Bible Gateway Reviews

by Jumpin Jonny

I had use BibleGateway for over a decade and it was very helpful and allowed me to look to different versions of the Bible. I like using different paraphrases and versions to see different perspectives from translation teams in people. The ESV and HCSB were my main resources, but also enjoyed the AMP, as well as the paraphrases (Message, TPT). About a month ago in February 2022 I tried to look up a verse in TPT, and it was no longer available. I reached out to support letting them know it was missing, hoping it was just a technical glitch. I reached out several other times with no response. It is my assumption BibleGateway has been “influenced“ by the movement to expunge TPT as a resource to followers of Jesus. It saddens my heart, because we are supposed to be united, and not divided. If people took time to understand the difference between a paraphrase, and a literal translation or thought for thought translation, I believe TPT would still be a resource available to me. I have now downloaded YouVersin, and will use that resource. Again, very saddened by the impact of the religious-mindset on this platform which simply cannot operate in Grace……no one is going to lose their relationship with God because they read TPT!

by Vlanex

This is my third time in 10 years to give Bible Gateway a chance to overcome multiple problems and I see the same problems if inconsistent and undependable performance. The lack of progress is disconcerting. I had my first experience only via computer and it was not good. Many bugs. I asked for support but didn’t get any response until over a week later. Even so it was frustrating. There was little attempt to make the technical corrections and eventually they just offered to give me my money back. I had to be honest with them, admitting that I was disappointed by fellow Christians who were not diligent businessmen. I felt embarrassed when I saw that Apple reported they have not gotten any response for their requests to provide privacy practice details. I also see there has been no version update since a year ago. That’s not a good sign. You can see for yourself The best, most responsive developers are updating their widely used apps at least once a week, average 2-4 weeks. The top Gun developers are updating every few DAYS In response to user feedback on various bugs. We Christians are held by our Lord to much higher standards of stewardship.

by Knick-naime

It is very hard to use. I cannot find clear instructions and cannot figure out how to get it to do simple things. For instance, it is presently stuck in the book of Isaiah. I want to check out a passage in I Corinthians. I typed the Corinthians reference in the search box. It tells me there are no results for my search, yet directly underneath that is the first part of the Corinthians passage with its reference. I assume they mean no results that are in Isaiah and click on the reference and partial verse below, expecting it will bring up the passage. Rather it takes me back to Isaiah! I return to search and try again, this time double-clicking. Same outcome. I am probably mot the only person attempting to use BibleGateway who is not especially tech-savvy. I suggest including simple instructions or, if they already exist on here, making that obvious, etc perhaps having that page come up first thing each time BibleGateway is opened.

by Photo Bug 2013

And another comment after the last update: nothing regarding my notes below and below some more has been addressed. Please fix the issue.
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It continues to crash and the copy and paste feature within BibleGateway is not like it used to be. I have so many years of notes in BibleGateway. Please fix - see below.
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It crashed repeatedly on me this morning. I have been using BibleGateway for years and have so many notes in it. Please fix the notes issue (see below) and bug that caused it to crash.
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After last update - my complaint remains. Please bring this back. I make the notes so I can refer to them later. I don't remember when they were created, so if I can't access them when I am reading, they are of no use. This would absolutely be 5 stars
If you bring this back.
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I use the notes feature heavily. Until the last update, I was able to highlight a verse, click on the notes icon, and see my previous notes. Now I am only prompted to create a new note. I don't know when I wrote my previous note(s), so searching for them is not easy. When I am following along in a sermon or discussion, I need to access the notes immediately. Also, I used to be able to copy to the clipboard and insert verses into notes. That feature is gone, too. PLEASE bring these things back!

by Sweet Music Fun

I’ve tried to get support on BibleGateway and the tell me the same things every time and the solutions never fix anything. It’s not just my phone, it also is my wife’s phone. Most translations do not have all the books available and some are duplicated where you select the passage. The ones that are there often have incomplete chapters. And lately, the one translation I can consistently get (NASB1995) won’t read audibly anymore.

UPDATE: I’m very frustrated by the lack of information and response from tech support. It took this review to get any feedback. Thank you for finally responding. A quick email response when I respond to the tech’s email would be a very appropriate way to handle this and avoid bad reviews.

UPDATE #2: Most of the functionality has been restored. I have been able to access multiple translations/versions successfully. Most of them now play audio, although NASB 1995 still isn’t working. I have upgraded my rating. Thank you for your continued diligence.

by If Justif

I love BibleGateway I am visually impaired and it is very difficult for me to read the Bible giving that I can no longer read text I struggle with following Sunday service because I can't read the Bible when everybody else is reading it but with BibleGateway it is amazing I've been reading the Bible I actually started from Genesis and I'm able to sync it to my TV to listen to it loud enough I love BibleGateway thank God I hope I hope they make it better so one can get the verses because right now you're only able to get the book and the chapter I want to be able to see the verses or hear the verses so when their church wants us to go to for example Genesis chapter 1 verse 10 I won't have to start from Genesis chapter 1 verse one but I'll just go straight to Genesis chapter 1 verse 10 so fingers crossed and I'm hoping for eight to get even better so I can get the versus I for what it's worth this is the best audio Bible I have come across since I've been downloading series of ups for audio Bible

by Debk63

I would have given the previous version 5 stars, but this latest version is not as easy to navigate. I HATE the new pop-up navigation banner in the reading pane. It used to be a stable header, but now it's just a pop-up, which doesn't work as well as the old fixed banner. When you're in the reading pane, if you scroll up or down too far the pop up navigation banner disappears and won't come back so you can't navigate anywhere else in BibleGateway or pull up the audio. Also, the old navigation banner automatically adjusted to where you were if you scrolled to a new chapter. But you have to manually change the location in the new banner if you want the reading pane to open up on the new chapter the next time you use BibleGateway . I often wind up having to completely close BibleGateway and reopen it to manually select my next chapter or to get to other areas of BibleGateway .

by Dhp124

Some features I really like and are quite detailed. Others seem to come up short especially compared to Olive tree which I have been using for a few years now.

Very frustrating is to try the reading plans and in selecting a chronological Bible it starts me off with today’s date so there is no way I could begin my study in the middle of the year I always have to begin to January 1! And there is no keeping track of which sections I have read or to continue reading into the next section. If I click on the date it automatically brings me to today’s date even if I have just been reading a section 6 months prior!

Have just started to use this and so far my favorite is the couple‘s devotional and the ability to listen to my selected by will being read to me. Again a little frustrating, in trying the reading plan for chronological, the audio option is not present!

by Samerammer

Bible Gateway is one of my study staples...I’ve used it for years. However...I’ve gotten into deeper study of the Word, and have started using the Notes feature of BibleGateway . May I suggest a couple improvements that would improve its value tremendously.

First of all, the Notes icon that appears at the beginning of a verse when a Note is made should pop-up a window with that particular Note. As it is, it takes you away from your place in the Scripture to a listing of the Notes made that you must scroll through to find the particular Note you want. Then you must navigate back to the Scripture you were reading. Awkward and time consuming.

Second, there is a way to print each Note separately; however, there should be a way to print a list and/or range of Notes so they can be kept hard copy with other study materials.

Third, currently there is only one color available for highlighting. It would be very helpful to have a number of colors so as to designate different Bible studies.

Fourth, have a Notes icon at the beginning of the verse for each Note made regarding that particular verse. In this way you would be able to see all the Notes made for a verse at different times.

Thank you. Hope you will see the benefit of each of these suggestions and work them into the next update.

by T/dee

I still think this is the best app out there, it includes many features and versions like NIV, which others don't include. I like the ability to save my notes and verses that are meaningful, and the fact that I can choose many features without signing up for emails. However, I have a few suggestions:

The book and verse scroll is not quick enough if your using it to keep up with a speaker. I'm still scrolling when others have quickly found the verse in a hard copy. A quick choice option for the verse and book choice would be better.

Also they changed the Daily Bible reading so you can't scroll back a chapter or forward to the next chapter to keep reading without going out or in from the Daily Reading section. It's cumbersome, and stops the flow of study. It should be easier to delve deeper in a your Bible Study. I don't know why they would have changed that feature, as it was not an improvement.

by Magistra414

One of the only drawbacks to BibleGateway is that when selecting a chapter from a book of the Bible, the "scroll" option is time-consuming and not as efficient as other apps that just have a menu with the numbers in a square. It really becomes an issue with the Bible, because it's such a large volume with so many chapters and so many versus within many of the chapters (Try looking up Psalm 119:105...) It makes me want to go to my other apps to look up a verse. Otherwise I love all the depth of versions available, listening options, books available, etc Everything else is great, but the one thing I want use BibleGateway for often is to look for a particular verse, so I experience the scrolling issue almost daily. Seems to me that this would be an easy change and make a Scripture search much less time consuming. Thanks for listening!

by Xine30

I have always used Bible gateway when I didn't want the NIV translation I love the fact there are so many different translations available to me as I prefer the NLT or the NIVUK. I love the resources like the devotionals, reading plans and reminders all set in one place in BibleGateway that way I don't have to set an alarm in my calendar or I have separate notes on my phone and it's all there in the Bible app. I absolutely love how I can search for a verse by knowing the key words and it pops up in the search.
I only wish when I search directly for a chapter and verse that I could input the numbers instead of scrolling because it is time consuming. Granted sometimes it's good to know the context of the verse especially in the Old testament but not always necessary in the New Testament.

by Pcladie

I paid for a good year of subscription services and it worked well since April however now I get the message that I must subscribe to read resources again. Customer service seems non existent. Will update when I receive a response to my emails. For now don’t waste money.

Update
I increased my rating from one to 3 1/2 stars. I wish that the user experience was easier and that the links within verse or study worked in all instances so that a verse can truly be explored from all angles while the desire to learn more about a topic is still burning. Having to back out, find the referenced verse, then enter study mode again and find the reference book to see a note on a verse is just silly and a waste of time.

by Dnjoaquin

UPDATE - After installing the update to BibleGateway, it’s back to its old self, I can browse like before and have no issues viewing any of the versions. The developers answered me to let me know that they were coming with an update to fix any necessary bugs, which is amazing customer service. Keep up the great job.

I’ve been using BibleGateway for a few years now. I love that I can have different versions of the Word at the palm of my hands; however, with the new iOS update its not working properly 😢
I use the NLT version in both English and Spanish, and also the ERV version for our youth group meetings. Every time I open the NLT, in particular, there are these bars on the sides and it struggles to scroll. I’ve tried uninstalling and installing back again, didn’t work. I’ve tried downloading the version and it didn’t work either.
I hope there’s a fix for these issues soon. I truly enjoy using this amazing tool of the Word, it has helped me to have a better understanding of the word of God.
Three stars for now, but truly a 5 star app if it didn’t have all these issues.

by 7u4g8b

I have downloaded and tried every other "bible app" and this is the only one that doesnt ask you for an email or other information to actually use it. THANK YOU Bible Gateway. You have tons of versions and translations that a person can easily compare side by side without having to spend 100s of dollars on physical bibles! Your interface is next to none. EASY to figure out the symbols and menus. EASY to switch between bible translations. I love the fact that you have a grey background with white letters when selecting night mode. Every other app has black on white, which is just too much contrast for me. I appreciate the fact that you made a very easy to use, non intrusive app.

by BraeSco

❤️ this. I use few apps with any regularity. This one has multiple points of value though. It allows me to save my aging eyes 😇 and employ my listening skills, instead. It is able to continue playing while I multitask, laying the phone down to do other things. I can go back over passages again & again for better understanding, it allows several options for speaking tones, incorporates mellow background music, and soothing delivery. I can go into my phone to other areas while it continues, and switch off for visual text, instead. Just to name a few of it’s attributes. I can’t do better then 5 stars here, but I truly would if I could. It’s that worthy to me. 🙏🏽⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🙏🏽⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🙏🏽

by Lakehouse55

I’m 52 years old and I have always struggled with reading my Bible everyday. I’ve only ever had a KJV. One day I googled a verse on my phone for a note I was writing and I found Gateway. I downloaded BibleGateway and started using the reading plan and now I have no problem reading everyday and often several times a day. It was hard to carry my Bible with me, so I never did. Now, I can just open my phone anywhere. My hairdresser asked me one day what I was always reading while my hair dye was processing and it opened up a conversation to be able to witness. All the ladies in our church prayer group use it now and we all use the NIV chronological reading plan and our conversations are now always on the Bible as we discuss our daily reading. I am also able to use a commentary for the first time in my life and it has opened up depths of God’s Word for me. Thank you Gateway!
Carolyn M.

by Hfcbgc Hdvjgfbk

I love BibleGateway so much and it has allowed me to read the Bible more often and seek the Lord. I use my headphones and use the "dramatized" version on the audio bible and follow along on the regular Bible reading and I understand it so much more. I started to use the reading plan and using the audio to complete it and it's great because you can get reminders everyday reminding you to read. I plan on writing about what I know from the scriptures in my prayer journal. The only thing is that the reading plans don't have an option where you read Genesis to Revelation which I would prefer but BibleGateway is still amazing and I love it and I encourage you to get it to get you closer to Christ with scripture :) ps I highly recommend the NIV version of the Bible because other ones like the KJV are hard to understand in my opinion and the NIV is really easy to read and understand for a 12 year old like me.

by Kings_Daughter

For a long time I wished I could not only read the Bible but hear it when I don’t have time to read it and also wished I can hear it while asleep. That’s when I found BIBLE GATEWAY!!! For many years I have been able to listen to NIV Bible and ITS ALSO DRAMATIZED FOR ME so I can really understand and imagine what it was like living through the times! Every aspect of life and it’s challenges I face are all there to read/ listen to the stories of regular people who went through similar situations many times even worse situations but God brought them all out of it. I really love to listen to it as I sleep and when I wake up many of it is actually programmed into my brain , I can’t imagine not being able to hear it while I sleep it brings me peace. I really recommend BibleGateway for everyone especially to those who can’t read for whatever reason.

by Zollo123

One of the Best Apps I have downloaded! I wanted a way to access a Bible verse at any time whether eating lunch or if I was having a bad day. This allows you to look up a book or verse when you need to. It allows you to search whatever the Bible you use. Set it to your preference KingJames, Amplified, NIV to name a few. You can highlight and or mark important verses. Do you want to look up a particular verse within a book it allows you to do the search. It has a night mode or day mode whatever your preference. It’s worth downloading. If I am having busy day I can always pull out my phone or iPad & access the Bible in the format I use or even compare meanings of a verse with other versions of the Bible. Highly recommend BibleGateway!

by Languageandexpression

Have the developers actually tried using BibleGateway and searching in various languages/translations and switching between them? It's very cumbersome and somewhat of a pain to do. There are so many steps involved, and the process is glitchy, especially with the search feature. The language/translation doesn't change in the search feature, and then sometimes if you click on a result, expecting it to take you to the verse, it doesn't do anything. Navigating is a pain, and the chapters always scroll back up to the top after you go to a passage and try to scroll down. It's difficult to get to the verse you want to navigate to without having to go through extra, unnecessary steps and repeating steps because of glitches. Please test BibleGateway and stomp the bugs! Thanks!

Still needs a "Favorites" option for Bible versions!!! I am constantly switching between Hebrew, Greek, and English versions in my studies. It would be so much more convenient to use BibleGateway if I could save these Bibles to my "Favorites." It is really a pain having to go through the process of selecting the same Bibles over and over—and over—again. This should have been fixed several iterations ago...

by MEWHENIAMREAL

First the one gripe that I have. I do not like spinning the wheel to get to books chapters and verses. I much prefer pushing them. But I love the free Charles Spurgeon Devotional that comes free. Also have free access to the KJ21 bible. And overall it’s a pleasure to use. I wish that I could copy just parts of the verses instead of the whole verse sometimes but that’s not a big deal. I would definitely recommend if just for the devotional and amount of free bible versions. Please get rid of the wheels though. Thanks and God bless you for providing this much free of charge. I downloaded another app recently and it only had the KJV and it was very costly to add other versions. I usually use the Blue Letter Bible app with this one so that I don’t have to get out of the devotional to look up scripture and go back and navigate to the devotional again. Plus it has push to verse instead of the wheel.

by Kyhillbilly62

Not liking new look. When listening to audio Bible I can no longer read and see where I am. Or what version I am listening to or who is reading. It is too small for me to see and not easily changeable if I want to go back and listen to a verse again. The past version was very easy large enough and easy to change when I needed to change it. I listen to the Bible all night and this way when I wake up I have to get up turn on the light find my glasses and figure out how to change what book I'm listening to. Even the wheel is too small for me to see.I will be finding a Nother Bible app to listen to.

This ap does nothing any more but crash since last update. Audio runs a couple minutes and quits and it's not like I have a cheap phone that can't handle it. I had erased all other audio versions since I found this but will have to re load them.

by Write4u2mydear

This is my go-to Bible app! The interface is easy to use with many adjustable settings so the experience feels tailored to each reader. I would like to suggest a feature, though! Would it be possible to have the option to toggle on/off the numbers for the verses in each chapter?
I struggle with paying attention whenever I read anything and the little blue numbers make it more difficult to concentrate when I’m reading BibleGateway. I feel that having the option to remove the verse numbers would help the words to flow smoother; however, the verse numbers are important for reference so it would be nice to have the option to toggle it on or off.
That is honestly my only suggestion for BibleGateway . It really is my favorite Bible app and I am very thankful to the people who made this. Thank you, Developers, and to whoever is reading this review, I hope you have a splendid day and God bless you 🤗