ESV Bible
Crossway’s ESV reader with Scripture audio, search, cross-references, display controls and reading plans.
For People seeking to read, listen to and study the English Standard Version.
By Crossway
App StoreOfficial websiteAudience source
- Platform
- iOS
- Category
- Reference
- First release
- 16 March 2010
- Store ratings
- 10,498 (US)
- Research captures
- 44
Design review
Observed choices, what they mean, and what still needs checking.
Access & cost
7 days free, then $3.99/month or $39.99/year. Scripture reading remained available after declining the trial.
Captured flow · 27 October 2026Attention & control
Reminder defaults, pause and missed-day recovery have not been verified.
Controls not yet verifiedTrust & care
Source boundaries, privacy and safeguards need further review. No app-wide assurance is implied.
Evidence incompleteOffers are dated iOS observations in USD where captured. Eligibility, country and platform can differ. Existing settings are not installation defaults.
Where the observed choices sit
Each row is one scoped observation of a specific flow, not a grade for the whole app.
No practice has been placed on the scale yet.
1 area reviewed, not yet placed7 areas not reviewed yetReview notes
Works against: a choice subverts the person’s agency. Respects: it respects people and safeguards. Restores: a practice restores at a cost freely borne by the builder. Price, Christian branding or a free tier alone do not place an area. How we review.
Screens
44 reviewed screensCaptured app states, distinct from the publisher’s promotional images. Dates and versions belong to each screen; this is not a complete app walkthrough.
Features and patterns
What the reviewed screens show this app doing. A missing entry does not mean a feature is absent.
Study-resource subscription
The locked-resource offer displays seven days free then USD3.99/month, with USD39.99/year as an alternative; Scripture reading remained accessible after dismissal.
First use4 supporting screens
Bible audio
A public Peace collection presents Scripture tracks, Read Along and a narrator mini-player. The scrolled Peace collection lists short Scripture tracks with durations. Expanded controls offer previous and next verse, play, volume and playback options over the Peace playlist. The audio sleep timer offers preset durations and a custom option, with Off selected. An audio panel over Mark 4 shows "Mark 4:21" read by David Cochran Heath, with play, previous and next "Verse" buttons and a volume slider. Icons along the bottom open voices, music, AirPlay, a sleep timer and audio settings. A "Change Voice" sheet lists nine narrators, each with a studio portrait, country and "Learn more" link: from the United States, Northern Ireland, Zambia, the United Kingdom and Australia. David Cochran Heath is ticked. A "Change Music" sheet offers optional music under Scripture audio. "No Music" is ticked; below it named artists are listed with portrait, style (Piano, Cinematic, Ambient, Choral, Folk, Acoustic/Soul) and a "Learn more" link. Under "Listen to Scripture collections based on various themes and stories", Explore shows two featured playlists ("Growing in Wisdom", 27 tracks; "The Fruit of the Spirit", 48 tracks), theme buttons from Love to Suffering and a row of "Free Playlists". A second tab holds Plans. The "Growing in Wisdom" playlist (about 22 minutes) has a "Start Listening" button, a short description beginning with humility and the awe of God, and "27 Tracks" starting at Deuteronomy 4:5-9. A mini player at the bottom shows Deuteronomy 4:5 "Read by Conrad Mbewe"; a "Read Along" link sits beside the track count. Home scrolled: Ephesians 2:10 with "Change Verse", My Plans (covered) and Suggested Playlists (Peace 26 tracks, The Fruit of the Spirit, The Gospel).
Bible audioOther apps with bible audio (20)10 supporting screens
Finding a passage
ESV Bible opens its Old Testament book list above the reader. ESV Bible shows its New Testament book list. Expanding John reveals a grid of its 21 chapters. The passage navigator expands Acts into a chapter grid above the John 18 reader. ESV Bible expands 2 Samuel into a 24-chapter grid in the Old Testament navigator. ESV displays its Bible book list with Old and New Testament tabs. Under "Listen to Scripture collections based on various themes and stories", Explore shows two featured playlists ("Growing in Wisdom", 27 tracks; "The Fruit of the Spirit", 48 tracks), theme buttons from Love to Suffering and a row of "Free Playlists". A second tab holds Plans.
Finding a passageOther apps with finding a passage (26)7 supporting screens
First use
Locked-resource trial offer. Captured on iOS, 27 October 2026; existing state, not an installation default. Offers and visible controls do not establish successful execution. The app promises a trial reminder on October 31 and conversion on November 3. Apple later showed November 2; the discrepancy remains unresolved and no trial was activated. Monthly USD3.99 is selected; annual USD39.99 is offered alongside it. The stated periods are actual billing choices rather than equivalent monthly calculations. The iOS purchase sheet for "ESV Bible App Subscription" (ESV Bible, Family Subscription) shows a 1-week free trial starting today, then $3.99 per month starting Nov 2, 2026, with "No commitment. Cancel anytime in Settings > Apple Account at least a day before each renewal date. Plan automatically renews until canceled." Subscribing needs a double-click of the side button; it was not confirmed. The account line is masked. ESV reader opens on Proverbs 1 ("The Beginning of Knowledge"); header Psalm 150. An earlier highlight on verse 3 is covered.
First useOther apps with first use (89)5 supporting screens
Highlights and notes
ESV reader opens on Proverbs 1 ("The Beginning of Knowledge"); header Psalm 150. An earlier highlight on verse 3 is covered.
Highlights and notesOther apps with highlights and notes (22)2 supporting screens
How much text at once
Reader after trial dismissal. Captured on iOS, 27 October 2026; existing state, not an installation default. Offers and visible controls do not establish successful execution.
How much text at onceOther apps with how much text at once (31)
Also observed
- Download
- Free download · US store
- Access
- Access requirements unverified
Cost, access & publisher model Sources and details
Practical facts, separate from the design assessment. Checked 25 October 2026. A free download does not establish free access to all content.
- App download
- Free download · US · Store source
- Subscriptions
- Subscription declared · Source
- Store in-app products
- In-app products listed
- Donations
- Not verified
- Advertising
- Not verified
What access does payment cover?
Subscription access applies to this content or feature scope.
Scope: full study resource library · publisher statement · Source · 25 October 2026
Free samples, a free tier and the complete library are different scopes. Store and publisher evidence is separate from the dated captured-flow review in Design review. Coverage varies by offer and platform.
Store-listed products and prices (2)
US App Store · checked 25 October 2026. Names and prices describe listed products, not a personal checkout quote. Other platforms, web offers and eligibility can differ.
- ESV Bible App Subscription$3.99
- ESV Bible App Subscription$39.99
Publisher funding and business model
ESV site offers free app use and a subscription providing access to study Bibles and commentaries. This is a digital offer, not Crossway-wide funding.
ESV digital service · Current webpage checked 25 October 2026 · Publisher source · checked 25 October 2026
The organization’s complete current funding mix and revenue are not established here. App payments, donations and capital raised describe different things; they do not determine an ethical assessment.
Organization profile and funding sourcesStore facts checked 25 October 2026 (version 5.1.15). Ratings are not downloads or active users. App-specific revenue and active users have not been verified; see the organization profile for separately scoped figures.
Store reviews
Store reviews offer useful questions to investigate. These retrieved samples are self-selected, vary by platform and do not establish the experience of every user.
Illustrative reading
An audio/subscription benefit is described alongside reading-control requests; a negative example disputes a textual variant. No textual-error finding is made.
Based on 2 selected review excerpts, which may be historical; not a full thematic analysis. Review source
Review samples, reading and sources
- Google PlayEnglish / US requested
50 written reviews within the 180 days ending 25 October 2026.
4–5 stars: 373 stars: 61–2 stars: 7
View Google Play listing- Google PlayGerman / DE requested
No written reviews in this retrieved sample fall within the recent window.
View Google Play listing- Apple App StorePublic review page · default order
10 selected excerpts returned; these may be older and are not a recent or random sample.
Returned dates: 24 January 2019 – 10 July 2026.
View Apple reviews
Collected 28 October 2026. Up to 50 newest Play reviews per requested language/storefront before the date filter. Requested locale does not establish residence; streams may overlap and must not be added together. Star counts describe ratings, not text sentiment or ethical quality. Methods and limitations.
App Store screenshots
View the store listingPublisher-supplied images from the US App Store, checked 25 October 2026. Promotional artwork may include captions or composites; it shows how the publisher presents the app.
Show all 7 publisher imagesHide publisher gallery
Scroll to browse all 7 images. Select an image to open it at its sourced size.
Review notes
Reviewed, not yet placed
Evidence was gathered for these areas, but it does not yet support placing a choice on the frame.
Money and access
Seven-day trial with USD3.99/month or USD39.99/year. Monthly was selected. The app timeline names November 3 while Apple names November 2 for conversion; the discrepancy remains unresolved. The reader remained accessible after declining the trial; premium resources and restoration were not executed.
Still to check:Test any still-unexecuted restore, entitlement and cancellation paths separately. Check other platform/storefront and offer eligibility before generalising these dated prices.
Not reviewed yet: Attention and agency, Truth and spiritual authority, Privacy and dignity, Formation and relationships, Care and inclusion, Craft and repair, Stewardship and accountability.
The ten principle questions For your own design review
These questions guide discernment; they are not ten scores for this app.
- Keep the Word distinct, and teach it truly
- Can a reader always tell Scripture from our words, and our words from a machine’s?
- Never speak for God
- Would we put our own name under this sentence, or are we borrowing God’s?
- Design for the most vulnerable first
- Who is the most vulnerable person likely to use this today, and what will they see?
- Welcome before you ask, and guard what is told in confidence
- If a friend read everything we keep about this person, would the person be glad?
- Feed the flock, not on it
- Does this serve growth in faith, or only the usage numbers?
- Make room for rest, and say when it is enough
- Where does our product stop, and does it ever tell someone they have done enough?
- Send people to God and to one another
- When someone closes what we built, are they closer to God and to other people?
- Plant and water; leave the growth to God
- What would we stop measuring if we believed growth is God’s?
- Make it well, as an offering
- Would we offer this to God as it is, and could the person with the least sight, time or reading ease use it?
- Hold it with joy and trembling, before God and others
- Who outside the team holds us to account, and who prays for the people who use this?
Use this in your own work
Start with the observed choice, then ask how your own implementation serves people. The evidence is a design example, rather than an app-wide recommendation.