The MacArthur Study Bible vs Good Ground | Bible Study
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.
Good Ground | Bible Study
This app offers a structured approach to Bible study, allowing users to delve deeply into scripture through guided exercises and extensive reference materials. It helps users track their learning, organize notes, and build a consistent study practice.
- Guided chapter-by-chapter study
- Extensive reference materials (history, culture, keywords)
- Verse-specific tools for insights and annotations
- Integrated workspace for notes and clippings
- Cross-chapter journal for organized learning
- Progress tracking and study goal setting
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Good Ground is a chapter-based Bible study workspace designed to help you slow down, examine Scripture closely, and keep track of what you learn. Start with the text. Read a full chapter, unlock key verse insights, then move into a guided study or explore the chapter through deeper reference material. GUIDED STUDY Each chapter can become a step-by-step study with five parts: Overview — understand the shape and central ideas of the passage Observations — notice patterns, details, and important features in the text Examination — work through questions, write your own answers, and reveal additional insights Reflection — consider the passage carefully and record your responses Prayer — gather prayer points from the study and write your own prayer Your progress is saved as you go, so you can leave a study and return where you stopped. REFERENCE Dig further into a chapter through six research tabs: History — explore the historical setting and timeline Culture — understand relevant customs, practices, and social context Structure — examine how the passage is organized Keywords — study important words, including Strong's data, definitions, and their sense within the passage Cross-References — follow parallels and thematic connections across Scripture Commentary — consult multiple commentary lenses with attribution and synthesis VERSE TOOLS Long-press a verse while reading to investigate it more closely. View a verse insight, clip it for later, add an annotation, explore Strong's information for individual words, or ask a question about the passage. YOUR WORKBENCH Every chapter has its own Workbench for the work you do while studying. Write notes, collect clippings, and ask contextual questions without leaving your study. YOUR JOURNAL Your Journal brings your work across chapters together in one place. Revisit notes, clippings, examination and reflection responses, prayers, and previous study sessions. Filter your entries, edit your notes, and return directly to the passage they came from. BUILD A STUDY PRACTICE Browse the Bible by book and chapter, continue recent reading, work through curated studies and multi-chapter study plans, set study goals, track your progress, and optionally schedule a daily study reminder. Scripture remains available to read for free. Free accounts include three chapter unlocks for the full Study and Reference tools. Good Ground Pro provides unlimited access to the complete Study and Reference experience, verse insights, study goals, featured studies, the cross-chapter Journal, and the full Workbench, including notes, clippings, and contextual Ask tools. All study content is reviewed against trusted scholarship as part of a strict editorial process before publication. AI assists with research and drafting, but nothing reaches you without passing through that review first. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: The MacArthur Study Bible at 18K against Good Ground | Bible Study's 2. The MacArthur Study Bible also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. The MacArthur Study Bible sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Good Ground | Bible Study sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 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 5.0 for Good Ground | Bible Study. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The MacArthur Study Bible has 18K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
| Parameter | The MacArthur Study Bible | Good Ground | Bible Study |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (18K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 65.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 18K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 112 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Grace to You | Oladoyin Oladapo |
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
Good Ground | Bible Study
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
The MacArthur Study Bible
- John MacArthur’s Study Bible NotesFree
Good Ground | Bible Study
- Good Ground Bible Study$6.991 Month
- Good Ground Bible Study$49.991 Year
- Good Ground Bible Study$149.99
Questions
Is The MacArthur Study Bible free?
Is Good Ground | Bible Study free?
Which has better reviews, The MacArthur Study Bible or Good Ground | Bible Study?
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