Just wondering why your software is so expensive.I've got other Bible software on my computer and they are not that expensive, and some are free.Even with your special, it is still very expensive.
Hi Bob
Interested to know what you are comparing / looking at.
The base software is free - so are you comparing features, resources or something else?
Graham
I have WORDsearch and Accordance (I‘ve even used e-sword), but if I wanted the premium books in these “cheaper“ softwares, the price wouldn’t be so cheap (even for the free software); not to mention they wouldn’t have the features Logos offers. So in the end it balances itself out. It’s also a matter of how much you are willing to invest. You could just as easily invest $20k in WORDsearch like you could in Logos, but the performance wouldn’t be the same.
DAL
First of all, while Logos/Faithlife does provide this forum to help customers, usually it will be fellow customers who will reply. I am one of those customers.
I have been a Logos user since early 2002. Since then I have spent a fair amount of money with this company, and yes, it is easy to spend a lot of money on their products. And yes, there are some things I don't use because there are other options that are much cheaper.
Part of why Logos is expensive is because so much is free.
1) Software updates are free (although additional datasets and resources to take advantage of new features are not)
2) Cloud storage of your resources and notes
3) Web access to your resources
4) Telephone tech support
5) A free book of the month - in at least Logos and Verbum
6) When the e-resource is updated, you get the new version - usually with fewer typos and more functionality. Granted, this updating can be slower than we may like, and if the original publisher makes a new edition, the new edition will NOT be free, but still - resources can and do improve with time.
All of this takes money, and Logos/Faithlife is a business - not a ministry. Can they be pricey? Yes. Can their marketing get a bit over the top? Yeah. But they have provided abilities to use resources that I bought over a decade ago in ways I couldn't even imagine back then.
I have been a customer since early 2014, and I have invested a fair amount of money in the software. The value for me comes in the tagging and how Logos Bible Software can find references to what I'm searching in most any book, and it does so quite fast and efficiently. The work that goes into it all is excellent. While there are alternatives out there, such as eSword, Accordance, OliveTree, and others, Logos Bible Software is, in my opinion, the best out there. When I was in seminary, doing my work online, Logos saved me, on average, 15 to 20 hours per week. So, it's been well worth the investment.
I tend to agree with DAL. We don't actually know if:
- It's unusually expensive? Logos seems to sell primarily in packages. Which reduce prices considerably. We used to joke, who had the lowest average price. I think Matthew got below $2 per volume. I don't buy packages ... only what I want. Even then my average was less than $10 per volume. So, you'd have to be an analyst in FL to know. Yes, absent sales or packages, pricey.
- The pricing is returned in software features? As a minimum, FL, like most companies, has multiple lines that subsidize in unknown ways, so book price margin isn't necessarily returned to 'Logos'. Maybe years ago.
- Logos delivers its promises? I'd assume the answer is the customer coming back for more. The company is successful, therefore customers do see value. As much as I complain, I avidly scan prepubs and community pricing for steals.
You get what you pay for. It is a decision each person has to make.
Thankful for amazing Bible Study capabilities using an account with order total of $ 0.00 (includes some orders with coupons), which is useful for demonstrating Logos/Verbum
Logos.com has over a hundred items for $ 0.00 => https://www.logos.com/products/search?q=price%3a0&Status=Live&start=&sort=bestselling&pageSize=60 that includes Basic and Verbum Basic packages
Caveat: Basic packages have access-only resources that have unlimited free use, but have no effect on dynamic pricing upgrades. Some publishers allow limited times for dynamic pricing so only pay for resource licenses that are new to you.
Thankful Basic packages include original language morphological tagging for some Bibles so can "see' range of original language expression. Logos wiki has => Examples of visual filters (personally not aware of other Bible software that can combine hundreds of search results for simultaneous display)
Also Faithlife eBooks can be used in mobile apps, desktop applications, and Web apps => https://ebooks.faithlife.com/search?context=product&sortBy=price-low&limit=15&page=1
Alternative to expensive purchase is subscription rental => https://connect.faithlife.com that has various levels.
FYI: my wallet has cried [:'(] from a number of purchases for my primary account (overall average is a bit more than $ 2 per resource - doing more reading now than earlier in life). Dreaming of a GEM base package, which would be a superset of base packages so one dynamic upgrade would add many new resources.
Keep Smiling [:)]
I always looked at the expense in regards to buying a book. If I’m going to buy a decent paperback book I would expect to pay $10-15 at a Barnes and Noble. A bit more or less depending.
The Starter Base Package has 249 resources/books. It I went to B&N lookong to purchase 249 books at $15 a pop I’d be out $3700+. And is have to flip through endless pages tediously to find the information I want, book by book.
Same scenario in Logos means I get 249 resources/books for $221 (sale price).
I would ask, what are The other software companies providing? I can easily spend as much on Kindle as I do In Logos. the Kondle platform is free, it’s the content where I spend money. Same with other bible software. I can spend $15 on them/logos, or $10k on them/logos. How much content do I want, how much functionality do I want.
I had someone tell me that they have all the Bible’s they need on the YouVersion Bible app. That’s fine for me, and I’m glad they have that. I just want to do more than read lots of English translations of the Bible.
Not a defense of Logos, but a rationale for spending money on ANY bible software.
First of all, while Logos/Faithlife does provide this forum to help customers, usually it will be fellow customers who will reply. I am one of those customers. I have been a Logos user since early 2002. Since then I have spent a fair amount of money with this company, and yes, it is easy to spend a lot of money on their products. And yes, there are some things I don't use because there are other options that are much cheaper. Part of why Logos is expensive is because so much is free. 1) Software updates are free (although additional datasets and resources to take advantage of new features are not) 2) Cloud storage of your resources and notes 3) Web access to your resources 4) Telephone tech support 5) A free book of the month - in at least Logos and Verbum 6) When the e-resource is updated, you get the new version - usually with fewer typos and more functionality. Granted, this updating can be slower than we may like, and if the original publisher makes a new edition, the new edition will NOT be free, but still - resources can and do improve with time. All of this takes money, and Logos/Faithlife is a business - not a ministry. Can they be pricey? Yes. Can their marketing get a bit over the top? Yeah. But they have provided abilities to use resources that I bought over a decade ago in ways I couldn't even imagine back then.
+1 this is an excellent list. Faithlife is very generous in this regard, not to mention the vouchers that circulate on a fairly regular basis (end of the month, birthday, etc.).
Proportional to disposable income any of the paid base packages can seem like a big initial outlay, but as others have pointed out one can download Logos Basic and then purchase what you need as you need it. However, for some popular commentary series (Tyndale, Bible Speaks Today, etc.) this can get very pricey and you are unlikely to get them cheaper than as they are bundled with a base package.
Like others have stated Logos isn't cheap...but then again you get what you pay for. This is coming from a customer since 2004. I have found that once you get your base package level that has "most" of what you are looking for...then you can pick and choose additional resources. The free software engine, support, free books monthly, etc are all benefits.
I have heard recently many folks looking into Logos state the cost. I spent a long time looking at alternatives and found Logos works best for me. There is so much that they do to make resources work together and making your study/research time more useful and productive.
Logos has come a long way in putting packages together for the various denominational leanings with shows a very positive and balance view of their business. Logos is a for profit business and do not feel that they are being heavy handed on price to their customers. I have had positive experiences at all levels of the Logos team and remember they have families that they are support to while providing a benefit to the body of Christ.
Before anyone asks no, I don't work for Logos...but am a definite supporter.
If you are new to Logos, try the free version with the resources provided and test drive it. You may not have all of the bells and whistles of some bigger packages, I think given the change you can get a feel for the advantage.
I had a friend feel the same way on price, and I said that for me i spent lots on a hobby and came to the realization that in order to grow in my relationship with God, I needed to make studying God's Word my priority. Not for everybody but works for me.
Blessings.
The many responders have fairly give valid reasons. Logos most certainly is not the cheapest but some would arguably call it the best and in my case it ranks in the top 2. Logos offers not only their trial free version of basic (which gives you use of but not ownership of a few great resources), but also recently introduced their Logos 7 Fundamentals this pack for just under $100 is a more economical way to dive into Logos and get most of the functionality most people need. Logos offers powerful and relatively easy to use tools like a passage guide that most free and even other paid apps do not offer. The passage guide has been imitated in other apps but while others have done wonderful guides of their own Logo remains the clear champ in features offered in this sense. The passage guide becomes more powerful/useful as your library grows but even installing Logos Basic you will get a feel for how Logos can help you effectively study the Bible better. Logos may not be for everyone but they seem to be doing a good job of making it available for a reasonable cost in my mind. Free is always a good place to start and even if you just go for fundamentals you have not gone beyond what most anyone could call a reasonable price since you get over 30 books for that low price.
-dan
Over the years I've received 836 (537 in ebook format, 299 in Logos format) free books. They've come in a variety of ways. Free book of the month, Logos Now, publisher sales, etc.
Granted not all of them have been equally useful. But with an electronic library its only a few mb on disk and they may be useful in the future.
Gerald
Even compared with books it is expensive. All Logos books are more expensive than actual paper books. And more than double than the digital versions.
If you don't need the extra features that a Logos version brings with it, then don't buy it.
If you're happier with a paper version or an ebook, go for it.
Daniel,
When Amazon sells a book at 30% off list, they don't do anything but sell the book to you. They probably pay at most 50% off publisher list price.
For a print publisher editing a manuscript for publication is the number one cost for a publisher.
Logos also has to pay royalties to the publisher so lets say 50% of the list price, then they have to tag and edit the book to work with all the features that Logos offers. That tagging and editing along with telephone support is a large cost added on top of the royalties that they have to pay. Some publishers are charging Logos royalties of up to 70% of list price.
For my money Logos has been a good investment for the money I've spent. Your mileage may vary depending on your needs.
Just wondering why your software is so expensive.
In my experience, Logos is something I've been thankful for.
Spend some time with it, see what it can do, and determine if it is worth it or not to you. If you're not satisfied, you can return it within 30 days for a full refund.
If you lose your print book or it gets wet, you have to pay full price again. With Logos is in the cloud and you have a copy readily available anywhere you go and in all your devices...ah ha, you didn’t think about that, did you? Not to mention your notes and highlights will still be there. And if you don’t like a highlight color you can change it — among many other benefits 👍😁👌
Ps. Game changer for me was not to have to carry boxes full of books when I moved 😬
[Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y][Y] or working on a sermon/paper at home when the book was in my study.
If you don't need the extra features that a Logos version brings with it, then don't buy it. If you're happier with a paper version or an ebook, go for it.
The issue of the Cadallac software in a 'Christian' setting will always be debated. Mammon for 'something'.
But the real questions surround:
- Logos vs all its cheaper competitors (instead of ebooks and paper). The competitors have quite a bit of markup costs too.
- Exactly what Logos features are so valuable? This said, when most forum participants have limited knowledge (ergo use) of said features.
- And the library. It blows the competition away, but only if indeed one needs (and uses) it.
I think another forumite had the best advice (first name 'Jack'?). Don't buy, unless you're sure ... once you're in, you're in.
Personally, my Logosian investment has been 'books'. Period. 50 years ago, excited with Thayers. 50 years later, Strack and Billerbeck.
I guess it depends on what you want. If someone just wants an electronic Bible with search function, it might not be worth it.
Personally, I find the ability to cross reference to be invaluable in chasing down the depths of a topic. This might depend on the needs pf the user and approach of the denomination one belongs to (So, for a personal example, as a Catholic, I find tracing down previous Church documents on a subject to be much easier here than other software I used). Also, the search functions allow a lot of insights into what theologians of different denominations think on a topic so I don't misinterpret them.
I imagine people with knowledge of the Biblical languages get even more use out of it than I do.
[H]
[H][H]
I have Logos but still have boxes of books 😇
