Apps
Best Catholic Bible App: 6 Apps Compared Honestly
Ascension, the Catholic Study Bible App, Laudate, YouVersion, a simple Douay-Rheims reader and Iter Fidei: which translation each Catholic Bible app uses, what is free, and which has audio.
The best Catholic Bible app is first a question of the Bible inside it: an app is only as good as its translation. If you want the traditional English Catholic Bible, translated from the Latin Vulgate, look for the Douay-Rheims: Laudate carries it for free, YouVersion has it with audio, and Iter Fidei sets it beside the Vulgate itself. If you want a modern Catholic translation with study tools, the Ascension app (RSV-2CE) and the Catholic Study Bible App (Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition) are the strongest. Here is each Catholic Bible app compared, with what is free and what is not.
What makes a Catholic Bible app "Catholic"?
Three things, in this order.
The canon. A Catholic Bible has seventy-three books. The seven that Protestant Bibles moved to an appendix or removed, Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Baruch and the two books of Machabees, along with the longer Esther and Daniel, are Holy Scripture, as the Council of Trent defined in 1546. We explain their history in the deuterocanonical books. An app that offers only a 66-book Bible is not a Catholic Bible app, whatever it calls itself.
The translation. The same Council declared the ancient Latin Vulgate "authentic" for public reading, preaching and disputation. The English Bible translated from it is the Douay-Rheims Bible: the New Testament of Rheims (1582), the Old Testament of Douai (1609-1610), revised by Bishop Challoner (1749-1752). It is the Bible English-speaking Catholics read for three centuries and the one quoted throughout this site. The modern Catholic translations, the RSV Catholic Edition (1966), its second edition (2006) and the New American Bible Revised Edition (2011), translate from the Hebrew and Greek and are approved for Catholic use; they belong to a different, later tradition of translation. Our guide to what Bible Catholics use sets out the differences.
The notes and the setting. A Catholic Bible carries Catholic notes, or at least none hostile to the Faith, and it sits naturally beside the liturgy, where the Church herself reads Scripture.
The Catholic Bible apps compared
| App | Translation | Price | Audio | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension | RSV-2CE (Great Adventure Catholic Bible) | Bible free; subscription for study content | Yes (Bible in a Year) | iOS, Android |
| Catholic Study Bible App | Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition | Free; study edition $49.99 | Yes, full Bible, one voice | Apple, Android, Amazon |
| Laudate | New American Bible; Douay-Rheims | Free | No Bible audio | iOS, Android |
| YouVersion (Bible App) | Many, including NABRE and Douay-Rheims | Free | Yes, including the Douay-Rheims | iOS, Android |
| Douay-Rheims reader apps | Douay-Rheims (Challoner) | Free, often with ads | Usually none | Varies |
| Iter Fidei | Latin Vulgate with the Douay-Rheims | Free early access | Not announced | iOS, Android (coming soon) |
Ascension: the Great Adventure Catholic Bible
The Ascension Catholic Bible app, from Ascension Publishing, is the app behind the Bible in a Year podcast with Fr Mike Schmitz. Its Bible text is the Great Adventure Catholic Bible, which uses the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE), with Ascension's colour-coded reading of salvation history. The Bible text, the catechism, the daily readings and some audio are free; study plans, Bible studies and other premium content require a subscription ($8.99 a month or $59.99 a year on the App Store at the time of writing). The catechism it carries is the Catechism of 1992. It is well made and very popular; it is also thoroughly a modern-rite app.
The Catholic Study Bible App
The Catholic Study Bible App, from Ignatius Press and TruthGuard, gives the whole Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition, for free, with highlighting, notes, sync across devices and, notably, a complete audio Bible of the Old and New Testaments read in a single voice. The paid study edition ($49.99) adds the notes of the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible by Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, with thousands of cross-references. For a modern Catholic translation with serious study notes, it is the most complete option.
Laudate
Laudate is the free all-in-one Catholic app, and for Scripture it has one great merit: alongside the New American Bible, it carries the Douay-Rheims in Challoner's revision, readable offline. There is no audio Bible and the reading interface is plain, but it costs nothing and has no subscription.
YouVersion: is the Bible App Catholic?
Many people ask whether "the Bible App" is Catholic. YouVersion is not: it is made by Life.Church, an evangelical church in the United States, and its reading plans come from publishers of every denomination. It does, however, carry Catholic translations among its hundreds of versions, notably the New American Bible Revised Edition and the Douay-Rheims Challoner revision, the latter with audio. A Catholic can use it, choosing a Catholic version and reading the plans with discernment; it is a Bible platform, not a Catholic app.
Douay-Rheims reader apps
Several small free apps exist simply to read the Douay-Rheims: one example on the App Store is "Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible", an offline Challoner text with search and bookmarks, free with ads (removable for a few dollars). Such apps do one thing and do it adequately. Before relying on one, check that the deuterocanonical books stand in their proper place within the canon.
Iter Fidei: the Vulgate with the Douay-Rheims
Iter Fidei is a traditional Catholic app, and its Bible is the one the tradition read: the Latin Vulgate with the Douay-Rheims, every book and chapter, verse by verse, the Latin over the English, offline. It is the same Bible that the Mass of the 1962 Missal and the Divine Office of the Roman Breviary quote, and in the app it sits beside them. If you read the Douay-Rheims and want to see the Latin it was translated from, or follow the Latin of the Mass with its English, that is what our Catholic Bible app is made for. We describe the Vulgate's own history in the Latin Vulgate Bible. Iter Fidei is coming soon to iOS and Android, with early access open now.
Which Catholic Bible app should you choose?
- For the traditional Catholic Bible, free: Laudate (Douay-Rheims, offline) or YouVersion (Douay-Rheims with audio).
- For a Catholic audio Bible app: the Catholic Study Bible App (whole Bible, RSV Catholic Edition) or YouVersion's Douay-Rheims audio.
- For Bible study with notes: the Catholic Study Bible App's study edition, or Ascension's plans if you follow Bible in a Year.
- For the Vulgate and the Douay-Rheims side by side, with the traditional Mass and Office: Iter Fidei.
Whatever app you use, read Scripture as the Church reads it. If you want somewhere to begin, our selection of Catholic Bible verses gathers the great passages in the Douay-Rheims, and our page on the Catholic Bible explains its canon and its history.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Catholic Bible app?
For the traditional Douay-Rheims, free, Laudate is the simplest choice; for a modern Catholic translation with study notes, the Catholic Study Bible App; for Bible in a Year, the Ascension app. If you want the Latin Vulgate and the Douay-Rheims together, inside an app built for the traditional Mass and Office, Iter Fidei is made for that.
Is there a free Catholic Bible app?
Yes. Laudate (New American Bible and Douay-Rheims), the Catholic Study Bible App (RSV Catholic Edition, with a free audio Bible) and the Bible text in the Ascension app are all free. YouVersion is free too and carries Catholic translations. Iter Fidei offers free early access.
Is the Bible App (YouVersion) Catholic?
No. YouVersion is made by Life.Church, an evangelical church. It carries Catholic translations, including the New American Bible Revised Edition and the Douay-Rheims, so a Catholic can read a Catholic Bible in it, but the app and most of its plans are not Catholic.
What Bible translation does the Ascension app use?
The Ascension app uses the Great Adventure Catholic Bible, whose text is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE), published in 2006.
Is there a Catholic Bible app with audio?
Yes. The Catholic Study Bible App includes a complete audio Bible in the RSV Catholic Edition, YouVersion offers the Douay-Rheims in audio, and the Ascension app has the Bible in a Year episodes with Fr Mike Schmitz.
Is there a Douay-Rheims Bible app?
Yes. Laudate carries the Douay-Rheims offline, YouVersion offers it with audio, several small reader apps are devoted to it, and Iter Fidei sets it beside the Latin Vulgate it was translated from.
Which Bible do traditional Catholics use?
In English, the Douay-Rheims in Bishop Challoner's revision, translated from the Latin Vulgate that the Council of Trent declared authentic. It is the translation quoted in the traditional catechisms, prayer books and hand missals, and the one we use on this site.
Iter Fidei carries the Latin Vulgate with the Douay-Rheims, book by book and verse by verse, beside the Mass of the 1962 Missal and the Divine Office, even offline. It is coming soon to iOS and Android, with free early access. Join early access here.
Sources. Council of Trent, Session IV (1546), decrees on the canonical Scriptures and on the edition and use of the sacred books; Pope Leo XIII, encyclical Providentissimus Deus (1893); Holy Scripture (Douay-Rheims, Challoner revision; Latin Vulgate, Clementine edition).