Logos vs. Accordance: The Best Bible Software for Pastors
Bible software is a great resource for pastors or anyone wanting to do Bible study with digital tools. The leading Bible study softwares are Logos and Accordance. Which one is best? Well, I’ve tried them both and discovered that though they are similar, there is one feature that gives gives an advantage to each.
In general, Logos Bible study software is going to be best for pastors as it offers more sermon preparation tools than Accordance. That said, Accordance a cheaper alternative with just as powerful features that can help pastors study the Bible in-depth.
So, what’s the best for you? Well, that is going to depend on what features you prioritize, your current needs, and your willingness to learn a Bible study software. So, let’s take an in depth look at specific features that may be key for pastors (and anyone) when evaluating a Bible study software.
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Read full privacy policy here.
| Feature | Logos | Accordance |
|---|---|---|
| Translation Options | 34.4/40 | 36.8/40 |
| Commentaries and Study Notes | 72/75 | 66/75 |
| Search and Cross-Reference Tools | 57.6/60 | 51.6/60 |
| Word Studies | 31.5/35 | 35/35 |
| Sermon Preparation | 67.7/75 | 52.5/75 |
| Multimedia | 30.1/35 | 23.1/35 |
| Note-Taking and Highlighting | 50/50 | 43/50 |
| Mobile Compatibility | 32.2/35 | 29.4/35 |
| Community and Support | 32.2/35 | 31.5/35 |
| Updates and Future Development | 23/25 | 20/25 |
| User-friendly Interface | 42/50 | 40/50 |
| Cost | 29.4/35 | 30.1/35 |
| Total | 502.1/550 | 435.9/550 |
For the purposes of this review, I reviewed and looked at comparable packages for Logos and Accordance. I used the Pro Subscription from Logos, and the English Pro Collection from Accordance. They are similarly priced and comparable with regards to resources.
Best Overall For Pastors
As previously stated, Logos Bible Software is going to be the best overall Bible software for pastors. This is primarily because of the sermon preparation tools they feature. However, Accordance Bible software is an excellent alternative if you do not need sermon preparation tools.
For the purposes of this review I gave more weight to features that I felt would most benefit pastors. So, features like commentaries and sermon preparation tools had more weight than other features like updates and future developments. Here is how I broke down the weights,
- Translation Options (8%)
- Commentary and Study Notes (15%)
- Search and Cross Reference Tools (12%)
- User Friendly Interface (10%)
- Sermon Preperation Tools (15%)
- Multimedia (7%)
- Note-Taking and Highlighting (10%)
- Mobile Compatibility (7%)
- Community and Support (7%)
- Cost and licensing (7%)
- Word Study (7%)
- Updates and Future Developments (5%)
If you look at the chart above, if sermon preparation tools were not weighted so heavily, then the scores would be a lot closer. In all honesty, comparing Logos to Accordance is like comparing Coke vs. Pepsi. At the end of the day, it’s going to depend on personal preferences and needs.
So, let’s take a look at some of the key features and see how they compare head to head in more detail. This will help you find out which one is best for you.
Translation Options
Winner: Accordance
| Aspect | Logos | Accordance |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Translations | 4 | 5 |
| Presence of Popular Translations | 5 | 4 |
| Accessibility of Less Common/Niche Translations | 4 | 5 |
| Average Score | 4.3 | 4.6 |
| Weighted Score | 34.4/40 | 36.8/40 |
Accordance Bible Software offers more English Bible translations than Logos. Accordance has 33 English Bible translations, plus numerous non-English translations. This makes Accordance a great resource for missionaries. Comparatively, Logos offers 16 English Bible translations.
The packages come with these popular and best selling Bible translations, plus others,
- Accordance: NIV, ESV, NLT, CSB, NKJV, KJV, NASB, NRSV, MSG
- Logos: ESV, CSB, KJV, NRSV, MSG
Though, Accordance comes with more popular Bible translations, I gave it a lower score because the ratio between popular Bible translations and other translations is better in Logos than Accordance.
That means that Accordance has more less common and niche translations than Logos. So, if you are a missionary, do a lot of translation work, or just like to compare what different Bible translations say (which is a good habit) then Accordance is the best option for you.
Overall, in regards to translation options, Accordance leads with more English and non-English, as well as more popular English Bible translations available than Logos Bible Software.
Commentaries and Study Notes
Winner: Logos
| Aspect | Logos | Accordance |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Included Commentaries and Dictionaries | 5 | 5 |
| Quality and Reputation of Commentaries | 5 | 4.5 |
| Range of Theological Perspectives Covered | 4.5 | 5 |
| Availability of Study Notes and Annotations | 5 | 4 |
| Average Score | 4.8 | 4.4 |
| Weighted Score | 72/75 | 66/75 |
Commentaries and study notes are one of the first things that pastors consult when preparing there sermons, after a thorough study of the Bible of course. So, the best Bible study software for pastors needs to have ample commentaries, dictionaries, and other study notes.
In that regard, Logos is the clear winner. The Logos Pro Subscription, built for pastors, has a total of 157 commentaries, dictionaries, and study notes. They are broadly evangelical in their theology and tend to lean academic than pastoral or devotional. However, there are good quality devotional commentaries in there as well.
Accordance offers 88 commentaries, dictionaries, and study notes in their English Pro Collection. They tend to be more theologically diverse with notes from Wesley, Calvin, Matthew Henry and more. Also, their commentaries tend to be more practical for ministers with commentaries like Wiersbe’s BE Series.
Overall, the commentaries and study notes available in both Logos and Accordance are of the highest quality and reputation. So, even though, Logos is the winner, you can’t go wrong with either one.
Search and Cross-Reference Tools
Winner: Logos
| Aspect | Logos | Accordance |
|---|---|---|
| Speed and Accuracy of Search Functionality | 4.5 (Accuracy) | 4.5 (Speed) |
| Advanced Search Options (Boolean, Proximity) | 5 | 5 |
| Cross-referencing Capabilities | 5 | 4 |
| Ease of Use of the Search Feature | 5 | 4 |
| Average Score | 4.8 | 4.3 |
| Weighted Score | 57.6/60 | 51.6/60 |
One of the greatest benefits of having a Bible study software is the ability to quickly search resources for a topic or verse that you are looking at. This can save ample time when preparing a sermon or lesson. SO, how does Accordance and Logos stack up when it comes to searching and cross-references?
Accordance is faster than Logos when it comes to preforming searches. I preformed a couple of general searches on Logos and Accordance and timed them with a stopwatch. It took 3.7s in Accordance for the results to appear and 4.1s in Logos.
Though, the recent Logos Bible software update focused on speed it could still use some work. That said, I found the search function easier to use and understand in Logos than in Accordance. While both use Boolean and proximity searches, Boolean searches were easier to preform in Logos.
Here’s what I mean, in Logos you can type, “Hope AND Love”. But in Accorance you need to type, “Hope <AND> Love”. While this is not a major difference it makes searching in Logos a little easier.
Also, I felt the way the search results were organized in Logos as apposed to Accordance was superior. Typically, the resource or type of resource was at the top, while in Accordance it was slightly lower.
Overall, even though Accordance is the faster software when it comes to search capabilities, Logos’ search functions prove more accurate and easier to use, making it the superior software.
Word Studies
Winner: Accordance
| Aspect | Logos | Accordance |
|---|---|---|
| Original Language Support | 4.5 | 5 |
| Lexicons and Dictionaries | 4.5 | 5 |
| Average Score | 4.5 | 5 |
| Weighted Score | 31.5/35 | 35/35 |
Performing word studies in the original languages of the Bible add depth to your study and sermon preparation and can reveal insights you wouldn’t have found otherwise. So, having a software that makes doing word studies easier may be beneficial.
In that regard, Accordance is the clear winner. Accordance Bible software is designed specifically with full original language support and is built to help pastors, scholars, and researchers study the Bible in original languages and perform word studies.
Though Logos offers more lexicons and dictionaries than Accordance in the packages we are looking at, Accordance heavily focuses on original language support. They even have packages specifically for Greek, Hebrew, or Both. This makes Accorrdance the preferred Bible software for word studies.
Sermon Prep
Winner: Logos
| Aspect | Logos | Accordance |
|---|---|---|
| Preaching Help in Software | 5 | 3 |
| Seamless import/export of Sermon Outlines | 4.5 | 4 |
| Availability of Sermon Planning Features within the Software | 4 | 3 |
| Average Score | 4.5 | 3.3 |
| Weighted Score | 30.1/35 | 23.1/35 |
Many pastors already have a method to plan and prepare sermons, so this may not be a feature you are looking for. But let’s take a look at each software to see why Logos Pro Subscription help you not only study the Bible, but prepare for sermons as well.
Accordance Bible software doesn’t really have a sermon builder or manager. They do however have a Paper feature that can be used to take notes, write papers, books, commentaries, and sermons. That said, it’s not really that great.
However, Accordance has been thinking about building their own sermon builder and was recently looking for ideas in their community forums. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if they come out with one down the road.
Logos Bible Software does have extensive sermon preparation features. However, from my experience with Logos, you can only import docx. files. Though, it can export in multiple formats.
Logos also has 30 preaching helps resources in the Pro Subscription. These include, illustrations, outlines, sermons, and counseling guides.
Accordance offers 25 preaching help resource. However, they also have other helpful and common Christian writings that may be beneficial to pastors, such as, Works of D.L. Moody, Experiencing God, Spurgeon’s Sermons, and more.
In general, if you want to use a Bible study software to plan and prepare sermons, then Logos Pro Subscription and above are your best bet.
Multimedia
Winner: Logos
| Aspect | Logos | Accordance |
|---|---|---|
| Inclusion of Maps, Images, Videos, and Audio Content | 5 | 3 |
| Quality and Relevance of Multimedia Resources | 4 | 4 |
| Ease of Access and Integration with the Text | 4 | 3 |
| Average Score | 4.3 | 3.3 |
| Weighted Score | 30.1/35 | 23.1/35 |
If multimedia resources are an important factor to you then Logos Bible software will be your best option.
Accordance Bible Software offers your basic multimedia resources such as audio Bibles, atlas, photos, and a timeline.
Logos Bible Software offers that and more. They include resources like, Interactives, worship videos, images, etc. Honestly, I don’t know how helpful these extra multimedia resources really are. Some find them not that helpful at all.
Personally, I could go either way. I can live without these extra resources. But I like the visual learning part to them. So, it is what you want out of it.
Note-Taking and Highlighting
Winner: Logos
| Aspect | Logos | Accordance |
|---|---|---|
| Flexibility and ease of use in creating and organizing notes | 5 | 5 |
| Options for Highlighting and Annotating Text | 5 | 4 |
| Integration of Notes with Other software or Platforms | 5 | 4 |
| Average Score | 5 | 4.3 |
| Weighted Score | 50/50 | 43/50 |
One of the most important parts of Bible study and sermon preparation is the ability to highlight texts and take notes. So, let’s see how these two softwares compare.
Taking notes and organizing them in both Logos and Accordance is really simple. What I like most about note-taking in Accordance is that, if you are reading the Bible and want to take a note, you simply go the right side of the note, a plus sign appears, click it, type your note, and exit. It’s that simple.
What stands out to me in Logos regarding the note-taking feature is that is simpler to organize and export your notes. I find creating notebooks for different things easier in Logos as opposed to Accordance.
The highlighting options in Logos and Accordance are very similar. Both offer traditional highlighting as well as inductive symbols. Logos does include more symbols and options if you like to highlight your text.
Mobile Compatibility
Winner: Logos
| Aspect | Logos | Accordance |
|---|---|---|
| Availability and Functionality of Mobile Apps | 5 | 4 |
| Consistency of Features Between Desktop and Mobile Versions | 4 | 4 |
| User Reviews on the Performance of the Mobile App | 4.8 | 4.6 |
| Average Score | 4.6 | 4.2 |
| Weighted Score | 32.2/35 | 29.4/35 |
The great thing about both Logos Bible Software and Accordance Bible software is that they both have mobile apps. This is a great feature to take Bible study resources, sermons, notes, etc. on the go. Apps for both softwares are available on Android and IOS systems.
That said, there have been quite a few complaints with the Accordance Android app with regards to bugs and glitches. When I went to download it for the purposes of this review, I was not able to do so. Why? Because it was made for an older version of Android. So, the Accordance Android app needs an update.
Logos’s mobile app is great and works similarly to the desktop. However, there are some features of Logos that are not available or not fully available on mobile platforms. That said, you can still do a lot of Bible study on the Logos app.
Community and Support
Winner: Tie
| Aspect | Logos | Accordance |
|---|---|---|
| Activeness and Helpfulness of User Community Forums | 5 | 4 |
| Responsiveness and Effectiveness of Customer Support | 4 | 5 |
| Availability of Tutorials, Documentation, or Training Resources | 5 | 4.5 |
| Average Score | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| Weighted Score | 32.2/35 | 31.5/35 |
The customer support of both Logos and Accordance is excellent. Purchasing a Bible study software is not cheap and so good customer support can be a make or break aspect for some. Both softwares are practically tied when it comes to customer support and community.
Though, the customer support is excellent for both softwares, Accordance’s customer support stands out. I have never heard any complaints with their customer support. In fact, I’ve heard that they operate in a very friendly and personal manner, as if it is their personal resources that they are helping with.
Logos, also offers excellent customer support. Though, some have complained about slow response times to emails and it being a more professional as and less personal.
With regards to tutorials and training resources, both softwares provide excellent resources. Logos offers a Quickstart guide that is a must watch if you are going to use the software. Accordance offers step-by-step tutorials within their software that I frequently turn to.
Both have active online communities and forums. You can check out the Accordance forum and the Logos forum yourself to see what is involved in each.
Updates and Future Development
Winner: Logos
| Aspect | Logos | Accordance |
|---|---|---|
| Frequency and Regularity of Software Updates | 5 | 4 |
| Release Notes Detailing Improvements and Bug Fixes | 5 | 4 |
| Transparency about Software’s Development | 4 | 4 |
| Average Score | 4.6 | 4 |
| Weighted Score | 23/25 | 20/25 |
Truthfully, comparing Logos Bible Software to Accordance Bible Software is like comparing Nikon and Cannon cameras. They are both leading companies in their fields. As such, they will stick around for awhile.
Both Logos and Accordance are continually updating and developing their software to best suit the needs of their users. But in my opinion, Logos does come out slightly on top when comparing their updates and future development for two reasons,
- I feel like my Logos software updates at least once a month.
- Logos is very transparent about their software development and you can view their release history here.
That said, Accordance is very active in its forums about possible future development and getting an idea of what customers want. For example, the other day I saw a post where they were thinking about doing a sermon builder and wanted to know if Accordance users would want it and what they’d like to see.
Overall, though, both Logos and Accordance are going to stick around and be continually updated and improved.
User-Friendly Interface
Winner: Logos
| Aspect | Logos | Accordance |
|---|---|---|
| Intuitiveness of the Interface | 4 | 4 |
| Customization Options for Layout and Preferences | 4 | 4.5 |
| Ease of Navigation Between Features | 4 | 3.5 |
| Clarity of Icons and Menu Options | 5 | 4 |
| Average Score | 4.2 | 4 |
| Weighted Score | 42/50 | 40/50 |
Like everything technological, there is a learning curve to both Accordance and Logos. When it comes to user-friendly interface Logos barely edges out Accordance in my opinion. But there are many things Accordance has going for it.
Accordance Bible software is easier to learn. So, it’s not as a steep learning curve. You can learn Accordance just by playing around on the software and using the tutorials. That said, personally, I found it more confusing to navigate between the different features when first learning Accordance.
Accordance is also generally more customizable than Logos. In Accordance, you can have numerous workflows (Layouts in Logos) open at a time. This is something you cannot do with Logos. Also, you can customize Accordance workflows however you please. Logos has gotten better at this.
So, why does Logos edge out Accordance? Because Logos has a better user-interface. The icons are clearer and it’s easier to navigate between different features with Logos. So, even though there may be more of a learning curve to Logos when you first start, it’s easier to navigate and use all the time.
Cost
Winner: Accordance
| Aspect | Logos | Accordance |
|---|---|---|
| Clear Pricing and Structure (Subscription, One-Time Purchase) | 4.5 | 5 |
| Comparison of Costs against Included Features | 4 | 4 |
| Consideration of Additional Costs for Extra Resources or Features | 4 | 4 |
| Average Score | 4.2 | 4.3 |
| Weighted Score | 29.4/35 | 30.1/35 |
Bible study software is expensive, but its worth the investment. That said, you shouldn’t pay for what you are not going to use. So, let’s compare the cost of Logos and Accordance.
This review compared the Logos Pro Subscription with Gold Library with the Accordance English Pro Collection. The challenging part to compare is the reoccuring price in the Logos Subscription.
- Logos Pro Subscription: $149.99/yr, Plus $594.99 for the Gold Library
- Accordance English Pro Collection: $1,149
And honestly, comparable to the cost you are going to get about the same features. The biggest part you’ll miss out on if you go with Accordance is the sermon builder and some pastoral resources. And if you go with Logos, then you’ll miss out on some of the original language support and resources.
When you compare individual items, like books, for each software, they are roughly the same. For example, one book I looked at was $39.99 at both Logos and Accordance. Though, in general Accordance may be a little cheaper at times for individual items.
That said, both software companies frequently run sales and discounts on everything from individual books to entire packages.
Key Takeaways
- Logos is recommended for pastors due to superior sermon preparation tools, while Accordance is a cost-effective alternative with powerful features for in-depth Bible study.
- Translation: Accordance wins with more English and non-English translations, including popular versions, making it suitable for missionaries or those interested in diverse translations.
- Commentaries and Study Notes: Logos excels with a higher number and broader range of commentaries, offering 157 resources, while Accordance provides 88 theologically diverse commentaries.
- Search and Cross-References: Logos outperforms in search accuracy and usability, offering superior search functions, making it more efficient for finding specific verses or topics. Though, Accordance is faster.
- Word Studies: Accordance is the preferred choice for original language support and word studies, designed specifically for in-depth study of Greek and Hebrew.
- Sermon Prep: Logos is the go-to choice for sermon preparation, featuring extensive sermon planning features, while Accordance lacks a dedicated sermon builder.
- Multimedia: Logos provides richer multimedia resources, including interactives, worship videos, and more, making it more comprehensive for visual learning.
- Note-Taking and Highlighting: Logos edges out with more advanced note organization and export options, offering a user-friendly interface for efficient note-taking and highlighting.
- Mobile Compatability: Logos has a more reliable mobile app with better functionality, while Accordance struggles with bugs and glitches in its Android app.
- Community and Support: Both have excellent customer support, with Accordance standing out for its personal approach. Both have active online forums and communities.
- User-Friendly Interface: Logos is slightly more user-friendly with clearer icons and easier navigation, though Accordance has a gentler learning curve.
- Accordance wins in cost, offering a more affordable option with comparable features, making it a cost-effective choice for budget-conscious users.
You can check out my complete review of Logos Bible software here. And my review of Accordance Bible software here, if you’d like. This way you can see even more about what makes each feature unique.
Logos is recommended as the best overall Bible software for pastors, primarily due to its robust sermon preparation tools, but it’s not ideal for everyone. Accordance serves as an excellent alternative, especially for those with budget constraints or different feature priorities.
