Bible Explorer vs SermonSearch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Bible Explorer
This app helps users deepen their Bible study by allowing them to create journal entries for specific passages. It provides tools to explore parallel verses, original language meanings, and commentaries to enrich understanding.
- Journal entries for Bible passages
- Explore parallel passages
- Study original languages
- Read commentaries
- Deepen Bible understanding
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As you study a passage in the bible, one of the most helpful ways to make it come alive is to write down your thoughts on what you are reading. The Bible Explorer app allows you to create journal entries for bible passages. It allows you to explore parallel passages to the passage being studied, explore the passage in the original languages, and read commentaries on the passage to better inform your thoughts and your journal entries. It is designed for bible lovers who want to do more than just read the bible - this is for bible explorers.
SermonSearch
Access and follow along with preached sermons through synchronized transcripts and audio playback. Search a vast archive, highlight key passages, and save sermons for offline listening. Enjoy a private, ad-free experience with iCloud syncing.
- Synchronized audio and transcripts
- Full-text sermon search
- Highlighting and note-taking
- Offline sermon saving
- Background playback
- iCloud syncing for library
- Bilingual support (English/Spanish)
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SermonSearch is a free, ad-free way to sit with the preached Word. It gathers sermons from Trinity Christian Fellowship in Lexington, Kentucky, shared with permission, and carries hundreds of sermons that open the Scriptures to your iPhone and iPad so you can hear the Word wherever you are. Offered freely by For His Glory, LLC. READ ALONG WITH THE WORD Every sermon carries a full transcript that scrolls in step with the audio, gently highlighting each line as it is spoken. Tap any paragraph to return to that moment in the sermon, or search within the transcript to jump straight to a phrase you remember. It is the closest thing to sitting with the text open in front of you as the Word is preached. SEARCH THE WHOLE ARCHIVE Looking for a particular passage, theme, or phrase? Search across titles, speakers, series, topics, and the full text of every transcript, then begin listening from the exact moment a phrase was spoken. Browse by Scripture reference, speaker, series, or topic to find the sermon you have in mind. KEEP WHAT STAYS WITH YOU Highlight the lines that speak to you, add a note, and return to them later. Share a highlight as a simple quote card, or share a moment from a sermon with a friend so they can listen from that very spot. LISTEN ANYWHERE A quiet, focused player with background playback, lock screen and Control Center controls, AirPlay, and adjustable speed. Sermons in a series play through in order, and you can pick up right where you left off. SAVE SERMONS OFFLINE Save sermons offline to carry with you on a flight, a commute, or anywhere a connection is hard to find. If you choose, the newest sermon can be saved automatically over Wi-Fi, ready when you are. A simple storage manager keeps you in control of space. NEW SERMONS, QUIETLY If you would like, SermonSearch can let you know when a new sermon is posted. No reminders, no nudges, just the new ones. MADE FOR iPad A native two-pane reader lets you browse on one side while you read and listen on the other, with keyboard and pointer support throughout. YOUR LIBRARY, KEPT PRIVATELY Mark the sermons that feed you as favorites, keep a quiet history of what you have heard, and continue where you left off. Your favorites and listening history can sync across your own Apple devices through your private iCloud, so what you save on one device is there on the next. PRIVATE BY DESIGN There is no account and no sign-in. SermonSearch collects no personal information, and there are no ads. Your favorites and history sync only through your own private iCloud; they are never seen, received, or stored by us. What is between you and the Word stays with you. BILINGUAL Available in English and Spanish. Change languages anytime in Settings. SermonSearch is a labor of love, made and offered freely, that more might hear the Word and read along with it. To God be the glory. SermonSearch is an independent app by For His Glory, LLC, sharing TCF's sermons with permission. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Trinity Christian Fellowship.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: SermonSearch at daily against Bible Explorer's every 6 months. Bible Explorer's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Bible Explorer against 5.0 for SermonSearch. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.
Bible Explorer ships an update every 6 months, SermonSearch daily. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bible Explorer | SermonSearch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 106 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | John Nelson | For His Glory LLC |
Customer experience
Bible Explorer
SermonSearch
In-app purchases
Bible Explorer
No in-app purchases
SermonSearch
No in-app purchases








