ESV Bible

Crossway’s ESV reader with Scripture audio, search, cross-references, display controls and reading plans.

Organisation: Crossway Official website App Store

Who it serves

People seeking to read, listen to and study the English Standard Version.

An editorial summary of publisher positioning. Source

App facts

Platform: iOS
Store category: Reference
Store version at lookup: 5.1.15
First store release: 16 March 2010
Store ratings: 10,498 in US at lookup

Ratings are not downloads or active users. App Store facts checked 25 October 2026.

Revenue and reach

App-specific revenue and active user numbers have not been verified in the sources reviewed. See the organisation profile for separately scoped figures where available.

Ingredients and design

Features and patterns visible in the reviewed captures. How they work matters: a subscription, streak or AI feature alone is not an ethical verdict.

Related patterns in these captures

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.
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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.
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Numbers, headings and notes
ESV Bible presents John 18 with a chapter drop cap, heading, verse numbers and cross-reference letters. ESV Bible lists text and layout switches, including verse numbers, footnotes, cross references and verse-by-verse layout. John 18 uses a large chapter drop cap and inline verse and reference markers beneath a section heading. John 18 places each verse in a separate paragraph with hanging verse numbers while retaining its heading and reference markers. A continuous passage crosses into John 18 with a chapter drop cap but no visible verse numbers, reference markers or section heading. Text settings show headings, verse numbers, footnotes and cross references enabled, with verse-by-verse layout disabled. ESV Bible renders John 18 with a chapter drop cap, heading and inline verse and reference markers.
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Each is an example relevant to the pattern’s design question; it does not show every option in its spectrum.

No overall app grade assigned. Other dimensions remain unassessed. How we assess design · Checked 25 October 2026.

What reviewers report

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

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 25 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 listing

Publisher-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.