Deciding on a Paid or Free Version Bible Software Steven Long 5/27/13

^{This is the third part in a TBD part series on Bible software. Here are the other parts: (part 1) (part 2)}.

Before investing any money into any Bible software package you need to ask yourself the most important question: do I need a paid version or can I get by on a free version? Hopefully, this post will be able to help you decide. Here are some brief pointers in making the big decision:

Buying a paid version

• A seminary student in need of major research and heavy original language needs
• A full-time pastor/Bible teacher
• A seminary teacher who uses the original languages and other tools extensively
• Homeschool students with a heavy Bible curriculum (a free package may do depending on how far you would like your child to go in Bible study)
• Professional theologians/writers that tackle large chunks of Biblical texts

Sticking with a free version

• Deeper, personal Bible study
• Normal, everyday Bible reading and study
• A general building up of a good theological library (a lot of books are available for free in the public domain. This means that free Bible software will often include these books in their packages). 

These are just some general guidelines of whether or not to buy a software package or stick to a free version. Ultimately, you have to decide on your own needs and uses for the software. But just a few closing thoughts: it is possible to find a happy median between a paid and free version package. For many, they buy a low-end base package and then supplement it with a free version. This is actually a reasonable and viable option for those who want to homeschool their children but desire quality Bible software. 

In the next post we'll look at a few paid software packages as well as some good free ones. I'll also talk about the advantages and disadvantages of both.