[Updated for 2023]

The Word of God is ALWAYS with you when you have a Bible app on your mobile device.

A whopping 42% of smartphone users have a Bible app installed. That’s according to a poll highlighted in this EWTN News Nightly episode. Convenience and portability don’t even scratch the surface of the many reasons to download a Bible app! With capabilities to quickly search, highlight, share, link, copy/paste verses, access concordance, access extended footnotes and much more, you’ll see that a Bible app offers much more than just text. And it’s light weight! We’ve collected some of the better Catholic Bible Apps out there for you to browse. Some are even FREE! https://youtu.be/w2jbeFJ1VZU?t=1196

What is the Bible?

God speaks to us in many ways. One way God speaks to us is through the Bible. The Bible is the most important book in Christian life because it is God’s message, or revelation. The Bible is the story of God’s promise to care for us, especially through his Son, Jesus. At Mass we hear stories from the Bible. We can also read the Bible on our own. <Read more from Loyola Press>

How do I know if a Bible is an approved Catholic translation?

You can check out the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ list of approved translations of the Bible for private use and study by Catholics. In addition to the translations listed, according to the USCCB,  “any translation of the Sacred Scriptures that has received proper ecclesiastical approval ‒ namely, by the Apostolic See or a local ordinary prior to 1983, or by the Apostolic See or an episcopal conference following 1983 ‒ may be used by the Catholic faithful for private prayer and study.”

What Bible translation do we use for Scripture readings for Mass in the Roman Rite?

• In United States: The New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE). (Note: not the New American Standard Bible which is a different translation.)
• In Canada:  New Revised Standard Version (NRSV).

From USCCB: “Released on March 9, 2011, the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE) is the culmination of nearly 20 years of work by a group of nearly 100 scholars and theologians, including bishops, revisers and editors. The NABRE includes a newly revised translation of the entire Old Testament (including the Book of Psalms) along with the 1986 edition of the New Testament.”

Want to learn more about reading and understanding the Bible from the Catholic perspective? Check out the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ web site to start your journey.

Bible-In-A-Year Reading Plans within Apps

The Bible can be difficult to understand if you start on page one of the Book of Genesis and read all the way through 73 books ending with Revelation. That’s because the Bible isn’t structured with a chronological narrative like we are used to in most books we read. Three apps we highlight– Hallow, Amen and Truth and Life Bible– offer a methodical way to read the Bible with reading plans to not only help you better understand the text, but to actually get you through the entire Bible in a year! Blessedly, these daily sessions are recorded for you, so you can listen to audio tracts each day which run approximately 15 to 20 minutes each. Let’s take a look at the Bible-in-a-Year audio programs offered by Hallow, Amen and Truth and Life Bible apps. Hallow and Amen contain a vast catalog of resources which you can read about in a previous review. Below we will just focus on their free audio Bible reading episodes spanning 365 days:

Hallow Free download with access to a bunch of exquisite content. Subscription necessary to open access to full content–monthly $8.99; annually $59.99 Apple | GooglePlay

Hallow is touted by developers as the #1 Catholic app. Yes, it has a subscription side in which you can unlock the vast collection of resources, but on the free side you automaticaly get the popular Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz. Simply download the app and you’ve got the program. It is based on Dr. Jeff Cavins’ Great Adventure Bible Timeline which follows 14 narrative books from the Old and New Testaments which are put in context of the non-narrative books (like Wisdom and Psalms), so you eventually wander through all 73 books of the Bible. An insightful three-part introduction about the Bible and how to get the most out of reading it through this specific reading plan tees you up to begin your journey.

From developers: “For each period in the timeline, Jeff will join Fr. Mike for a special episode that will help you understand the context of each reading. With this podcast, you won’t just read the Bible in a year … you’ll finally understand how all the pieces of the Bible fit together to tell an amazing story that continues in your life today!”

This program uses the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition translation of the Bible. Father Schmitz’s reading is quick-paced (think: he consumed a lot of high-octane coffee). While I’m not a fan of his rapid-shot delivery, his passion for sharing the story of salvation history is infectious. Following the readings, Father Schmitz offers a brief explanation of what you heard in that episode and how the passages relate to us today.

Amen App (Free) Apple | Android  by Augustine Institute Amen App’s Bible in a Year audio program is a no-explaination, no-frills audio read of the Bible by a professional narrater. So, unlike Hallow app’s offering, you won’t get any explanations or reflections to help you better understand what you read/heard. In this plan, each day (dated Day 1, Day 2, etc.) features three readings, one each from the Old Testament, Wisdom Literature, and the New Testament. The program utilizes the English Standard Version® Catholic Edition translation– which, developers say, many consider to be the best available English translation of the Bible. After the three parts of the Bible are read to you, the screen automatically takes you to your personal section of the app in which you can write down (and share) your meditations in a journal entry.

Truth & Life Dramatized audio Bible New Testament (Free text with in-app purchase to unlock all the audio; Gospel of Mark audio free) RSV-Catholic Edition translation  Apple | GooglePlay | |Kindle Fire | Online web. Includes audio/text for Gospel books; text for entire Revised Standard Version- Catholic Edition English translation of the Bible.

Imagine a reading plan that will serve the Gospels texts to you on your mobile device AND read it to you! This is not your ordinary audio book. We’re talking a world-class production of the Gospels read by more than 70 actors (many celebrities) with movie studio sound effects and an original music score!

On a long road trip? Stuck in traffic? Fire up this app and enjoy having the Gospels read to you while you listen to the oars of Peter’s boat slapping the water on the Sea of Galilee or the crowds gasp in amazement on witnessing a miracle from Jesus. You’ll enjoy the original background music that dramatically enhances the readings.

From Developers: “More than 70 actors help bring the scriptures to life in this 22-hour audio production, complete with this award-winning audio New Testament … endorsed with an Imprimatur from the Vatican and including a foreword by Pope Benedict XVI.”

The 365-day reading plan takes you through the entire Bible chronologically. Check out other reading plans in the screenshot. As an added bonus, you get the audio version of the Gospel of Mark with this free version with the ability to upgrade (a mere $20) to the full New Testament audio at any time. So, while the full text of the Bible is free, the audio New Testament is not, with the exception of the Gospel of Mark. The quality of the audio is well worth the price as you’ll experience hearing Mark’s Gospel.

Our preferred way to get this Bible app is to go through the free EWTN app. This Catholic multi-media app provides a seamless portal to the Truth and Life Audio Bible while at the same time offering you all their great programing which you should have anyway.

Individual audio books of the New Testament are $1.99 ea; the complete new Testament is $19.99 and the entire package audio and study bible is 29.99.

• Complete text of RSV-CE translation synchronized with audio [text highlights move with the audio reading- very cool]
• Go directly to any verse and hear and see the Bible text instantly [very cool!]
• Use the built in playlist [built-in reading plan] to hear/read the New Testament in 40 days or in Chronological order
• Search verses
• Create your own playlist of verses [who else provides that?]
• Remembers where you left off with bookmark.
• Easily fit entire 22 hours of audio on your device.
• Ability to highlight text and take notes
• Maps of the Holy Land during various Biblical times
• Spanish text version of the Bible is NOW offered (La biblia de Straubinger, considered the primer Catholic Bible in Spanish)

    

Bible Apps

Bible Gateway (Free) Apple | Android | Kindle Fire.  The Bible Gateway Bible App is the official mobile Bible reading and study experience from Bible Gateway (a division of Harper Collins Christian Publishing), offering the many reading amenities (listed below) that you look for in a Bible app. Though Protestant in origin, BG provides the Apocrypha with versions that include those books such as U.S. Catholicism’s official New American Bible (revised edition, 2010) and Europe’s old Douay-Rheims (in the 1899 U.S. version).  So, while it offers more than 90 different Bible translations, two are Catholic–  which you can download onto your device (after you give publisher access to your email address) for off-line reading. You will need to go into settings to set it as your default Bible. • Easy-to-use and reliable Bible search, both online and offline • Daily Bible verse in the translation of your choice • Daily Bible reading plans • Bible audio in a number of different translations and styles (none are Catholic translations) • Parallel translation viewing (iPad only, currently only available when online) • Quick Bible reading history, so you can go back and forth between Bible verses you have viewed • Personal notes – both general notes and notes tagged to specific Bible verses can be created • Star the Bible verses that are your favorite • Highlight Bible verses or passages • Easily view Bible study resources (Bible Commentaries, Bible Dictionaries, etc.) to help you unpack your Scripture reading • And integrated sharing tools make it quick and simple to share your favorite Bible verses with your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter   

Bible App (Free) Apple, Android, Kindle Fire  Developers, say this is the #1 Bible app in the world. That may be true given the hundreds of Bibles available for you to  choose from in more than 1,000 languages. Some of the Bibles are approved Catholic versions like NAB-RE and Douay Rheims. Internet connection is needed to use most content in this app, but some Bibles are imbedded in the app so you can read them off line. Unfortunately, none of the imbedded bibles in English are Catholic editions. Audio Bibles are available but not downloadable. These include Douay Rheims. Study tools include reading plans, search capability, note taking, highlighting and bookmarking capability. Text can be sized for easier reading. Your bookmarks, highlights and notes are saved on YouVersion.com which you must log into to use. But this gives you cross-platform use wherever you go with whatever relevant device you use to access the Bible you are in the midst of reading. You will enjoy the added bonus of videos in which portions of the Bible are dramatized in beautifully filmed enactments as the narrator reads from Scripture.   

iMissal Catholic Bible for Apple [iPhone/iPad/iPodTouch] ($9.99) You get the New American Bible (NABre), the Catholic Bible readings we use at Mass (in the United States) come from this translation. No WIFI is necessary, so the entire Bible can be read offline and available for immediate use. It has all the bells and whistles you want in a Bible app. This app is from the makers of iMissal and is designed to be integrated with the iMissal app. However, even if you pay for the iMissal app, you still have to purchase this separate Bible ($9.99). That is still a great deal for a fully downloadable Catholic Bible, and the best part is it integrates directly with iMissal so that you can jump from Mass readings and Bible verses directly into iMissal Bible for full contextual reference. FEATURES: * Entire New American Bible (NABre) * No WIFI necessary * Works on both iPhone and iPad * Includes Footnotes and Endnotes * Fully searchable by word, phrase, verse. Filterable. * Share scripture via social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Email) * Multiple Display Modes (Day, Night, Sepia) * User Font typeface and size selection * Highlight text using multiple colors * Bookmarks * Book Ribbons * Verses on separate lines setting * Multiple Paging Options (flick, vertical and horizontal paging) * Create your own Notes for later reference * View FootNotes without interrupting reading flow * History tracking * Bible Reading Plans.

Catholic NAB-RE Bible on Apple ($2.99)–This “revised edition” is the first major update to the New American Bible (NAB) text in decades. It is the version of Scripture you hear at Mass in the United States. You get the COMPLETE Bible and do not need to be connected to the internet to read it. This app is approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This is value-priced considering the fact that the entire Bible can be downloaded to your device so you never have to access the internet to use it. This bible app comes with a bunch of useful features listed below: – Access the Liturgical calendar for the United States – Easily switch between books by touching book title
– Move between chapters via swipe left/right gesture
– Increase/decrease font size by pinch in/out gesture
– Search verses, filter by chapter, book, old, new, entire bible
– Bookmark verses by touching a verse
– Copy multiple verses
– Highlight verses
– Tweet verses
– Book introductions
– Hypertext footnotes
– Hypertext endnotes
– Hypertext references
– Daily Readings
– History of Last 50 Verses Visited
– Stories, Parables, Miracles, Prayers found in the Bible 

Laudate  (Free) Apple and Android, Kindle Fire NAB-RE Bible when connected to internet only. It also offers Douay-Rheims Bible which is local so you don’t need to be connected to the internet. This makes for a large file, so they recommend moving the app to your phone’s SD card if you’re not using an iOS device. Laudete is a highly popular Catholic app which is loaded with many Catholic resources like a Roman Missal, dozens of prayers, Roman Breviary, rosary, Church documents, and much more in this valuable all-in-one app.   x

iPieta.($2.99) Full version in Apple and Android is split up into several lite apps. Contains the  Douay-Rheims, Clementine Vulgate (Catholic and public domain) Developer note: Psalms are COMPLETE but numbered as in the Vulgate. iPieta bundles many other Catholic resources like hundreds of prayers (some in audio format), Church documents, classic Catholic books, liturgical calendar and much more in this valuable all-in-one app. x 

Catholic Audio Bibles (some contain full text of Bibles too)

Lighthouse Catholic Media Bible. (Free RSV-CE text Bible) Apple |Android  and for Kindle Fire. This includes a RSV-CE Bible AND audio of the New Testament. You get the audio of the Gospel of St. John in the free version with the ability to purchase more New Testament audio books. From Developers: “…electronic version of the entire RSV-CE Bible, packed with incredible content from various Catholic apostolates intended to bring Sacred Scripture to life! With over 50 purchasable [$1.99-$2.99 ea.] Lighthouse talks on various biblical topics, and FREE audio presentations from Dr. Scott Hahn and the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology…you’ll go deeper into the Scripture than ever before. And now you can also purchase Truth and Life – the award winning “radio drama” of the entire RSV-CE New Testament…This amazing audio New Testament is endorsed with an Imprimatur from the Vatican and includes a foreword by Pope Benedict XVI”   

Catholic Audio Bible in MP3 format (Trial version is free.) Android. Requires internet connection. Douay-Reims translation of Latin Vulgate in which you can listen to the entire Catholic Bible, both Old and New Testament. The trial version is the lite version which you can download for free and sample a few Scripture chapters. Upgrade to the Pro version to have unlimited access to the complete Old and New Testament. These MP3’s are streamed, not downloaded, so they take up no storage space on your device. Keep in mind, this is not a high-tech modern recording. Developers note this is a vintage recording digitally transferred from tape recordings. You may enjoy that particular audio ambience coupled with the male reader’s British accent.

Catholic Study Bibles

Study Bibles come with tremendous extra resources to help you dig deeper into the text for your study or devotional life. Want to discover treasures hidden within Sacred Scripture? A Catholic study Bible is a great place to start. These resources typically include commentaries, extended footnotes, maps, lexicons, photos, Church documents, search capability, Hebrew and Greek translations, concordances and much more. x

Screen shot of one of the many pages filled with resources in Verbum.

Verbum (Free for basic components) Apple and Android and Kindle Fire and Mac and PC. This is the best Catholic Bible study app in the market. It is produced under the Logos Bible Software product line, a powerful Bible study platform all on its own. While Logos is primarily Protestant in orientation, its developers have created a Catholic version of their popular Logos App under the brand, Verbum. Not all Bible study apps are created equally. This one caters uniquely to Catholic study in that it incorporates sacred scripture and tradition. That means that documents of the Church, writings of Church Fathers, Catholic commentaries and the teachings of the faith (various Catechisms) are  among many Catholic resources included in the bundle. But it goes beyond that. Verbum integrates Church documents and writings and commentaries into your experience of studying sacred Scripture. That’s because the search function includes your entire library, not just Scripture. So, you can enter Scripture or a topic in the Passage Guide and within seconds it finds material from all the books loaded into the app including the Scriptures, Church Fathers, Medieval theological works, and contemporary theology— all linked to the page you need. If that is not enough, the Exegetical Guide introduces you to original ancient languages, even if you don’t read Greek or Hebrew. You can split screen to read Bible verse with another book simultaneously. The complete Roman Catholic lectionary is included in the free version, so even if you only got this app for the Mass readings, it’s worth it. There is a lot more to this exceptional Catholic Bible study app including highlighting, bookmarking and note taking capabilities which it saves on line so you can access your information and open to the last page read among your mobile devices or your computer. A video tutorial is bundled with the app to help you learn how to use many of its features. Here is an in-depth review that will sell you on this power-app if you are not convinced of its value already. Some of the valuable resources bundled into the full version of Verbum ($49.95-which you can pay for and download after you load the free Verbum app) include:

• The Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition ($13.95 if you want to purchase it separately)
• The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent (Text Only)
• Catechism of the Catholic Church
• The Catechism of the Council of Trent (Text Only)
• Catholic Lectionary
• The Decrees of the Vatican Council
• Douay-Rheims Bible
• The Sources of Catholic Dogma
• Vatican II Documents

Olive Tree Bible Study (Free to $24.95) Apple | Android | Kindle Fire | Windows Tablet | Apple Watch  | Mac and PC. A reviewer characterized this app as the “gold standard of Bible study apps.” I would caution that Verbum app likely takes that honor, but this is certainly an excellent competitor. Check out these videos to see how the various functions work. You will be amazed! The interface to delve into all the various tools is elegant and smooth. All the popular Catholic editions are included in their offering. So much is packed into this gem of an app: extensive footnotes; option to include maps and charts; search capability; load optional commentary; verse chooser; text highlight; book ribbons; pop-up lexicon; ability to make notes in the text. It has a split-screen capability to view two passages simultaneously, so you can keep Greek or Hebrew open while you read English, for example. Free Bibles available in dozens of editions including Catholic. But it does not include  or incorporate documents and writings from the Church’s sacred tradition, so that part of your experience of studying Sacred Scripture is not available in this app. If you want that included, choose the free Verbum app instead and skip this one. If you choose an Olive Tree Bible, the FIRST thing you do is download their Bible Reader software (Free). The Bible Reader is the program used to read the text–much like Kindle software is used to read digital books. Once the software is loaded, set up an account and then choose Bibles you want to download from the developer’s web site (includes all the popular versions, study versions, non-English, Greek and Hebrew Bibles!) Prices range from free to $24.95 and the site explains how to retrieve your book for your Bible reader. Bibles and books can be purchased directly from within the app on your mobile device, or they can be purchased through the Olive Tree web site and downloaded to your device later. There are hundreds of free books and study tools in Olive Tree’s catalog. Video tutorials are loaded on the app to help you use its many features. Mobile Bible Software for advanced Greek and Hebrew Olive Tree Bible Software offers the standard scholarly Greek and Hebrew texts, parsing and morphological information at the touch of a finger, and fast and powerful searches on words or morphologies – developed for all mobile devices. Watch this video overview of how Olive Tree’s app works: