TL;DR

*RECOMMENDED BibleHub has numerous commentaries and books in an easy to use online format. No downloads or installation necessary. When possible, download the sources you like from BaptistLibrary.net or use a SWORD based study program with off-line resources.

Many of the books on BaptistLibrary.net (our sister site) are too large to comfortably browse on a mobile device, and in some cases, a computer. While our developers could split these large works into multiple volumes, it would grow more complicated to keep track of which volume contains what, and searching would become more difficult as well. Also, some files are so large that search tools take a long time to index them, and this generally requires special software to do efficiently.

For these reasons, it is recommended that users install (or use) one of the many free study tools we have tested. Tools such as Xiphos or AndBible will allow parallel views of scripture and commentaries, as well as dictionaries and other study tools. They also allow you to search scripture and commentaries for keywords rapidly.

The web based study tools are practical for many applications. However, their downfall is that they require an Internet connection. The services are also vulnerable to government censorship or pressure from NGO's. When practical, download whatever resources you intend to use regularly, even if you rely on the online tools most of the time. This allows you to store the offline for future use or distribution. BaptistLibrary.net hosts numerous eBooks free for download. In addition, there are certain programs, such as Xiphos and other SWORD Project based software, that can unpack libraries in ZIP archives. We have plans to create more modules for these programs, as the source code for the software is Open-Source and can be freely redistributed.

• BLB Blue Letter Bible
• BibleHub BibleHub

*RECOMMENDED FOR APPLE eSword Bible Study Software The popular Windows application now has Android and Apple versions for mobile users.

Blue Letter Bible Apps Blue Letter Bible is a popular online study tool that can be used in a browser. However, there are also apps available in Google Play and the App Store. It seems that BLB does not have complete versions of some of the commentaries we like. The web version is slightly easier to navigate than PDF's downloaded to a PC.

LOGOS Bible App For a detailed study of the Bible and countless religious works, LOGOS is renowned for its capabilities. While the desktop version is costly, there is free version which can be useful. LOGOS has tens of thousands of books which can be purchased on their website that sync between the desktop version and the app. This is available in Google Play and the App Store.

andBible for Android andBible is an open-source Bible study app for Android that utilizes the same library resources as Xiphos and other SWORD Project type programs. Its UI is similar to that of Xiphos. Files are stored locally and do not require an internet connection or mobile data.

• The .apk file and a backup of numerous resources are available here.

The SWORD Project for Windows “SWORD” is a bit like Xiphos, but tailored specifically for Windows.

Xiphos Open Source Bible Study Software Xiphos is available for Windows as well Linux. This is actively used by the webmaster on Ubuntu, and is compatible with the same resources as andBible and other SWORD Project based software, including our .zip archive.

eSword Bible Study Software eSword is one of the best study tools available for Windows and Mac. Its library is extensive, and numerous organizations have produced CD's with extra resources over the years. It is not open-source, but feature rich, and free. (It is not associated or compatible with the SWORD Project's programs listed above.)

Logos Bible Study Software There are few, if any, programs that have the capabilities of Logos. This software requires a license for access to many of the features, but Logos has tens of thousands of books which can be purchased on their website and more features than could be listed here. The pay wall, however, makes this out of reach for most users. It is available for Windows and Mac OS.

Crosswire has a website showing many of the open source (read: free) tools available online. Calibre is an eBook management program available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. Very useful for managing large libraries of PDF or ePUB files. Used to build the dataset forBaptistLibrary.net Can be used to machine translate files with the right plugins.

SumatraPDF is likely the best free document viewer for Windows.

Libera Reader on GooglePlay A feature-rich document viewer for Android. Includes Text-to-Speech functionality. Capable of connecting to the OPDS feed at http://baptistlibrary.net/opds for in-app browsing of our library.

KOReader is another eBook reader that runs well on Android devices, as well as many e-Readers. Lacks TTS functionality, but superior to Libera Reader in many ways. Also supports OPDS catalogues. Available on F-Droid

On Linux, numerous options are available from common sources. Evince and Atril are two common programs.