# The MacArthur Study Bible vs Life Application Study Bible

The clearest difference is price: The MacArthur Study Bible at Free against Life Application Study Bible's $19.99. Life Application Study Bible's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly) and chart position (#25 vs unranked). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

The MacArthur Study Bible is free to download; Life Application Study Bible costs $19.99 up front. The MacArthur Study Bible sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Life Application Study Bible sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for The MacArthur Study Bible against 4.9 for Life Application Study Bible. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 18K and 6.7K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 66% of The MacArthur Study Bible's written reviews are positive against 76% of Life Application Study Bible's.

The MacArthur Study Bible ships an update monthly, Life Application Study Bible every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | The MacArthur Study Bible | Life Application Study Bible |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $19.99 |
| Rating | [4.9 (18K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-macarthur-study-bible/id992237916/reviews) | **[4.9 (6.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/life-application-study-bible/id1240380955/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **18K** | 6.7K |
| Positive reviews | 65.8% of reviews | **76.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#25** |
| Size | 112 MB | 222 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.1** | 15.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Grace to You](https://appshunter.io/developer/992237915) | [Bible App Labs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1423240170) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Life Application Study Bible

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/life-application-study-bible/id1240380955)

**Currently charting:** #25 Top Paid · Reference (US App Store)

This Bible app offers verse-by-verse commentary, personality profiles, maps, and devotionals to help users apply scripture to their daily lives. It features a refreshed design and updated content for modern understanding, with options for audio Bibles and offline access.

**Highlights:** Verse-by-verse Life Application Notes, Biblical Personality Profiles, Integrated Maps and Charts, Daily Devotionals and Inspirations, Split-screen study functionality, Audio Bible playback, Cross-reference system

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

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bible Premium - 1 Month | $5.99 | per month |
| Bible Premium - One Year | $59.99 | per year |
| Matthew Henry's Commentary | $1.99 | one-time |
| High Quality Text-to-Speech One Year Access | $1.99 | one-time |
| The One Year Bible | $3.99 | one-time |
| New American Standard 1995 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Christian Standard Bible | $4.99 | one-time |
| New American Standard 2020 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Amplified Bible | $4.99 | one-time |
| The Message | $5.99 | one-time |
| OY Praying Thru the Bible | $7.99 | one-time |
| OY Women Devo | $7.99 | one-time |
| OY Men Devo | $7.99 | one-time |
| New International Version | $9.99 | one-time |
| Life Recovery Bible - Discount | $9.99 | one-time |
| English Standard Version | $11.99 | one-time |
| New King James Version | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🙏 Helps get closer to God
- 📚 Excellent study Bible with great commentary
- 🌟 Powerful and feature-rich app
- 📱 Convenient to have on mobile device
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive with many in-app purchases
- 🔧 Can be challenging to navigate for some users
- 🕰️ Occasional issues with notifications and syncing
- 🌐 Limited availability of certain Bible versions

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing issues when opening maps
- Inconsistencies with study notes and scripture linking
- Occasional double printing and page navigation problems

**Requested features**

- Ability to highlight and take notes in study materials
- Option to disable sleep mode during use
- More color options for highlighting
- Offline audio Bible playback


## Frequently asked questions

### Is The MacArthur Study Bible free?

The MacArthur Study Bible is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Life Application Study Bible free?

Life Application Study Bible costs $19.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, The MacArthur Study Bible or Life Application Study Bible?

Life Application Study Bible is rated higher. The MacArthur Study Bible averages 4.9 out of 5 from 18K ratings, while Life Application Study Bible averages 4.9 from 6.7K ratings.

### Do The MacArthur Study Bible or Life Application Study Bible have ads?

Neither The MacArthur Study Bible nor Life Application Study Bible shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, The MacArthur Study Bible or Life Application Study Bible?

The MacArthur Study Bible ships an update monthly, and Life Application Study Bible every 2 weeks. Most recently, The MacArthur Study Bible was updated on October 30, 2026 and Life Application Study Bible on October 29, 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.*