The MacArthur Study Bible vs BibleRef
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
The MacArthur Study Bible
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.
- 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
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For over half a century, Pastor John MacArthur devoted himself to helping you know and love God by helping you understand His Word. Now, imagine a Bible that gives you instant access to all of John’s insights on the passage you’re reading—one you can carry in your pocket. The MacArthur Study Bible app makes that a reality. - Read or listen to Scripture in trusted translations like the NAS, LSB, ESV, or KJV - Go deeper with John’s study guides, articles, related sermons, and daily devotionals - Highlight Bible passages, add your own notes, and bookmark verses - Customize your reading experience with font and display options - Synchronize your progress and data on multiple devices And now, with your free Grace to You account, you’ll also have access to John’s Notes from The MacArthur Study Bible, including nearly 25,000 detailed comments that help explain virtually every passage in the Bible. Along with the notes are dozens of articles, charts, maps, and helpful introductions to each book of the Bible—all designed to help you understand God’s Word more clearly. For more information about Grace to You, the Bible-teaching ministry of John MacArthur, please visit gty.org.
BibleRef
Access verse-by-verse and chapter-by-chapter Bible commentary with extensive cross-references and context explanations. Understand scripture with easy-to-read explanations and multiple Bible translations.
- Verse-by-verse commentary
- Chapter-by-chapter commentary
- Extensive cross-references
- Context explanation
- Six Bible translations
- Regularly updated content
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BibleRef - An Online Bible Commentary You Can Understand The BibleRef app contains verse-by-verse and chapter-by-chapter Bible commentary along with extensive cross references and context explanation all written by the GotQuestions.org team. For each verse in the Bible there are six different Bible translations, easy-to-understand commentary, and brief explanations of how the verse fits within its surrounding context. New content is published regularly and can be downloaded via the settings menu in the app.
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Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BibleRef at none against The MacArthur Study Bible's 1. BibleRef also leads on review sentiment (87% vs 66%). The MacArthur Study Bible's advantage is ratings volume (18K vs 180) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. The MacArthur Study Bible sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BibleRef asks for nothing beyond the download.
The MacArthur Study Bible holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The MacArthur Study Bible has 18K ratings behind it against 180, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 66% of The MacArthur Study Bible's written reviews are positive against 87% of BibleRef's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
The MacArthur Study Bible ships an update monthly, BibleRef every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | The MacArthur Study Bible | BibleRef |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (18K ratings) — better | 4.6 (180 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 65.8% of reviews | 87.2% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 18K — better | 180 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 112 MB | 171 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Grace to You | Got Questions Ministries |
Customer experience
The MacArthur Study Bible
BibleRef
User reviews
The MacArthur Study Bible
From 18K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🙏 Excellent study resource
- 📚 Helpful commentary and notes
- 🔍 Useful cross-references
- 🎧 Convenient audio Bible
- 🕰️ Daily devotionals and sermons
Room to improve
- 🐛 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
BibleRef
From 180 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📚 Comprehensive verse-by-verse commentary and explanations
- 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface design
- 🆓 Completely free with no paywalls or subscriptions
- 📖 Multiple Bible translations available for comparison
- 🎯 Helpful context and summary sections for each chapter
Room to improve
- ⚠️ Incomplete coverage of Old Testament books
- 🔄 Many sections marked 'Coming Soon' throughout app
- 🐛 App freezes and won't download updates
- ❌ Missing features compared to other Bible apps
- 📊 Inconsistent commentary availability across books
Bugs and requests
The MacArthur Study Bible
Reported bugs
4 issues- Unable to create account
- Inability to access saved notes and highlights
- Incompatibility issues with newer iOS devices
- Devotionals not updating regularly
Requested features
5 requests- 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
BibleRef
Reported bugs
4 issues- App freezes and won't download updates
- Crashes after iOS updates
- Performance issues with certain devices
- Inconsistent loading of commentary sections
Requested features
10 requests- Highlighter and font size adjustment options
- Audio/text-to-speech functionality for commentary
- iPad version of the app
- Bookmark or reading progress tracker
- Search function for verses and topics
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- Spanish language version
- Clickable verse citations in commentary
- Additional Bible translations (NKJV)
- Copy and paste text selection capability
- Favorite/save verses feature
In-app purchases
The MacArthur Study Bible
- John MacArthur’s Study Bible NotesFree
BibleRef
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is The MacArthur Study Bible free?
Is BibleRef free?
Which has better reviews, The MacArthur Study Bible or BibleRef?
Do The MacArthur Study Bible or BibleRef have ads?
Which is updated more often, The MacArthur Study Bible or BibleRef?
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