Bible Software

Many Christians are not aware of the number of free software/open source programs available for Bible Study, or even the freeware/shareware out there. For most people, there is really no need to spend (any) money on Bible software these days! Because of this, we have placed the software in categories, beginning with the most freedom of use, to the least freedom of use. Freedoms includes such things as freedom from cost, freedom to copy/distribute, freedom to modify.

Name Description Operating System Cost (if any)

Free Software - Open Source Software
Free to download, provides the software source code, and the ability to modify and distribute copies freely. Total software freedom!

Sword Project The SWORD Project for Windows is a full featured Bible study package for the layman and exegete alike. It uses the hundreds of Sword Project file modules below in this list. Free; Multi-language support; extensive resources for every Bible student.
http://www.crosswire.org/sword/software/
Windows free, but you can have a CD shipped to you for a minimum $3.00 donation.
BibleTime BibleTime is a powerful Bible study application for the K Desktop Environment running on Unix operating systems.
http://www.bibletime.de/
Linux, Unix free
GnomeSword Bible Study Software for Linux and the Gnome Desktop.
http://gnomesword.sourceforge.net/
Linux, Unix free
Sword Project files The SWORD Project is the CrossWire Bible Society's free Bible software project. Its purpose is to create cross-platform open-source tools-- covered by the GNU General Public License-- that allow programmers and Bible societies to write new Bible software more quickly and easily. We also create Bible study software for all readers, students, scholars, and translators of the Bible, and have a growing collection of over 200 texts in over 50 languages.
Modules are used by the Sword Project for Windows, BibleTime, GnomeSword, MacSword, BibleReader (for Palm), and QPSword.
http://www.crosswire.org/sword/
Windows, Linux, Unix free
QPSword Qtopia front end for The SWORD Project. This is an arm binary for use on iPaq and Zaurus handhelds running Qtopia and Linux. These packages may work on other arm handhelds as well. This reader should work with any SWORD module. Enjoy!
http://www.crosswire.org/qpsword/
Linux on the Zaurus or iPAQ PDA free
MacSword

MacSword is a Bible Study program for Mac OS X, based on the Sword engine. Uses the Sword modules for bible translations, commentaries, etc.
http://www.macsword.com/

Mac OS X free

Shareware and Freeware
Shareware is free to try, but you should pay a registration fee to continue to use it. Freeware is free for now, but the vendor can change the license in the future, revoking the free status. Source code is not provided. You may not modify or distribute the software.

Online Bible The Online Bible Starters Pack contains your complete Bible study Software free of charge. Free of registration. No limit in use. Just download, use it and share it with your friends. The Online Bible Starters Pack contains: The most recent software edition of the Online Bible 2.10 with King James Version (w. Strong's) (12.74 MB). (Windows)
http://www.onlinebible.net/ (Windows)
http://www.online-bible.com/maconlinebible.html
Windows, Mac freeware starter version (no source code provided)
Sword Searcher SwordSearcher is a powerful program designed to help you study God's Word.
http://www.swordsearcher.com/
Windows shareware; $35 (no source code provided)

Commercial Software
Available online for ordering/download or in stores, prices vary. No source code provided. Illegal to copy or distribute copies.

Power Bible CD Power Bible CD is an easy-to-use Windows application for Christian Bible study. Features such as floating cross-references, floating Strong’s definitions, a lesson editor, and fast Bible searches will help you get the most out of your Bible study time.
http://www.powerbible.com/
Windows $19; no source code provided
BibleWorks "BibleWorks is a tightly integrated collection of software tools designed specifically for analyzing the texts of the Bible."
http://www.bibleworks.com/
Windows $349 for full version; no source code provided
Logos Many very comprehensive programs, difficult learning curve, very expensive.
http://www.logos.com/
Windows $50-$600 for various bundles; no source code provided
OliveTree Olive Tree Bible Software is an electronic Bible publishing company.
We publish over 40 translations of the Bible for the handheld computer. Our Bibles, dictionaries, and parsing tools are available for Palm OS(tm) and Pocket PC/WinCE(tm). We also offer Bibles in several languages including German, French, and Spanish.
http://www.olivetree.com/
Palm OS, Windows CE (PDA) freeware (no source code provided); bibles cost $0 to $40 each; no source code provided
QuickVerse Elevate your bible study experience with a complete easy-to-use Biblical research library right on your computer!
http://www.quickverse.com
Windows $29-$170 for basic editions; no source code provided
Ages Library Collections of many bibles and Christian writings, reference works.
Most of the material they are selling is freely available, public domain, at sites like http://ccel.org/.
http://www.ageslibrary.com/
Windows, Mac, Linux $80-$300; no source code provided