Bible Software Consolidation -- Who's Next?

In just over two years, we saw two major Bible software brands sunset:

1) BibleWorks ~ 2018

2) Wordsearch (and its predecessor brands Bible Explorer, QuickVerse, PC Study Bible) ~ 2020

Who do you is the next one to fall? OliveTree? Accordance?

It looks like Faithlife / Logos might be the last one standing...

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MJ. Smith

Or there is an interesting question of why BibleWorks went into compatibility maintenance only mode rather than selling/merging. I would suspect that Accordance still has a stable financial base.

Rene Atchley

I have a form of Logos since seminary which amounts to something like 25 years. Experiences with this software has led me to detest its advertising, complications of use, high expense, and generally annoying habits of automating the simplest things that I can do myself. As a result of my relationship with Faithlife over the years I have used all possible bible based programs that were alternatives to this beast. So now Wordsearch has been bought and an absolute monopoly for many, if not all, aspects of the bible related software market has been concentrated into this company (in windows)...with the result of discontinuation of the Wordsearch platform. So now I hesitate to spend anymore money on Logos in anticipation of it being sold to the highest bidder and waste of more of my money.

Olive Tree is now owned by HarperCollins. Accordance is still independent I think. Let's see how much longer can they stand.

Bruce Dunning

So now I hesitate to spend anymore money on Logos in anticipation of it being sold to the highest bidder and waste of more of my money.

Personally I think Logos is in a solid financial position and the possibility of this happening is slim. Even if it does happen at some point, the shear number of people who have invested in Logos increases the likelihood of Logos continuing.

SineNomine

Who do you is the next one to fall? OliveTree? Accordance?

I expect that Faithlife and Accordance are in the best positions for the future. In that order.

Jon

While I would love for Olive Tree or Accordance to be acquired by Logos, solely to get the resources I have there to finally be available in Logos, at the same time I recognize that less competition is never a good thing for customers [:S]

Totally agreed!

As a matter of fact, when I first saw the announcement yesterday about WS being acquired by Logos, my first thought was: That's the end of affordable prices on resources available on WS!

Mark Smith

I think Kevin Purcell wrote cogently on why some Bible software companies are unable to compete in the current environment when he discussed the shut down of BibleWorks. Worth a read.

Both Logos and Accordance seem to check off the boxes he mentioned as critical, but if there is a declining market for serious Bible study tools (as he believes) then that will erode both companies' bottom lines

It seems Logos is a mature product right now. I am not sure what new features they can continue to come up with over time that will truly enhance Bible study. If so, less money will be spent on development which will be a good thing for the company's bottom line.

SineNomine

It seems Logos is a mature product right now. I am not sure what new features they can continue to come up with over time that will truly enhance Bible study. If so, less money will be spent on development which will be a good thing for the company's bottom line.

Or there will be continued expansion into areas that aren't strictly Bible study: sermon creation, academic theology studies, patristics/classics, religious education, etc.

R. Mansfield

Who do you is the next one to fall? OliveTree? Accordance?

It looks like Faithlife / Logos might be the last one standing...

I can assure you Accordance is doing just fine. We’re not going to “fall,” and we’re not going anywhere.

There’s room for more than one major Bible software company. It’s not a zero sum game. This isn’t Highlander. There can be more than one.

DAL

Hello, Mansfield!

I still have my Accordance Bible Software. I love the graphics and Paper. There’s room for more than one Bible Software. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. I can use both! I’m glad you guys are doing fine and are not going anywhere 👍😁👌

DAL

Bob Pritchett

Olive Tree is now owned by HarperCollins.

HarperCollins Christian Publishing sold Olive Tree it just over a week ago:

https://www.olivetree.com/press/pressrelease09112020.php

Paul Caneparo

Olive Tree is now owned by HarperCollins.

HarperCollins Christian Publishing sold Olive Tree it just over a week ago:

https://www.olivetree.com/press/pressrelease09112020.php

Would have loved my Olive Tree library in Faithlife too.

Bob Pritchett

It looks like Faithlife / Logos might be the last one standing...

When we started there were lots of DOS programs, and soon many Windows ones... QuickVerse, Ask God, BibleWindows, GRAMCORD, Wordsearch, CDWordLibrary, Online Bible, PC Study Bible, etc.

Today many of those are gone, but there are even more mobile apps, web sites, etc.

I think of our space as incredibly competitive -- while QuickVerse and BibleWorks and PC Study Bible have faded as competitors, YouVersion, BibleHub, and others have come on strong, and new mobile apps and web sites seem to spring up every month.

People haven't stopped studying the Bible, and they haven't stopped building new tools to help! :-)

David Thomas

Olive Tree is now owned by HarperCollins.

HarperCollins Christian Publishing sold Olive Tree it just over a week ago:

https://www.olivetree.com/press/pressrelease09112020.php

This is an interesting read! Having watched Parson's Technology; QuickVerse; WORDSearch life-cycle, seeing OT sell to HarperCollins then spin-off to a private holder gives me cause to wonder.

David Wanat

It looks like Faithlife / Logos might be the last one standing...

When we started there were lots of DOS programs, and soon many Windows ones... QuickVerse, Ask God, BibleWindows, GRAMCORD, Wordsearch, CDWordLibrary, Online Bible, PC Study Bible, etc.

Today many of those are gone, but there are even more mobile apps, web sites, etc.

I think of our space as incredibly competitive -- while QuickVerse and BibleWorks and PC Study Bible have faded as competitors, YouVersion, BibleHub, and others have come on strong, and new mobile apps and web sites seem to spring up every month.

People haven't stopped studying the Bible, and they haven't stopped building new tools to help! :-)

Ah yes. I remember in 2007 looking through all the Bible software in an overstock store. I decided to pick up Libronix because it was the only one with the NAB as an option. The rest was history.

David Thomas

When we started there were lots of DOS programs, and soon many Windows ones... QuickVerse, Ask God, BibleWindows, GRAMCORD, Wordsearch, CDWordLibrary, Online Bible, PC Study Bible, etc.

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda - If only Pradis could have been acquired like WORDSearch (with Pradis resources FREE migration to Logos); I would be able to dump that older program. I just can't bring myself to REpurchase the Expositor's Bible Commentary (even at the occasional $130) discounted price.

[I realize that while the migration is free for users, it cost dearly for Logos to acquire these users and their libraries from Lifeway.] Bob, thank you for investing in your user base.

HarperCollins Christian Publishing sold Olive Tree it just over a week ago:

https://www.olivetree.com/press/pressrelease09112020.php

Wow, that's interesting news about Olive Tree, and an interesting life story of the new owner.

Fabian

It seems Logos is a mature product right now. I am not sure what new features they can continue to come up with over time that will truly enhance Bible study.

I have made some request. If the developers have a boring time I would love to see my request come alive.

MJ. Smith

I am not sure what new features they can continue to come up with over time that will truly enhance Bible study

In documenting the Search, I've discovered several holes they can fill and areas that need improvement or updating that could truly be helps. But you are right that updates for technological changes and contemporary user interfaces will be the major chunk of their time.

Donovan R. Palmer

There’s room for more than one major Bible software company. It’s not a zero sum game. This isn’t Highlander. There can be more than one.

And I would argue that there is a need for more than one. I love, love, love Accordance. At least for the way that my brain is wired, the workflows for focusing on the text is so much better for me. Laser fast and it just seems to make me focus better on scriptures. I plan to invest more into it this winter.

And I think I can say this because I also have a large investment in Logos and have been using it since Series X. I still prefer Logos for research as it is my go to for sifting through tons of materials I have accumulated over the years. Considering the size of my library, the speed isn't too bad.

And I hope they are never merged into one. My hope is that Accordance and Logos can continue to have very prosperous futures, each with their own personality.

Be blessed... we have amazing tools!

(sorry for the three Ands... maybe years from now someone will study our texts and wonder if this was some sort of literary device or my bad writing style [;)] )

DMB

And I hope they are never merged into one.

And I'm thinking Bible platforms, like other software, encourage (demand) a way of thinking. I was late to the BW party, but I keep it open for quick use. It seems to 'flash' the related OL info faster than you can think you want it. Logos is largely a make-a-list proposition, with little interest in the centuries that separate list items. Accordance is somewhere in the middle.

Tes

In just over two years, we saw two major Bible software brands sunset:

1) BibleWorks ~ 2018

2) Wordsearch (and its predecessor brands Bible Explorer, QuickVerse, PC Study Bible) ~ 2020

Who do you is the next one to fall? OliveTree? Accordance?

It looks like Faithlife / Logos might be the last one standing...

PC Study Bible

Donovan R. Palmer

And I'm thinking Bible platforms, like other software, encourage (demand) a way of thinking.

Boom! That's right. Each tool has a different approach. There are times that I want everything to fall away and for the Biblical text come to the front and drive my studies... this is where the Accordance designers get into my headspace.

Yet the true is opposite for Logos on research. I feel more comfortable with it's approach... and the guides and tools are helpful too when I need to get a workup on something very quickly.

Both are great tools, and I am so very glad to have them, though in this season I am tending to use Accordance more and in other seasons it has been the other way around.

I was late to the BW party, but I keep it open for quick use. It seems to 'flash' the related OL info faster than you can think you want it.

I seriously considered buying in BW at one stage, but when I moved to Mac back in 2008, I got into Accordance and never looked back. It is like a sharp tool that just cranks it out...

cshover8669

I do not know who is next, but I really hope that I maintain the features I like best about the different software packages out there. If you count Word Search, I own 6 different bible study software tools. Logos is my primary go to, and the others, I go to for what is different. There are ones that do maps and graphics much better than logos, and one that generates a great word cloud on book or verse range, and one that has a resource that is not available in any of the other software libraries; anther one is much better as a mobile app than the others. I spend 95% of my time in Logos, but use the other ones as needed to enhance what I am doing through Logos. That is just what I use on my desktop and laptop. In Church, I use a seventh one to follow along with the sermons and take notes on the fly. Thanks, Carla

David Paul

Well, count me as one who'd like to see FL acquire Galaxie, because not only would that allow FL to properly maximize the hyperlinking of the resources in Galaxie's stable, but it would move FL into an area I would like to see them expand their reach in...journals. If FL owned the Galaxie market, it would likely provide opportunities for relationships beyond Galaxie in the journal sphere.

Gregory Lawhorn

I can assure you Accordance is doing just fine. We’re not going to “fall,” and we’re not going anywhere.

There’s room for more than one major Bible software company. It’s not a zero sum game. This isn’t Highlander. There can be more than one.

In many cases there NEEDS to be both. I used Accordance for a number of years, and then added Logos. While I don't use Accordance nearly as much anymore, I can imagine that many scholars would find BOTH programs useful.

DMB

In many cases there NEEDS to be both.

True. Each seems to go down a path of mirrors, until a new batch of customers appears that aren't impressed with the mirrors.

I really like the introduction of what is being called Word Maps, available in Accordance. The Lexham Biblical DSS interlinear hints at it, but 'word maps' make varients a lot easier to map out, as well as semantic equivalents.

mab

I still wish somehow that FL could fund BW and get them to run native on Mac. I never got deep into it, but I like it's lean strip-down search Bible interface. There's something to be said for putting first things first. I run lots of exegetical guides on verses because if aren't looking at text you often miss the main attraction.