Comparison

ESV Bible vs Our Daily Bread

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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/

About

Our Daily Bread

Access daily biblical inspiration and encouragement with uplifting devotionals, scripture readings, and guided prayers. Explore trusted resources designed to deepen your understanding of the Bible and foster spiritual growth, available in multiple languages.

Highlights
  • Daily uplifting devotionals
  • In-app Bible with multiple translations
  • Customizable reading plans
  • Progress tracking and bookmarking
  • Audio readings of devotionals
  • Evening meditation podcast
  • Available in 20+ languages
Currently charting
Read full description

Stay connected to the life-changing power of His Word all day, every day! For more than 85 years, millions of people worldwide have found daily inspiration and biblical encouragement through the many resources of Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODBM). And now it’s even easier to engage with the truths of the Bible while you’re on the go! With the Our Daily Bread App, you have constant access to a wide collection of biblical resources. You can save the content that speaks to you, and can keep track of your progress engaging with Scripture. From popular Our Daily Bread daily devotionals to trusted reading plans and other multimedia content, you’ll explore resources thoughtfully designed to help you go deeper into God’s Word and engage with the Bible beyond the app. Join generations of believers in Jesus from all walks of life growing closer to God—right from your mobile device! So what adventures await you on the Our Daily Bread App? Short, uplifting daily devotions that work with your schedule. *Every morning, you’ll find the new Our Daily Bread devotion front and center on the app homepage, ready for you to read or listen to. *Each daily devotional includes trusted content from Our Daily Bread Ministries, a global, donor-supported nonprofit with a more than 85-year history of making the life-changing wisdom of the Bible understandable and accessible to all. *What’s included in our daily devotions? You’ll be invited to read, reflect on, and respond to the truths of Scripture through a short encouragement infused with biblical insights that draw you closer to God, a thoughtful reflection question, and a guided prayer related to the devotional. *Found a specific devotion that you want to keep in a safe spot? Or have a monthly goal of having devotional time every morning? Keep track of your progress with reading streaks and bookmarking! *More of a night owl? No problem! Our in-app Evening Meditations podcast releases new daily episodes so you can refocus your heart and mind on the goodness of God as your head hits the pillow. *We get it—life is busy. Schedule reading reminders so you never forget to set aside time for biblical reflection. *Daily audio reading of the devotional so you can listen on the go. *20+ different languages so you can read or listen to the Bible in your first language. An in-app Bible so you can go directly to the source of truth. *Was there a passage or story from Scripture that stood out in the daily devotion that you’d like to dig into? Bounce back-and-forth between the devotional and Bible without leaving the app. *Choose your favorite Bible translation! We offer Scripture in 20+ languages and multiple Bible translations like the NIV, KJV, ESV, and NLT. *Looking for an easier way to read the Bible in a year? We’ve put the “Bible in a Year” plan included in the Our Daily Bread devotional right on the app homepage! Reading plans that connect God’s Word to all areas of life. *Customize your devotional experience by choosing the topics and Bible reading plans that speak to important holidays, faith topics, and seasons of life. *Find plans inspired by your favorite Our Daily Bread Ministries content: My Utmost for His Highest devotions, Holy Land tours with Jack Beck, Our Daily Bread Publishing book excerpts, and more! *Sometimes we need more than just words for a story to come alive. That’s why we’ve also included interactive multimedia elements such as short videos and audio clips within some of our reading plans! *Most reading plans include 1-day to 10-day formats. Download the Our Daily Bread App today to join us in committing ourselves to Scripture and Bible engagement for life.

Screenshots

ESV Bible4 screens
Our Daily Bread4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ESV Bible at 4.7 against Our Daily Bread's 3.9. ESV Bible also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 49%) and ratings volume (11K vs 2.6K). Our Daily Bread's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and chart position 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ESV Bible sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Our Daily Bread asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ESV Bible holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11K and 2.6K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 71% of ESV Bible's written reviews are positive against 49% of Our Daily Bread's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
ESV Bible versus Our Daily Bread: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterESV BibleOur Daily Bread
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (11K ratings) — better3.9 (2.6K ratings)
Positive reviews70.9% of reviews — better48.6% of reviews
Number of ratings11K — better2.6K
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank#113 — better#190
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCrosswayRBC Ministries

Customer experience

ESV Bible

All ratings10,593 ratings
Positive92.1%
Neutral2.9%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews694 reviews
Positive70.9%
Neutral11.2%
Negative17.9%

Our Daily Bread

All ratings2,600 ratings
Positive70.0%
Neutral9.9%
Negative20.1%
Written reviews391 reviews
Positive48.6%
Neutral19.2%
Negative32.2%

User reviews

ESV Bible

From 11K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Smooth functionality
  • 👍 Elegant, minimal design
  • 👍 Uncluttered reading experience
  • 👍 Variety of narrators and audio options
  • 👍 Useful study resources and commentary

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy highlighting and note-taking
  • 🐛 Inconsistent reading plan tracking
  • 🐛 Audio playback issues
  • 🔒 Concerns about data collection
  • 💰 Subscription model for full access

Our Daily Bread

From 2.6K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🙏 Inspiring devotional content
  • 🕰 Helpful for daily spiritual reflection
  • 📚 Extensive Bible reading plans
  • 🔖 Useful bookmarking feature
  • 🔊 Convenient audio option

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • 🔄 Inconsistent tracking of reading streaks
  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate and find past devotions
  • 🔒 Login and account issues
  • 🖼 Unreliable image sharing functionality

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
Show 1 more
  • Verse of the day widget or notification

Our Daily Bread

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashing on launch after updates
  • Bible verse links not working correctly
  • Journal entries not saving properly
  • Inconsistent performance on newer devices
  • Unexpected app log-outs

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to highlight and annotate Bible verses
  • Improved syncing across devices
  • More Bible translation options
  • Customizable font and text size
  • Night mode or dark theme

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ESV Bible

Subscriptions2
  • ESV Bible App Subscription7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • ESV Bible App Subscription7 Days trial$39.991 Year
None

Our Daily Bread

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ESV Bible free?
ESV Bible is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Our Daily Bread free?
Our Daily Bread is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ESV Bible or Our Daily Bread?
ESV Bible is rated higher. ESV Bible averages 4.7 out of 5 from 11K ratings, while Our Daily Bread averages 3.9 from 2.6K ratings.
Do ESV Bible or Our Daily Bread have ads?
Neither ESV Bible nor Our Daily Bread shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ESV Bible or Our Daily Bread?
ESV Bible ships an update monthly, and Our Daily Bread monthly. Most recently, ESV Bible was updated on November 7, 2026 and Our Daily Bread on November 6, 2026.
Which is more popular, ESV Bible or Our Daily Bread?
ESV Bible currently peaks at #113 in the App Store charts, and Our Daily Bread at #190. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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