Thoughts on Logos versus Open Source and free software with donations

I've been thinking this for a while now. It seems to me that the ethos of Logos has changed since the subscriptions came in. When they did, I initially said to myself: I'll never get the subscription model, but the resources are just so much better with a low subscription. But I used to use products such as e-sword, and Bible hub, blue letter Bible etc. Not that I ever (to my shame) donated any money.

If enough people donated money to the free software, it would be the equivalent of Logos now. Logos Bible Software or Faithlife does not require its employees to be Christians in any shape or form (although, yes, some are Christians), and they are not a charity, they are a business, making money being their main aim.

What about using Logos Bible software - now that we've invested in it - for the books, but withdrawing the subscription and going with the great free software out there instead for the actual hard graft study? I suspect some people here are doing this already. By the way, this was inspired by a blogpost on sellingjesus.org

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DMB

"What about using Logos Bible software - now that we've invested in it - for the books, but withdrawing the subscription and going with the great free software out there instead for the actual hard graft study?"

Not sure your suggestion. Logos is a PE, so there's that (as you mention). And the bucks to fund Logos type features are substantial … 15+ years of funding.

Actually, I'm pretty much using free software now … Logos. No subscription and some almost free books. Who knew?

Ben

Yeah, I'm never going to get the Anchor Bible Dictionary, HALOT, or other high quality resources on freeware or BlueLetterBible. Thorough non-fundamentalist bible study requires more than just the Bible.

Dr. Nathan Parker

It's true you're never going to get the high-end scholarly resources on freeware or cheapware. You get what you pay for.

Logos is where my massive library is, plus my Wordsearch library is merged under it, plus I still have a couple of other major players since I invested enough in them.

One app I've kept around on a Windows VM on my Mac is SwordSearcher. I bought it when I needed to do hard-core KJV searching, and the cost was affordable. I really like how well SS searches the KJV (even without the use of AI), and I wish Logos would add a similar feature, but work with any English Bible translation (and if it could work with non-English Bibles, even more of a plus). This would be the type of Legacy Fallback License feature that would make the LFL super appealing for subscribers. It came with a decent library of mostly-PD books, but for all the copyrighted/scholarly content, Logos is the major way to still get all of that.

John

Tyndale created https://www.stepbible.org which has OL tools and is completely free for everyone, anywhere in the world.

It is based upon the open source SWORD project https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_SWORD_Project .

It only runs inside a browser, but has downloads for macOS, Linux and Windows that allow it to use a local webhost without an internet connection.

@Ben Leney maybe you can explain why a completely free program that allows OL study has never become very popular in 10 or more years it has been available?

Don Awalt

I’d like to respectfully add an observation.

Over the last year or two, a number of people have criticized Logos for “being in business to make money.” That is, of course, true. If Logos were to consistently lose money, it would go the way of several former competitors—many of whom were (and still are) highly revered by users for being “true to the Christian faith” in every respect, yet are no longer in existence. However admirable their intentions may have been, they are no longer able to contribute meaningfully to the mission of Christ.

That brings us back to the idea of “being in business to make money.” How does any business do that? Fundamentally, through a clearly articulated vision and mission—and by consistently living them out.

Logos’ vision (where they are going) is:

“To increase biblical literacy and accessibility for every Christian around the world.”

Their mission (how they are getting there) is:

“We use technology to equip the church to grow in the light of the Bible.”

Logos does not remain financially viable simply by seeking profit for its own sake. It stays in business by faithfully executing its mission, making measurable progress toward its vision, growing in reach and impact, and clearly communicating all of this to customers and partners.

So when someone says, “They’re just here to make money,” that may be technically true—but it’s incomplete. A more constructive conversation would consider how Logos pursues that goal, and whether its vision and mission are being carried out with integrity and effectiveness. As customers, that perspective is far more helpful—and ultimately more fair.

My .02