# Accordance Bible Software vs The MacArthur Study Bible

The clearest difference is update cadence: The MacArthur Study Bible at monthly against Accordance Bible Software's every 2 months. Accordance Bible Software's advantage is review sentiment (76% vs 66%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.1). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Accordance Bible Software sells 10 one-off in-app purchases 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 Accordance Bible Software against 4.9 for The MacArthur Study Bible. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 13K and 18K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Accordance Bible Software's written reviews are positive against 66% of The MacArthur Study Bible's.

Accordance Bible Software ships an update every 2 months, The MacArthur Study Bible monthly. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Accordance Bible Software | The MacArthur Study Bible |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (13K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/accordance-bible-software/id411970514/reviews) | **[4.9 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-macarthur-study-bible/id992237916/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 13K | **18K** |
| Positive reviews | **76.4% of reviews** | 65.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 237 MB | 112 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [OakTree Software, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/411970517) | [Grace to You](https://appshunter.io/developer/992237915) |

## What reviewers say

### Accordance Bible Software

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/accordance-bible-software/id411970514)

This app offers a powerful and fast way to study the Bible. It allows users to read, search, and explore scripture with features like side-by-side translation comparison, in-depth word lookups, and note-taking. Expand your library with a vast collection of Bibles and study tools available for purchase.

**Highlights:** Read Bible with commentaries, Compare Bible translations side-by-side, Search Bible for words or verses, Instant word definitions and parsing, Take notes, highlights, and bookmarks, Search Greek and Hebrew Bibles

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Geneva Bible | $9.99 | one-time |
| Amplified Bible | $14.99 | one-time |
| The Message | $14.99 | one-time |
| New Living Translation-Second Edition | $14.99 | one-time |
| Tanakh (The Jewish Bible) with Strong's numbers | $19.99 | one-time |
| NKJV tagged with Strong's numbers | $19.99 | one-time |
| NRSV with Strong's numbers | $19.99 | one-time |
| The Mounce Reverse-Interlinear New Testament and Dictionary | $29.99 | one-time |
| New International Version 2011 with G/K numbers | $39.99 | one-time |
| Greek New Testament (tagged, based on NA28) | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Powerful Bible study tools
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 💡 Customizable interface
- 💡 Syncs across devices
- 👍 Excellent resources and translations

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🐛 Buggy note-taking and highlighting
- 🐛 Inconsistent sync between mobile and desktop
- 🐛 Difficult navigation and unintuitive UI
- 🐛 Slow or failed module downloads

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup
- Purchases not showing up
- Scrolling issues and loss of place
- Incompatibility with latest iOS versions

**Requested features**

- Add more translation options
- Improve note-taking and annotation capabilities
- Implement better sync between mobile and desktop
- Enhance search and browsing functionality
- Add support for Apple Pencil and handwriting


### 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 Accordance Bible Software free?

Accordance Bible Software 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, Accordance Bible Software or The MacArthur Study Bible?

The MacArthur Study Bible is rated higher. Accordance Bible Software averages 4.8 out of 5 from 13K ratings, while The MacArthur Study Bible averages 4.9 from 18K ratings.

### Do Accordance Bible Software or The MacArthur Study Bible have ads?

Neither Accordance Bible Software nor The MacArthur Study Bible shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Accordance Bible Software or The MacArthur Study Bible?

Accordance Bible Software ships an update every 2 months, and The MacArthur Study Bible monthly. Most recently, Accordance Bible Software was updated on November 7, 2026 and The MacArthur Study Bible on November 7, 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.*