Type of Software: Logos Bible Study is a Freemium Bible software
Disclaimer: I use Logos Bible Study every day. It is my favorite Bible software of all the software I have tried out. I also have many resources and books that I have paid for, so factor that into this review. I will give both free and paid options below in the Availability section.
Any links in this review may be affiliate links. This means that when you click on them, anything you purchase may give me a small percentage of money. This will not change the amount of money you pay. Any proceeds I received from affiliate links help to pay for this website and its services.
Introduction
If you want to study the Bible in depth, have resources (books) and the tools at your disposal that rival the best in Bible software, you want to try out Logos Bible Study (LBS) by Faithlife. Even on less expensive base packages, you can customize it to your heart’s content.
I’ve been using Logos Bible Study for over 20 years. There had been many changes to it but all for the better to make it an even more powerful tool to grow in Bible study. Let’s examine this powerful Bible software and see how it checks all the boxes off for me, and perhaps for you as well.
I use Logos for virtually everything I do including my daily devotions, sermons, Bible studies, the research for my books, and personal study of God’s Word.
Availability
You can get Logos Bible Study for free or compare packages! Base packages are the easiest way to economically add books and other resources to your library. You can also add individual books and resources by searching for them on the website. Visit Logos Bible Study for more information.
Logos is also available on your desktop (having the most features and the most power behind it), on android and iOS tablets and phones, and as a web app. No matter where you are, you have access to your personal library and many of Logos’s program features.
User Interface
LBS’s user interface can go from easy to use to more complicated depending on the layout you use. LBS can open with several books from an empty screen ready to use, a home screen, or to your previous session. It has an expandable menu and toolbar on the left side of the screen.
The menu has your most important functions in the library, opening the Bible, the fact book (LBS’s integrated “Bible thing knower), your files, guides and workflows, and tools. You can even make your own layouts based on your studies, try one of the premade layouts, and folders on the toolbar to store them.
Once you open a resource, and orange line appears on the active panel and tab. Within each of the panels are pretty much the same controls. These simple controls yield powerful Bible study and a greater understanding of God’s Word.
While the user interface is easy to master, learning how to use all the tools and integrations in the software will make your Bible study deeper and faster the more techniques you learn how to use these simple but powerful user interface options.
Below is one of the layouts I use to study a passage of Scripture. It looks like a lot is happening, and it is. But don’t let that scare you. You can make your own layouts and make them as simple or complex as you need.
Tools, Features, and Guides and Workflows
Tools come with the software, and you can use most of them with the lower packages. There are two types of tools. “Integrated tools” help you to learn information about your word, verse, or passage. “Interactive tools” are exactly that, ones you can change the sidebar filters to find the information you’re looking for.
Integrated tools like the information pane, power lookup, passage analysis, text comparison, and many more help you to “drill down” on the meaning of your passage. They reveal things you may not have noticed before or would like to find out based on a question in your own analysis.
My favorite integrated tools are the text comparison and information tools. Interactive tools allow you to find more information in a specific category. They have a lot of interactive tools, and some of them apply to the wall Bible while others have a specific niche. For instance, the Bible books browser, Bible browser, and New Testament Use of the Old Testament could arguably be used for much of the Bible.
Some of these interactive tools have to be used with An Internet Connection Because They Use Faithlife’s servers. Other interactive tools are useful for specific study, such as the Miracles of the Bible, names of God, and Ten Commandments tool. My favorites are Miracles of the Bible and the New Testament Use of the Old Testament.
There are so many tools that I cannot tell you about all of them in a review. You should check them out. Features allow you to use these tools more effectively and give them more information to give you as you study the Bible. You can get different feature sets based on the things you study the most or want to know the most about.
Guides and workflows are another set of tools you will find yourself returning to repeatedly. Guides such as the Passage Guide, Exegetical Guide, Bible Word Study Guide, Counseling Guide, and Sermon and Topical Guide are the tools I turned to first in my Bible study. These guides have several sections that will help you dig deeper into your study.
I don’t use workflows as much as others. Workflows can guide your study and give you the steps to do in order for whatever task you are performing. What’s more, you can learn to study and prepare sermons like other Christian preachers and teachers. Many of them have given their method in these workflows.
Resources (Books and Media)
Resources are the backbone of LBS. They are the Bibles, books, commentaries, Bible dictionaries, lexicons, media resources (audio and video), and courseware. The more resources you have, the stronger the Bible software is. That’s the only rub of the software. It is only as strong as the resources you put behind it.
You can read your books and Bibles, and all your other resources. You can listen to audiobooks or watch videos if you have them. You can take seminary level courses and learn that way. There are many things to do with your resources, but the most powerful part of the software is that it leverages all these resources, links them together, and gives you the most amount of time to study as it automatically looks everything up for you.
It will offer information you would not know to look for in your print library. This is my favorite part of resources. I like it offering me information and things I would not have thought to look for in my library. You can completely customize your resources to your field of study or the things you want to study about the Bible.
There is an extremely large catalog of resources from which to choose. You can guess that Logos has the resource you want. I have rarely searched for something they don’t have. You have so many options available to you that you will probably have trouble corralling your mind to focus on one thing instead of being overcome with all the information the software provides.
The drawback for many people will be the price of adding resources. It can get very pricey. You can start with a base package or choose what resources you want if you have a certain field of study you want to do. However, Faithlife has at least one book for free each month, and offers steep discounts for other resources monthly.
Accessibility
I am legally blind, and so accessibility features in a software matter a great deal to me. Perhaps you are the same way. Every resource can be magnified or made smaller. Virtually every panel contains a real loud function. If you own the audiobook or audio to a Bible, it will play in that person’s voice.
All other resources will be played back with the system settings you have for reading aloud. There are also different modes for the “skins” of the program. For instance, as you can see from the screenshots, I like the dark mode feature that is easy on my eyes and helps me to see the text easier. I must say Logos has the upper hand versus other Bible programs in the area of accessibility features.
Support
I know it sounds like a lot, especially at first, to learn how to use the software and get the most out of it. Faithlife doesn’t let you down here, either. They have an extensive support community and knowledge base, along with videos on virtually every aspect of the Bible software. If you don’t know how to use something, you can usually find a video or article on it.
I also enjoy their free live and recorded webinars that take you through the basics of Logos and really help you get your feet wet. I find even as they seasoned user I gained insight from watching some of these webinars. MP Seminars is another great resource for learning about the software in depth. They offer different plans with videos recorded and full courses devoted to learning more about Logos Bible Study.
Strengths and Weaknesses
I probably sound like either a snob or a power user. Hopefully I have been helpful in showing you some of the capabilities of LBS. I would like to list what I think are the strengths and weaknesses for you.
First, the strengths. After regular use for many years, especially through my Bible college and seminary years, I like the detail and all the information the software provides at your fingertips and at a glance. The tools, guides, and workflows help guide your study see you don’t get caught in the weeds.
The ability to study the Bible with original languages and not have to know those languages is a win-win. Even some of the basic resources that come with the software free and at low cost are extremely helpful to gain knowledge about the Bible. I have to include accessibility features as a great strength.
Now the weaknesses. It is only as powerful as the resources and features you feed into it. These could become a costly endeavor to get what you want out of it. Also, the same strength I listed of the information overload could be a problem for many people who cannot handle seeing all that at once.
Another weakness is how much money you could potentially dump into LBS. I have spent a lot of money over the 20 some years I have been using the software. For me as a minister and Bible teacher, it has been worth it. It depends on how much study you want to do.
Learning how to use the user interface, layouts, and how to link your tools and resources together for the quickest and most informative study will take a while. You will learn more as you go, but until you become proficient in the software, you will not realize what you may be missing.
Final Thoughts
Especially if you are a minister or Bible teacher, you will get a lot out of Logos Bible Study. Everything you put into it will be worth it, and more. Logos is one of the first programs I open on my computer in the morning, and it is one of the last programs I close before I shut down.
If nothing else, you can check out the free version and see if you like what it has to offer even at the base level. You will find things you love, and as it grows on you, even the things you thought you would never use you will find yourself turning to for more of an understanding of God’s Word.
Check out my review of other Bible software
