Is Logos expensive?

David McKay
David McKay Member Posts: 58
edited November 2024 in English Forum

Is Logos Bible Software expensive? I think it is pricey, but you do get some great benefits for what you pay. 

I am enjoying Logos 8 Silver. The upgrade cost me $360, but in Australian dollars it’s a lot more than that. It’s a shock when you see it in your own money!

But yesterday, I discovered I could also select one free Mobile Ed package. The Daniel Block 20 hours of lectures on Deuteronomy looked tantalising, and I have now put my toe in the water. If I’d had to pay for it, it would have cost more than twice the price of the upgrade! 

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Comments

  • Keith Pang
    Keith Pang Member Posts: 1,079 ✭✭✭

    It is expensive but I always saw it as an investment rather than focusing on the price tag. Logos has been a blessing to me in growing in Christ and ministering to others. It is a great tool

    Keith Pang, PhD Check out my blog @ https://keithkpang.wixsite.com/magnifyingjesus

  • Mark
    Mark Member Posts: 2,652 ✭✭✭

    It is expensive but I always saw it as an investment rather than focusing on the price tag. Logos has been a blessing to me in growing in Christ and ministering to others. It is a great tool

    I can say the same thing. Keith, you expressed my feelings on the subject.



  • Martin Hall
    Martin Hall Member Posts: 288 ✭✭

    I echo what the others have said. I have used this as an option to save up for and generally spend more than a $100 only 3 times per year: Birthday, Christmas, & when my FL Connect subscription comes up. It has taken me about 4 years to build up to the Library that I have, but it is worth the investment. The subscription is probably the best value, as you get 2 classes/year, 2 free books per month, and access to all of the newest bells & whistles. Regardless, in my opinion in the long run this is a great investment. 

  • Bruce Dunning
    Bruce Dunning MVP Posts: 11,143

    "Expensive" is a relative term. It really depends what you are comparing it to. I prefer to think of it as value for money spent which is think is very reasonable. Of course it gets more expensive the more resources you add but the value increases at the same time.

    Using adventure and community to challenge young people to continually say "yes" to God

  • Dan Francis
    Dan Francis Member Posts: 5,339 ✭✭✭

    You get what you pay for, you can have an ok experience with basic for free with faith life study Bible. You can get a better experience with the $99 package (don’t remember it‘s package name). Basic is a gift per say with you owning few licenses but the $99 pack gives you actual resources you own.  Resources in packages are often super good values. Most are little more than other digital editions and all are definitely the same or less than the hard copy retail price. I encourage people to examine all the Bible software out there and When FL insisted that $300 was the entry level I argued many people should look elsewhere for a more affordable option. I also know of at least one person who has happily used Logos for over a decade never having purchased a base package and he is quite content with the limited bells and whistles of no package. FL has hit every entry point and while some may criticize the level of usefulness of basic I can see a lot of Christians being very happy there and just picking up the odd book and their preferred translation. I do not think many would argue $99 is too much to spend to get $300+ value equivalent in hard copy books (if my memory is right, it is frustrating that these “value” packages are hard to locate). I know they really want you to buy the $300 package but there is a vast majority who will look at that price point and say no thank you. 

    -dan

  • Graham Owen
    Graham Owen Member Posts: 254

    Is Logos Bible Software expensive? I think it is pricey, but you do get some great benefits for what you pay. 

    Difficult to answer for someone else but in terms of the resources that I have available compared to owning the physical books I believe Logos is good value for money. It also simplifies access and physical storage. 

    At a certain investment point it also becomes a commitment.

    I tend to categorise books in 3 groups:

    - those I really need (or want) 

    - those that add value to my study 

    - the rest 

    I justify upgrades and purchases primarily on those in category 1.

    That said some times a resource surprises me or it turns out to be one I need later. I have learnt to check what I have before I buy and this approach often uncovers additional value.

    As others have said though it probably makes sense to see Logos as an investment  

  • Ryan
    Ryan Member Posts: 4

    Agreed completely. It definitely is relative. When in seminary making minimum wage on campus it really hurt to buy it. It was "required" for a class. It was a decision that put us in financial strain at the time, but I have greatly benefited from the investment. I cannot imagine trying to do sermon prep without it as it simply saves so much time.  So yes, I think it's expensive, but as others say, you get what you pay for, and I believe logos is the best product on the market. 

  • Mike Childs
    Mike Childs Member Posts: 3,127 ✭✭✭

    As a preacher / pastor I see Logos Bible Software as one of the major tools of my trade.  If you shop the Logos sales, and are careful, a library in Logos will cost less than an equivalent library in paper books.  And it will be far more useful.  You never lose the books you buy in Logos.  That has been true for me for 25 years now.  Over the last 25 years, I have bought most of my ministerial library in Logos, and it is the best decision that I ever made.  (Well, that is an exaggeration.  Receiving Christ as Lord, answering his call to ministry, attending Asbury Theological Seminary, and marrying my precious wife out rank buying Logos as great decisions.  But it was a good one!) 

    Thanks to Logos, I have a library far better than I ever dreamed I would be able to afford when I started in ministry 43 years ago.


    "In all cases, the Church is to be judged by the Scripture, not the Scripture by the Church," John Wesley

  • Gregory Lawhorn
    Gregory Lawhorn Member Posts: 982 ✭✭✭

    Yes.

    I've invested thousands of dollars into Logos.

    And no.

    My print library ran close to 1,000 volumes. For less than I spent in seminary and the first 15 years of pastoral ministry, I have more than 8,000 resources. I also have the ability to gather information in seconds and access original language materials and ancient literature. And, in a few seconds, I can carry out a complicated search, such as every question Peter asked Jesus. 

  • Stephen
    Stephen Member Posts: 201 ✭✭

     And, in a few seconds, I can carry out a complicated search, such as every question Peter asked Jesus. 

    Ok, I'll bite, how would that search be done in Logos?

  • EastTN
    EastTN Member Posts: 1,458 ✭✭✭

    Yes.  That's not intended as a criticism of FaithLife - it's just a fact that purchasing a mid-level Logos base package costs a significant amount of money.  That's not necessarily bad.  Lot's of things are expensive.  It just means that I need to think a bit more carefully about my Logos purchases than I might if they were less expensive.

  • Justin Gatlin
    Justin Gatlin Member, MVP Posts: 2,087

     And, in a few seconds, I can carry out a complicated search, such as every question Peter asked Jesus. 

    Ok, I'll bite, how would that search be done in Logos?

    I am not at my computer to test, but this should be it.

    {Addressee <Person Jesus>} INTERSECT ({Section <Sentence ~ Interrogative>} WITHIN {Speaker <Person Peter>})

    I was to find a question within Peter's speech that intersecta with when Jesus is the one being addressed, so it it a little convoluted.

  • pk47
    pk47 Member Posts: 119

    Most books that come out in pre-pub are very similarly priced in comparison with kindle/paperback.

    So Logos is the superior option.

    The one exception are books by Baker Academic... They're always overpriced on Logos pre-pub.

    Here's an example of a recent Baker pre-pub: Behind the Scenes of the Old Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts.

  • {Addressee <Person Jesus>} INTERSECT ({Section <Sentence ~ Interrogative>} WITHIN {Speaker <Person Peter>})

    Alternate syntax has the same results

    ({Section <Sentence ~ Interrogative>} INTERSECTS {Speaker <Person Peter>}) INTERSECTS {Addressee <Person Jesus>}

    Keep Smiling [:)]

  • Stephen
    Stephen Member Posts: 201 ✭✭

    Wow, both of you are awesome!  Did not know the software I have could do that stuff!  Amazing!

    PS - Sorry OP, I did not mean to hijack the post.  It was a teaching moment for me ;-)

  • David Ames
    David Ames Member Posts: 2,977 ✭✭✭

    Wow, both of you are awesome!  Did not know the software I have could do that stuff!  Amazing!

    PS - Sorry OP, I did not mean to hijack the post.  It was a teaching moment for me ;-)

    Yes, Logos is Expensive but Look what it can do!!!!   

    or Logos is fair priced if you need to buy the dead tree versions of most of what you need for an equivalent library.

     

  • Reuben Helmuth
    Reuben Helmuth MVP Posts: 2,485

    Wow, both of you are awesome!  Did not know the software I have could do that stuff!  Amazing!

    PS - Sorry OP, I did not mean to hijack the post.  It was a teaching moment for me ;-)

    Yes, Logos is Expensive but Look what it can do!!!! 

    And in Logos 8 this got even easier (via search templates), just select the appropriate template, type in the two names and hit search!

  • Danny Parker
    Danny Parker Member Posts: 437 ✭✭

    A car mechanic buys quality tools - they are essential to his job. Shouldn't a Christian professional (and others who are serious at the task) do the same? And yes they can be more expensive than really cheap ones (however learning to get the deals / manage the Logos sales make them less so). But they also stand the test of time. They are the right tool at the right time. They can be relied upon. They are the best tools available for the task at hand. And the task is a weighty one.

    Logos user since before it was Logos (CDWord days). I have never regretted having it. Closing in on 10,000 books, accumulated over 30+ years. And all of them easily accessed through powerful software. And I stopped buying physical books shelves. Makes my wife happy lol. 

  • Stephen
    Stephen Member Posts: 201 ✭✭
    Mind blown! I will have to check this out tomorrow when I am on my computer. I am just a civilian, not a pastor, teacher or student. But I have enjoyed Logos since version 4 and think it is worth the money for my personal study and enjoyment. Even more so with just what I have learned in this thread. Thanks to all.
  • Gregory Lawhorn
    Gregory Lawhorn Member Posts: 982 ✭✭✭

     And, in a few seconds, I can carry out a complicated search, such as every question Peter asked Jesus. 

    Ok, I'll bite, how would that search be done in Logos?

    The search text itself is {Speaker <Person Peter>} INTERSECTS {Label Question} INTERSECTS {Addressee <Person Jesus>}.

    Logos 8 has a "template" sidebar that allows you to choose "One Person Asks Another Person A Question." Choose that. Type Peter in the first box (you then have to select Peter from the pop up menu) and Jesus in the second box (likewise). Click on Search, and the text is pasted into the query line, and the search is conducted. 

    I would love to have a true "search builder," where you could choose any parameter, but this gets you started pretty quickly. 

  • The search text itself is {Speaker <Person Peter>} INTERSECTS {Label Question} INTERSECTS {Addressee <Person Jesus>}.

    Appears {Section <Sentence ~ Interrogative>} is a little bit faster than {Label Question}

    FYI: within ( ) has the same search time (so order does not matter).

    Keep Smiling [:)]

  • Josh Hunt
    Josh Hunt Member Posts: 1,052 ✭✭✭

    Books are expensive. But, when you consider the amount of time the author and publisher spend producing them, books are a bargain. 

    Logos books are pennies on the dollar. 

    Knowledge is costly, but ignorance is more costly still. 

  • DMB
    DMB Member Posts: 13,787 ✭✭✭

    I'm not sure the OP's reason for asking about what he already did.

    But, it's definitely a catalog of apologetic rationales.  We haven't got to the guitars for books one. That was good, from Matthew.

    "If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.