Comparison

Sermon Design 3 vs SermonNote

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

Head to head
About

Sermon Design 3

This tool guides users through the sermon preparation process, from initial planning to final manuscript. It features a visual outlining tool with building blocks to structure messages and offers a library of predefined and custom sermon movements.

Highlights
  • Visual sermon outlining
  • 5-phase preparation process
  • 40+ predefined sermon movements
  • Custom forms and templates
  • Guided reflection prompts
  • iCloud sync
  • Export to PDF/RTF
Features
Read full description

Sermon Design 3 is a tool built to help you prepare thoughtful, intentional sermons. It walks you through the process of thinking through the sermon, from considering its focus and purpose to writing the final manuscript. At the core is a visual outlining tool that helps you design your sermon's flow, using movements like building blocks to construct a message that will fulfill its purpose. Sermon Design uses a 5 phase process: Plan: Think about sermons coming up over the next few weeks, months, or years! Focus: Consider the heart of your sermon, distilling it's core message. Listen: Give attention to the text, asking question that get to heart of what the Word is for the people. Structure: Build the frame of the sermon by giving consideration to the type of movements through which the sermon will move. Write: Finalize the manuscript for the sermon you've been designing. With the iOS version, you can capture ideas while on the go, crafting your sermon in the moments and times when inspiration comes to you. Sermon Movement Library — Access 40+ predefined movement types including Opening, Transition, Anecdote, Exegesis, Theology, Application, Question, Metaphor, Prayer, and more. Custom Forms & Templates — Create and save your own sermon structures. Build templates for recurring sermon types and reuse them across documents. Guided Reflection Prompts — Explore textual, theological, contemporary, personal, and pastoral questions designed to deepen your engagement with scripture. Session Timer — Track your writing sessions and maintain momentum with built-in timing tools that automatically split sessions at midnight. iCloud Sync — Your planning data, custom movements, and templates sync across all your devices via CloudKit. Export & Print — Print sermon plans and manuscripts with professional formatting. Export to PDF or RTF for sharing with team members. **DESIGNED FOR YOUR WORKFLOW** Whether you're preparing Sunday sermons, special occasions, or teaching series, Sermon Design 3 adapts to your needs. Work on individual sermon documents while maintaining awareness of your broader preaching calendar. Create custom movements that reflect your unique preaching style. Build sermon structures that honor traditional homiletical practices while remaining flexible for contemporary approaches. **CROSS-PLATFORM** Available for Mac, iPad, and iPhone with adaptive interfaces optimized for each device. Use sidebar navigation on Mac and iPad, or tab navigation on iPhone. Keyboard shortcuts on Mac make phase switching and common actions quick and efficient. **WHO IT'S FOR** - Pastors and ministers preparing weekly sermons - Lay speakers developing occasional messages - Seminary students learning homiletical practices - Preaching teams collaborating on sermon series - Anyone seeking a systematic approach to sermon preparation Sermon Design Pro is available as a one-time Lifetime purchase or as an annual auto-renewable subscription. The annual subscription automatically renews at the end of each one-year period unless canceled at least 24 hours before the period ends. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at purchase confirmation. Manage or cancel any time in your Apple ID account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial period (if offered) is forfeited when you purchase the subscription. Privacy Policy: https://stevenhovater.com/sermon-design-privacy-policy/ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

SermonNote

Features
Read full description

Hear a sermon in English, get notes in your own language. Choose the sermon's language and yours when you start, and every summary and main point appears in both — translated on your device. SermonNote turns Sunday's message into clear, structured notes — a summary, the main points, and personal applications — and it all runs on your device. Tap record as the sermon begins, put your phone down, and be present. PRIVATE BY DESIGN - Recording, transcription, and notes run entirely on your device - No servers, no account — nothing is uploaded - Your recordings and notes stay yours FROM SERMON TO NOTES - A live transcript scrolls as the preacher speaks - Every message becomes a summary, main points, and applications - Scripture references are detected automatically and become tappable chips - Tap a verse to read the passage — six Bibles are built in, bible.com one tap away - Import a sermon from Voice Memos or Files - Mark moments while it is being preached; correct any line of the transcript STUDY EVERY MESSAGE - Turn any sermon into an expository outline, small-group discussion questions, a five-day devotional, prayer points, or a personal reflection - Search every word across all of your notes - Organize a sermon series with colorful folders BUILT FOR BILINGUAL CHURCHES - Choose the sermon's language and yours once — 14 languages for your notes - Read your notes side by side in a second language, translated on your device - Verse references appear in each language's own book names - Made for bilingual and diaspora congregations STAY IN THE HABIT - A gentle Sunday reminder and a week-by-week streak - Share a quote card from the message with your group Whether you take notes in the pew or lead a small group by Wednesday, SermonNote helps Sunday's message stay with you all week. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Sermon Design 34 screens
SermonNote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: SermonNote at 17.0 against Sermon Design 3's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Sermon Design 3 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per year and SermonNote sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
Sermon Design 3 versus SermonNote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSermon Design 3SermonNote
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size88 MB47 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSteven HovaterNeobile LLC

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Sermon Design 3

Subscriptions1
  • Pro Annual Subscription7 Days trial$5.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime Unlock$14.99
3 purchases

SermonNote

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Annual$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro access lifetime$6.99

Questions

Is Sermon Design 3 free?
Sermon Design 3 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SermonNote free?
SermonNote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sermon Design 3 or SermonNote have ads?
Neither Sermon Design 3 nor SermonNote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sermon Design 3 or SermonNote?
Sermon Design 3 ships an update monthly, and SermonNote monthly. Most recently, Sermon Design 3 was updated on October 7, 2026 and SermonNote on October 6, 2026.

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