# ESV Bible vs Sunday Lectionary

The clearest difference is price: ESV Bible at Free against Sunday Lectionary's $0.99. ESV Bible also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.9) and ratings volume (9.9K vs 28). Sunday Lectionary's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

ESV Bible is free to download; Sunday Lectionary costs $0.99 up front. ESV Bible sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Sunday Lectionary asks for nothing beyond the download.

ESV Bible holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ESV Bible has 9.9K ratings behind it against 28, 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 52% of Sunday Lectionary's.

ESV Bible ships an update every 4 weeks, Sunday Lectionary every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ESV Bible | Sunday Lectionary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $0.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (9.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esv-bible/id361797273/reviews)** | [3.9 (28 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunday-lectionary/id546821521/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.9K** | 28 |
| Positive reviews | **70.9% of reviews** | 51.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#97** | — |
| Size | 34 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 26.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Crossway](https://appshunter.io/developer/361797276) | [Jim Coates Computer Programming](https://appshunter.io/developer/365841701) |

## What reviewers say

### ESV Bible

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/esv-bible/id361797273)

**Currently charting:** #97 Top Free · Reference, #103 Top Grossing · Reference (US App Store)

Engage with scripture through reading, listening, and in-depth study. This app offers customizable reading plans, audio Bibles with background music, and tools for reflection and annotation. Unlock premium study resources for a deeper understanding of God's Word.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free reader's mode, Search by reference, keyword, or phrase, Audio Bibles with instrumental music, Over 50 Bible reading plans, Free ESV Global Study Bible access, Notes, highlighting, and bookmarking, Sync content with ESV.org

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ESV Bible App Subscription | $3.99 | per month |
| ESV Bible App Subscription | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Crashing and freezing issues
- Verses missing from the text
- Incorrect chapter/verse navigation
- Disappearing highlights and notes

**Requested features**

- 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


### Sunday Lectionary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunday-lectionary/id546821521)

Access complete Sunday Lectionary scriptures from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer and Revised Common Lectionary. This app provides a perpetual calendar of readings, eliminating the need to manually look up passages in a Bible or prayer book.

**Highlights:** Complete Year A, B, C Sunday Lectionary scriptures, Based on 1979 Book of Common Prayer (Episcopal Church), Supports Revised Common Lectionary (RCL), Perpetual yearly calendar for all Sunday readings, Readings integrated into the app database

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ESV Bible free?

ESV Bible is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Sunday Lectionary free?

Sunday Lectionary costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ESV Bible or Sunday Lectionary?

ESV Bible is rated higher. ESV Bible averages 4.7 out of 5 from 9.9K ratings, while Sunday Lectionary averages 3.9 from 28 ratings.

### Do ESV Bible or Sunday Lectionary have ads?

Neither ESV Bible nor Sunday Lectionary shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ESV Bible or Sunday Lectionary?

ESV Bible ships an update every 4 weeks, and Sunday Lectionary every 4 months. Most recently, ESV Bible was updated on October 18, 2026 and Sunday Lectionary on October 14, 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.*