Best Catholic Bible App 2026
Summary
What Makes a Bible App Catholic The line is not the app's name. It is the canon. The Catholic canon has 73 books, 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New. The Catechism sets the list out at paragraph 120 and names, among the Old Testament books, "Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 and 2 Maccabees ... the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) ... Baruch." Protestant Bibles print 66 books and omit those seven, along with the Greek portions of Esther and Daniel. Catholics call the seven deuteroca
Key Takeaways
- Best overall: Ascension: Catholic Bible (the Great Adventure Catholic Bible in the RSV-2CE, plus the full Catechism and Fr. Mike Schmitz audio)
- Best free with two translations: Laudate (New American Bible, plus the Douay-Rheims Challoner offline)
- Best study Bible: Bible - Catholic Study by TruthGuard (the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, Old and New Testaments, as an in-app purchase)
- Best for daily prayer alongside Scripture: Amen, from the Augustine Institute
- Best if you want Scripture inside the liturgy: Universalis (Mass readings and the Office, offline, one time purchase)
What Makes a Bible App Catholic
The line is not the app's name. It is the canon.
The Catholic canon has 73 books, 46 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New. The Catechism sets the list out at paragraph 120 and names, among the Old Testament books, "Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 and 2 Maccabees ... the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) ... Baruch." Protestant Bibles print 66 books and omit those seven, along with the Greek portions of Esther and Daniel. Catholics call the seven deuterocanonical; most Protestant Bibles either omit them or group them in a separate apocrypha section.
So the test for a catholic bible app is simple. Open the table of contents and look for Sirach. If it is not there, the app is carrying a Protestant canon regardless of what the icon says.
The second thing to check is the translation. Common Catholic English translations include:
- NABRE (New American Bible, Revised Edition), approved for the United States and the basis of the American lectionary
- RSV-CE and RSV-2CE (Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition and Second Catholic Edition), preferred by many for study
- Douay-Rheims, the traditional English translation from the Vulgate
- Jerusalem Bible, used in liturgical texts outside the United States
How We Picked These Apps
Ratings, publishers, prices, versions and last update dates come from the Apple App Store listing API, checked 2026-08-16. Feature claims come from each app's own listing. Where a listing does not state something, we say so rather than guessing.
We ranked on canon completeness first, then translation quality and transparency, then offline reading, then study tools, then whether the app has shipped an update recently. An unmaintained Bible app is a worse bet than a plain one, because broken audio and dead links do not get fixed.
The Best Catholic Bible App: 6 Picks for 2026
1. Ascension: Catholic Bible
Best for: reading the Bible with a structure that explains what you are reading
Ascension's listing calls it "The #1 Catholic Bible App" and centers on the Great Adventure Catholic Bible with the Bible Timeline learning system. Ascension's own product page states the translation is the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition (RSV-2CE), and that Fr. Mike Schmitz reads from it in every episode of the Bible in a Year podcast. The app also carries the full text of the Catechism, the daily Mass readings with video reflections, the Rosary in English or Latin with several presenters, saint of the day, and more than 80 study plans.
What stands out: the Bible Timeline. Most Bible apps hand you 73 books and wish you luck. This one gives you a colour coded narrative spine so that Judith and 2 Maccabees have somewhere to sit in your head.
Where it falls short: the app is built around Ascension's own paid programs, so the reading experience is inseparable from the content funnel. Its listing states that all users get the full Bible text, the full Catechism and the daily readings, with a subscription for the rest.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Ascension Publishing Group, LLC |
| Translation | RSV-2CE (Ascension product page, checked 2026-08-16) |
| Rating | 4.92 stars, 89,480 ratings (App Store API, checked 2026-08-16) |
| Price | Free to download, with in-app purchases (App Store, checked 2026-08-16) |
| Last update | v1.15.21, 2026-08-13 |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, iPod touch (iOS 15.1+) |
2. Laudate
Best for: two Catholic translations, free, one of them fully offline
Laudate's listing includes the New American Bible and the Douay-Rheims Challoner Bible for offline use, alongside daily Mass readings, the Liturgy of the Hours in English and Latin, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, an interactive Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, several other chaplets, confession guides, and Vatican documents including the Second Vatican Council texts and the Code of Canon Law. It lists 17 interface languages.
What stands out: having the Douay-Rheims available with no signal, in an app that also carries the Catechism, at no download cost. Nothing else on this list does all three.
Where it falls short: 3.96 stars is the lowest rating here, and the interface shows its age. This is a reference tool, not a reading experience.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Aycka Soft (Andrzej Krawczyk) |
| Translations | New American Bible; Douay-Rheims Challoner (offline), per its listing |
| Rating | 3.96 stars, 3,721 ratings (App Store API, checked 2026-08-16) |
| Price | Free to download (App Store, checked 2026-08-16) |
| Last update | v3.01, 2026-08-14 |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, iPod touch (iOS 15.6+) |
3. Bible - Catholic Study (TruthGuard)
Best for: verse by verse commentary from a serious Catholic study Bible
This app's headline feature is the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, Old and New Testaments, with commentary by Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch. Its listing is explicit that the Ignatius Study Bible "is available only as an in-app purchase." It also carries daily Mass readings, reading plans, highlighting, bookmarks, notes, search, offline access and night mode. It runs on Mac as well as iPhone and iPad.
What stands out: study apparatus. If you want footnotes that argue with you rather than paraphrase the verse, this is the one.
Where it falls short: the core value is behind a purchase, and the app is less polished than Ascension's.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Publisher | TruthGuard, Inc. |
| Rating | 4.87 stars, 5,974 ratings (App Store API, checked 2026-08-16) |
| Price | Free to download; Ignatius Catholic Study Bible sold as in-app purchase (App Store listing, checked 2026-08-16) |
| Last update | v12.00.610, 2026-02-13 |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac (iOS 15.6+) |
4. Amen
Best for: Scripture inside a daily prayer routine rather than as a separate activity
Published by the Augustine Institute, Amen wraps Scripture in the shape of a day: the daily Mass readings with commentary from Dr. Tim Gray, Opening the Word reflections on the Sunday readings, guided lectio divina, audio Bible studies, the Rosary in standard, meditative and scriptural formats, a prayer journal, and 20 prayers in Spanish.
What stands out: the scriptural Rosary, where a verse accompanies each Hail Mary. It turns the Rosary into Bible reading without changing the prayer.
Where it falls short: it is a prayer app that includes Scripture rather than a Bible app with prayer bolted on. If you want to sit and read Kings for an hour, use Ascension or Laudate.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Augustine Institute, Inc. |
| Rating | 4.92 stars, 45,316 ratings (App Store API, checked 2026-08-16) |
| Price | Free to download, with in-app purchases (App Store, checked 2026-08-16) |
| Last update | v1.34.2, 2026-08-11 |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, iPod touch (iOS 15.0+) |
5. Universalis
Best for: reading the Scriptures the Church is actually reading today
Universalis is a missal and breviary rather than a Bible, but it is the app that puts the day's Scripture in front of you in liturgical context: the Office of Readings, Lauds, Vespers, Compline, and the readings and prayers of the Mass. Its listing states that Scripture readings follow the RSV in the United States and the Jerusalem Bible elsewhere, with an RSV add-on available outside the US. Everything works offline, and it is a single purchase with no subscription.
What stands out: no account, no network, no recurring charge. It is the only app on this page you can buy once and forget about.
Where it falls short: you cannot browse to Sirach 24 and read it. It gives you the liturgy's Scripture, not the whole Bible as a book.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Universalis Publishing Limited |
| Rating | 4.92 stars, 9,293 ratings (App Store API, checked 2026-08-16) |
| Price | $9.99 one time purchase (App Store, checked 2026-08-16) |
| Last update | v3.167, 2026-07-23 |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch (iOS 15.6+) |
6. Catholic Bible. (Ravindhiran Sumithra)
Best for: a plain, free, offline Catholic Bible without a content ecosystem attached
Its listing states plainly that it offers "a complete and tradition-based collection of the Holy Scriptures, including the deuterocanonical books," alongside a daily verse with reminders, highlights and bookmarks, a verse image editor, wallpapers, a Bible dictionary and a festive calendar. The listing does not name the translation, which is the main reason it sits at number six rather than higher.
What stands out: it says the word deuterocanonical out loud, which more apps in this category should.
Where it falls short: unnamed translation, and a grab bag of features (dream meanings, nearby churches, quizzes) that dilute the reading experience.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Ravindhiran Sumithra |
| Translation | Not stated in the App Store listing |
| Rating | 4.75 stars, 1,450 ratings (App Store API, checked 2026-08-16) |
| Price | Free to download (App Store, checked 2026-08-16) |
| Last update | v5.7, 2026-07-18 |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch (iOS 14.0+) |
Comparison Table
| App | Rating (ratings) | Translation named in listing | Offline | Study tools | Download price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ascension | 4.92 (89,480) | RSV-2CE (publisher page) | Not confirmed | Bible Timeline, 80+ plans, Catechism | Free, IAP |
| Laudate | 3.96 (3,721) | NAB; Douay-Rheims | Douay-Rheims offline | Catechism, Canon Law | Free |
| Catholic Study | 4.87 (5,974) | Not named | Yes | Ignatius Study Bible (IAP) | Free, IAP |
| Amen | 4.92 (45,316) | Not named | Not confirmed | Lectio divina, audio studies | Free, IAP |
| Universalis | 4.92 (9,293) | RSV (US), Jerusalem Bible (elsewhere) | Full | Commentaries on Mass readings | $9.99 once |
| Catholic Bible. | 4.75 (1,450) | Not named | Yes | Dictionary, daily verse | Free |
App Store listing API, checked 2026-08-16. "Not confirmed" means the listing does not state it.
A Note on FaithLock and the Catholic Canon
We should be straight about this, because the honest answer is useful to you.
FaithLock is an iOS app that blocks distracting apps using Apple's Family Controls and shows a Bible verse with a short comprehension question when you try to open one. Its built in library is the complete Berean Standard Bible, 31,000+ verses. The BSB is a Protestant translation of the 66 book canon. It does not contain Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1 or 2 Maccabees, or the Greek portions of Esther and Daniel, and there is no Catholic edition of the app.
That makes it a poor choice as your catholic bible app and a reasonable one as the thing that stops Instagram from eating the twenty minutes you meant to spend in Ascension or Laudate. Those are different jobs. If you want a verse in front of you when you reach for the wrong app, and a Catholic canon in your reading app, run both.
Get FaithLock on the App Store
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Catholic Bible have 73 books? Yes. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 120, states that the canon "includes 46 books for the Old Testament (45 if we count Jeremiah and Lamentations as one) and 27 for the New," and lists Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom and Sirach among them. That is 73.
What is the best free Catholic Bible app? Laudate, if you want two Catholic translations plus the Catechism at no download cost. Ascension, if you want a better reading experience and are willing to live inside a paid content ecosystem for the extras; its listing states the full Bible and Catechism text are available to all users.
Which Bible translation do Catholics use in the United States? The NABRE is the approved translation in the US and the basis of the lectionary. The RSV-CE and RSV-2CE are widely used for study, and the Douay-Rheims remains in use among Catholics who prefer the traditional English text.
Does the YouVersion Bible app have the Catholic books? Its App Store listing does not state which canons or Catholic translations are included, so we did not verify it and will not claim either way. If you use it, check the translation picker for a Catholic edition and look for Sirach in the contents before relying on it.
What are the deuterocanonical books? Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees, plus additional Greek sections of Esther and Daniel. Catholics receive them as Scripture; most Protestant Bibles omit them or set them apart as apocrypha.
The Verdict
If you are buying one app and never thinking about it again, buy Universalis: the liturgy's Scripture, offline, once. If you are trying to actually read the Bible cover to cover and have never managed it, install Ascension, because the Timeline is the closest thing anyone has built to a map of the thing. Laudate is the one to keep in the back pocket for the day you need the Douay-Rheims on a plane.
Sources: Apple App Store listing API (itunes.apple.com/lookup), checked 2026-08-16 · App Store listing descriptions for feature claims, checked 2026-08-16 · Ascension Press product page for the RSV-2CE translation, checked 2026-08-16 · Catechism of the Catholic Church §120 for the canon
Related: catholic prayer app · catholic novena app · rosary app · best christian bible app · daily bible verse app
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Catholic Bible have 73 books?
Yes. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 120, states that the canon "includes 46 books for the Old Testament (45 if we count Jeremiah and Lamentations as one) and 27 for the New," and lists Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom and Sirach among them. That is 73.
What is the best free Catholic Bible app?
Laudate, if you want two Catholic translations plus the Catechism at no download cost. Ascension, if you want a better reading experience and are willing to live inside a paid content ecosystem for the extras; its listing states the full Bible and Catechism text are available to all users.
Which Bible translation do Catholics use in the United States?
The NABRE is the approved translation in the US and the basis of the lectionary. The RSV-CE and RSV-2CE are widely used for study, and the Douay-Rheims remains in use among Catholics who prefer the traditional English text.
Does the YouVersion Bible app have the Catholic books?
Its App Store listing does not state which canons or Catholic translations are included, so we did not verify it and will not claim either way. If you use it, check the translation picker for a Catholic edition and look for Sirach in the contents before relying on it.
What are the deuterocanonical books?
Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and 1 and 2 Maccabees, plus additional Greek sections of Esther and Daniel. Catholics receive them as Scripture; most Protestant Bibles omit them or set them apart as apocrypha.
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