
| NASB 1995 | $11.99 | one-time |
| The Message Bible | $11.99 | one-time |
| Olive Tree Bible Maps | $17.99 | one-time |
| ESV Study Bible | $47.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 🚀 Convenient for carrying a whole library
- 💡 Excellent for Bible study and research
- 👍 Customizable and flexible
- 👍 Seamless syncing across devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 💰 Resources can be expensive
- 🔒 Limited ability to share resources across accounts
- 🔒 Personal notes and highlights tied to one account
- 👎 Unintuitive navigation for some features

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect linking of footnotes in NABRE translation
- Verse selection process is cumbersome
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between devices

**Requested features**

- Add ability to export notes and highlights
- Improve note-taking functionality with rich text formatting
- Implement side-by-side Bible version comparison
- Add more free Bible translations and resources
- Enhance search capabilities within open resources


### The MacArthur Study Bible

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-macarthur-study-bible/id992237916)

Access a vast library of biblical resources, including multiple scripture translations and over 3,000 sermons. Enhance your understanding with study notes, articles, and daily devotionals. Synchronize your personal data across devices for a seamless study experience.

**Highlights:** Multiple Bible translations (ESV, NAS, KJV), Extensive sermon archive, Highlighting and note-taking, Daily Bible reading plan, Study guides and articles, Cross-device data synchronization

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| John MacArthur’s Study Bible Notes | Free | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🙏 Excellent study resource
- 📚 Helpful commentary and notes
- 🔍 Useful cross-references
- 🎧 Convenient audio Bible
- 🕰️ Daily devotionals and sermons

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent freezing and crashes
- 🔀 Jumping to wrong chapters/verses
- 💤 Slow performance and unresponsiveness
- 🔍 Highlighting issues (can only highlight one verse at a time)
- 🔗 Broken links and navigation problems

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to create account
- Inability to access saved notes and highlights
- Incompatibility issues with newer iOS devices
- Devotionals not updating regularly

**Requested features**

- Support for more Bible translations (e.g. NIV, NLT)
- Improved highlighting and note-taking capabilities
- Seamless syncing across devices
- Customizable font and theme options
- Better integration with other Bible study tools


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Bible Study App by Olive Tree free?

Bible Study App by Olive Tree is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is The MacArthur Study Bible free?

The MacArthur Study Bible is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Bible Study App by Olive Tree or The MacArthur Study Bible?

The MacArthur Study Bible is rated higher. Bible Study App by Olive Tree averages 4.8 out of 5 from 324K ratings, while The MacArthur Study Bible averages 4.9 from 18K ratings.

### Do Bible Study App by Olive Tree or The MacArthur Study Bible have ads?

Neither Bible Study App by Olive Tree nor The MacArthur Study Bible shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Bible Study App by Olive Tree or The MacArthur Study Bible?

Bible Study App by Olive Tree ships an update fortnightly, and The MacArthur Study Bible monthly. Most recently, Bible Study App by Olive Tree was updated on October 26, 2026 and The MacArthur Study Bible on October 26, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*