ESV Bible vs OnYourHeart
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ESV Bible
Easily read, study, and engage with scripture on your mobile device. Features audio Bibles, customizable reading plans, and in-depth study resources. Sync your notes and highlights across devices.
- Distraction-free reader mode
- Search by reference, keyword, or phrase
- Listen to audio Bibles with background music
- Over 50 Bible reading plans
- Access to study Bibles and commentaries
- Personal notes and highlighting
- Cross-device syncing
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The ESV Bible app allows you to easily read, study, and engage with God’s Word wherever you go, making it the best possible Bible reading experience for your phone or tablet. Listen to Scripture with audio Bibles and meditate on God’s Word with instrumental background music. Customize your experience with a wide variety of reading plans and thematic playlist options, helping you make daily Bible reading a habit every day. READ THE BIBLE WHEREVER YOU GO • Toggle display options to a streamlined, distraction-free reader's mode • Search tools allow you to quickly search the Bible by reference, keyword, or phrase • Quick access to cross-references LISTEN AND MEDITATE • Listen to the Bible read aloud by acclaimed Christian artists, pastors, and Bible teachers • Voices include Kristyn Getty, Ray Ortlund, Jackie Hill Perry, Michael Reeves, and more • Instrumental background music to help you meditate as you listen • A diverse selection of musical styles, artists, and genres • Individual volume controls allow you to adjust the music and Bible audio separately MAKE A HABIT OF BIBLE READING • Choose from over 50 Bible reading plans • One-year, devotional, and topical plans offer a wide variety of options to fit your lifestyle and reading goals DIVE DEEPER INTO GOD’S WORD • Access the ESV Global Study Bible for free • Subscribe to unlock a full library of study resources, including the ESV Study Bible, ESV Archaeology Study Bible, Preaching the Word commentary series, ESV Expository Commentary series, and more ENGAGE WITH SCRIPTURE • Record your personal reflections using the easy-to-use notes feature • Highlight and bookmark favorite portions of Scripture • All content saved via a free account is synced with ESV.org—giving you access to personal notes, bookmarks, and highlights from any device • Adjust dozens of layout and text settings including font size, red letter, background color, and more UNLOCK PREMIUM FEATURES • Access to the full range of study Bibles, commentaries, and playlists available online and in the app • Over 50 playlists compile thematic verses to guide you through a particular mood, topic, or season Deepen your time in God’s Word with customizable study and audio features available with the ESV Bible app. Download for free today! EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
OnYourHeart
This app provides quick access to relevant Bible scriptures based on your current emotions. Discover new verses, save favorites, and customize your experience with personalized lists and colors. Access your scriptures offline and sync across devices.
- Emotion-based scripture access
- Full Bible access
- Search for terms and patterns
- Save and organize favorite verses
- Home screen widget
- Offline scripture storage
- Cross-device syncing
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Having God's Word written on your is central to living a life centered on him. The emotions we feel everyday can be hinderances to this effort, but with the Bible, those obstacles turn into opportunities! The OnYourHeart App gives you quick access to relevant scriptures no matter what you might be feeling, starting right on the home page! With access to the entire bible, and functionalities to search for terms and see scriptural patterns of other users, there are plenty of ways to discover new Bible Scriptures. The can then select those scriptures and add them to personally added or pre-loaded emotions and lists. Add a favorite verse to keep it at the front of your mind by having it show up on the home page and a OnYourHeart widget right on your phones home screen! Once you load scriptures into the different emotions you might feel, all you need to do is open the app and tap that emotion and you'll see the scriptures that help you the most! Minimize the time between getting overwhelmed by emotion and being helped by God's word. Customize your application look by choosing and changing the colors for each list that you add. This helps you to create an entire aesthetic and feel comfortable and at home while using the app. DISCOVER FEATURES * Access every verse, chapter, and book to find the exact verse you are looking for * Search for a term and get relevant scriptures for when you have a general idea * See the top books of the bible that other users have saved verses from for inspiration ACCESSIBILITY * Scriptures that you save are stored locally, so you can get help no matter the situation * All data is linked through your account on the cloud so you can access it across multiple devices * Add the widget to get your favorite verse to the home screen FUTURE FEATURES / BUGS * Please contact curtmccunedeveloper@gmail.com with any ideas for upcoming features or bugs you've found
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: OnYourHeart at none against ESV Bible's 2. ESV Bible's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and update cadence (monthly vs every 15 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. ESV Bible sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. OnYourHeart asks for nothing beyond the download.
ESV Bible holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ESV Bible has 11K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of ESV Bible's written reviews are positive against 50% of OnYourHeart's.
ESV Bible ships an update monthly, OnYourHeart every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ESV Bible | OnYourHeart |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (11K ratings) — better | 4.2 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.9% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 11K — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 15 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #114 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.5 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 34 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Crossway | Curt Mccune |
Customer experience
ESV Bible
OnYourHeart
Bugs and requests
ESV Bible
Reported bugs
4 issues- Crashing and freezing issues
- Verses missing from the text
- Incorrect chapter/verse navigation
- Disappearing highlights and notes
Requested features
6 requests- Ability to customize font size and style
- Offline audio download option
- Improved navigation between books and chapters
- Verse-level highlighting and note-taking
- Syncing of bookmarks and notes across devices
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- Verse of the day widget or notification
OnYourHeart
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ESV Bible
- ESV Bible App Subscription7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- ESV Bible App Subscription7 Days trial$39.991 Year
OnYourHeart
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ESV Bible free?
Is OnYourHeart free?
Which has better reviews, ESV Bible or OnYourHeart?
Do ESV Bible or OnYourHeart have ads?
Which is updated more often, ESV Bible or OnYourHeart?
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