Bible Gateway Review
By Sankalp Jonna · Last reviewed 2026-05
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How we tested
Every app here was installed and used personally. We capture raw findings — typed notes, screenshots, screen recordings, voice memos — and the writing is AI-assisted from those raw notes. Scores, rankings, and "best for / skip if" calls reflect our actual experience with each app. Read the full methodology →
Our verdict
We'd recommend Bible Gateway as a complement to a heavier study app rather than as a primary daily-reading tool. The free tier is solid for translation breadth, especially Catholic and ecumenical translations, and the Plus tier at $69.99/year is the cheapest legitimate path to a real digital study-Bible-and-commentary library — getting the NIV Study Bible, MacArthur Study Bible, and Believer's Commentary at this price is meaningfully cheaper than building the equivalent on Olive Tree or Logos. For readers who already use BibleGateway.com on the web, the app is the obvious complement. Skip Bible Gateway if you study mostly offline — the app's offline support is genuinely thin compared with YouVersion or Olive Tree. Skip it also if you want serious original-language tools — there's no Strong's, no lexicons, no interlinear, even on Plus. Olive Tree at $59.99/year is the better pick for users who want both modern study Bibles and original-language work in one platform; Blue Letter Bible is the free pick for original-language work alone. Bible Gateway is best as a second app in your stack, not your primary.
Setup and first run
Installing Bible Gateway is a quiet onboarding compared with YouVersion's content-feed-heavy first run. We installed it on a fresh iPhone and were dropped into a clean home screen with the verse of the day, recent reading, and a translation picker prominent. Account creation is optional but worth doing — without an account, your highlights and notes stay device-local. With an account, everything syncs to the website and to other devices, which is the whole reason to use Bible Gateway over a more focused mobile-first app.
The free tier is genuinely usable on its own. We spent the first week of testing entirely on the free tier and found it covered the daily-reading job — 200+ translations, 30+ audio Bibles, reading plans, notes and highlights, and the verse of the day. The Plus upgrade prompt is restrained; you're not nagged on every screen. The 14-day Plus trial is the right way to evaluate whether the study Bibles and commentaries justify $69.99/year for your specific use case.
Day-to-day use
We used Bible Gateway primarily for two jobs over multiple weeks: daily reading with translation comparison and Plus-tier study work on a single passage. Both jobs revealed where the app shines and where it struggles.
Daily reading and translation comparison
The translation breadth is the headline strength. We compared the same Romans passage in the NIV, the NRSVue, the Jerusalem Bible, the New American Bible, and the Christian Standard Bible — all in one session, all in the free tier. For users who care about how a passage reads across traditions, that breadth is hard to beat. YouVersion has more raw translations (2,500+); Bible Gateway has stronger curation in Catholic, ecumenical, and historic translations.
Plus-tier study work
The Plus tier is where Bible Gateway becomes a real study app. We worked through a study session on Romans 8 using the NIV Study Bible notes, the MacArthur Study Bible notes, and the Believer's Commentary, all unlocked under the same $69.99/year subscription. Building this same library on Olive Tree as one-time purchases would run several hundred dollars. The catch is that the resources read better on the website than in the app — the mobile interface for commentaries is functional but cramped, and we'd often switch to the website mid-session for sustained reading.
Reading plans
The reading plans library is smaller than YouVersion's but better-edited in places. The chronological plan and the Bible-in-a-year plans are well-paced, and the notification handling is respectful. We worked through two plans over the testing period without hitting friction.
Where it surprised us
The free tier was more substantial than we'd remembered. The 30+ audio Bibles include some dramatized versions that aren't free in YouVersion's free tier, and the translation breadth is deeper for non-Protestant traditions than we'd assumed. For Catholic readers specifically, the New American Bible plus several ecumenical options in the free tier make Bible Gateway a real alternative to Hallow's Bible component.
The web-mobile sync is the most reliable in the category. Highlights made on the website appear in the app within seconds, and vice versa. For users who already use BibleGateway.com on the web, the app earns its place purely on sync alone — no other Bible app gives you this much continuity between web and mobile.
The Plus tier resources are deeper than the marketing suggests. We hadn't fully appreciated that the NIV Study Bible, MacArthur Study Bible, and Believer's Commentary all live in one $69.99/year tier — that's a meaningful financial value for users who'd otherwise build the same library piecemeal on Olive Tree or Logos. The honest qualifier is that you don't own these resources; they're rented for the duration of your subscription.
Where it disappointed
The offline experience is the biggest weakness. Some translations can be downloaded for offline use, but the experience is meaningfully thinner than YouVersion's or Olive Tree's. Plus resources often require an online connection. For readers who study on planes or in low-signal areas, this is a real limitation. We'd pair Bible Gateway with a more offline-friendly app for travel.
The app trails the website on serious study work. The website's reading layout, search options, and resource integration are all more mature than the mobile equivalents. Some Plus commentaries have a noticeably better reading experience in a browser than in the app — the typography, the cross-references, the spacing all benefit from the larger screen and the more polished web UI.
There are no original-language tools at all. No Strong's, no lexicons, no interlinear, even on Plus. For users who want one-word Greek or Hebrew lookups, Bible Gateway is the wrong app — Blue Letter Bible (free) or Olive Tree Plus serve that job. Bible Gateway is a study-Bibles-and-commentaries app, not a word-study app.
The notes editor is basic. Fine for short reflections, frustrating for anything longer than a paragraph. Olive Tree's notebook is meaningfully better for sustained note-taking, and even Logos's mobile notes are deeper than what Bible Gateway ships.
The community layer is non-existent. No friends, no shared reading plans, no group features. That's a feature for solo readers and a deduction for couples or small groups.
The pricing reality
Bible Gateway Plus is $4.99/month or $69.99/year (effective ~$5.83/month annually), with a 14-day free trial. The annual plan is the right pick — the monthly compounds to ~$60/year, basically the same. Promotional 30%-off-the-first-year offers run frequently, dropping the first-year cost to ~$49, and they're worth waiting for if you're not in a hurry.
Compared with the rest of the category, $69.99/year sits at the same price point as Hallow Plus, Glorify Plus, and Dwell — fair for the study-Bible-and-commentary content if that's the headline value you want. For users who only want a daily reading app, the free tier is enough; Plus is an upgrade for serious study, not for casual use.
The honest comparison is against Olive Tree Plus at $59.99/year. Olive Tree is stronger on original-language tools, split-window study, and the ownership model. Bible Gateway is stronger on modern study Bibles (NIV, MacArthur) and dictionary content. For users who want both, Olive Tree Plus is the better single pick; for users who specifically want the modern study Bibles, Bible Gateway Plus is the targeted answer.
All paid plans visible on the Bible Gateway App Store listing. Free trials and intro pricing may vary by region.
Monthly
- Bible Gateway Plus Monthly$6.99
Yearly
- Bible Gateway Plus Yearly$69.99
Who else should consider it
Catholic and ecumenical readers specifically benefit from Bible Gateway's translation breadth — the New American Bible and Jerusalem Bible aren't always available in Protestant-built apps, and the free tier alone covers most Catholic reading needs. Pair with Hallow for prayer and Bible Gateway becomes a credible alternative to a Catholic-specific Bible app.
Anyone who's been a BibleGateway.com user for years should install the app for sync alone. The continuity between web and mobile is the most reliable in the category, and it earns its place purely on that.
Pastors who want modern study Bible content at the cheapest possible price for a curated subscription should consider Plus over building the same library on Olive Tree. The financial math depends on how long you'll subscribe — at five years, Bible Gateway Plus costs ~$350 in subscriptions; the same study Bibles purchased on Olive Tree might run $200–$400 one-time, with permanent ownership. Subscription versus ownership, same trade-off as the rest of the category.
Our final word
Bible Gateway has been the web's default Bible since the 1990s, and the app is finally a competent companion to that website. The free tier is solid for translation breadth, especially Catholic and ecumenical translations, and Bible Gateway Plus at $69.99/year is the cheapest legitimate path to a real digital study-Bible-and-commentary library. The trade-off is that the app is best when online — offline support and original-language tools are both thin compared with the alternatives. We use Bible Gateway as a complement to a heavier study app rather than as a primary daily-reading tool, but for anyone already on the website, it's an easy install. For Catholic readers, it's an even easier install. Just don't expect it to replace YouVersion for offline use or Olive Tree for sustained study.
Best for
Readers who already use BibleGateway.com on the web and want their highlights and notes on a phone, plus an affordable upgrade to modern study Bibles.
Skip if
Readers who study mostly offline or who want serious original-language tools — Olive Tree, Blue Letter Bible, or Logos serve those needs better.
What real users say
Every morning for years, now uninstalling
First, I’m a programmer, and certainly realize a company needs a revenue stream. For several years, I started my day with the scripture of the day on the first screen. The latest update gets me invested in the first 4-5 words, then covers the screen in an ad which must be endured for an indeterminate amount of time. - Having a clear “Ad Free” buyout would be a good option, as the banner in the middle (which is actual an upgrade to paid) is not obvious. - Basically, a “Could you pay $30-40 one time to help us keep the lights on?” I would do today. But I don’t use the app enough to warrant another subscription, and the reviews for the paid version aren’t great. - I realize Christian folks (in US anyway) can be cheap and demanding. I make effort not to be either. That said, at 4:30am, a scripture is a good way to start the day. A Jack-in-the-box pop up ad I must endure to get to that scripture? I’ll turn on a light a read my Bible, or use a different app. Thank you much, for all the years. If I find you have a perpetual license option then great, if not, this will be deleted.
— jdstoker · September 7, 2024
Going out on a limb here with hope this is once again 5 stars!
HOORAY! It is now July 2024, and Bible Gateway has at last restored all my notes, favorites and highlights, AND it isn’t crashing, and I can look for passages in two versions at once! Thank God. I have been praying for y’all and have missed using Bible Gateway. I can now cheerfully give it five stars again! My last two reviews are below. Last one: You can see my previous review below this one. I have waited a few months, and have been using the website some, but I MISS this formerly wonderful app! I see there is a new version, so I am downloading it again today, and praying it is once again worthy of five stars! If it is, I will renew my “Plus” membership next year. When it’s working properly, it is my favorite online Bible. Pray with me for Bible Gateway!! Former review: I have been VERY patient with the paid version of this app, $40 a year! And for the past year, it CONSTANTLY shuts down on me, and now won’t even take me to the Bible! I used to love this app and recommended it to everyone. I’ll try using the web version for a bit, but I cancelled my subscription today. My $40 has been a complete waste this past year…I can’t even look up scriptures, much less access the study tools I’m paying for. I’ve been hopeful after each bug “fix” update, but nothing changes…if anything, it has deteriorated. I’m so sorry.
— Jmbasb · July 25, 2024
This is a GREAT app But
I love this app A LOT actually but something went wrong with it recently and now I can’t use it. So I had to uninstall it 😔 I loved the fact that I could just put in the search bar just one word in a verse and it pulls up all the verses with that one word in it ANd it tells me how many verses has that word in it also. It give the whole Bible in over 25 different versions I can switch when I wanted I can have it in a diff language it also gives verse of the day and saved all my favorite verses in one area I got to highlight my favorite verses AND share them without it being sent all boggled where ppl had to download the app just to see it. SO I did really love the app BUT now it started to mess up now when I went to certain passages it would bring it up in the search but wouldn’t actually bring it up in the Bible part I couldn’t go to a certain book in the Bible anymore either. So I feel like I just lost all my data I was saving in all that I was studying in the app now! Ugh that’s SO frustrating too. But please fix maybe I’ll try it again later.
— BeautifulTrandy · November 24, 2018
Update to 63 broke other things
Hey that’s great that you updated your app about five days ago to version 63 to fix the audio player. But it broke a lot of other things. When I tap on the Bible button, it’s blank in the section you are supposed to see the book’s name. Just a little arrow is there, and it does nothing. I can’t choose a book of the Bible. Also, the font is too big and overrides on other font areas, making it hard to read. I tried to change the font size within the app, and it didn’t change anything. I also tried to change the font size on my phone, and it also did not affect it. It just remains too large and runs off the screen. There are other problems, but I’m sure if you guys look into it you’ll find them. I have an iPhone SE. I have used your app for many years, and it is my go to Bible App. I hope you can fix this problem, because it is not useable to read the Bible at this point. 😢
— J@nette · August 9, 2022
Almost perfect, except for Bible Study
This is the best Bible app I have come across, although there are some pains in using the app’s Study Bible feature. I LOVE that it has virtually every version of the Study Bible, however there are a few areas where it needs some improvement. 1) Persistence in the Study Bible view. When my screen locks I completely lose my place when I return. I have to navigate back to the Study Bible menu, scroll down to find the version I use, then navigate back to the place I was. Likewise when I navigate to another section of the app and then return, I still have to find the right version, book, chapter and verse. This is SUCH a pain given how frequently it happens. The app should remember the version and bookmark my place, always. 2) No access to notes or favorites. It seems that one would be MORE likely to want to highlight, bookmark and annotate when reading the Bible from a study point of view. Alas... 3) Link main “Read the Bible” view to equivalent page from your favorite Study Bible. That way I can jump right to the study notes of the verse I’m reading and back. Again, this needs to be more intuitive and eliminate useless steps. There are many other Bible apps out there, but the main differentiator of this app is the inclusion of Study Bible content. It already makes this practice IMMENSELY more accessible compared to flipping back and forth with the paper book. Adding these conveniences is probably the only thing that would make this app significantly better (besides adding the James Earl Jones narration 😁). At the monthly price I don’t think it’s too much to ask.
— Mitch@Texas · June 7, 2021
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