Seraph vs Bible Gateway
A HarperCollins Bible read, listen, and study library — 200+ translations free, ads on that free tier, Plus for ad-free study tools — and a quieter flame that never asks for an account. This page is written by the maker of Seraph — read it knowing that — and it will be generous to Bible Gateway, because Bible Gateway has earned it.
Our bias, declared: we make Seraph. The linked Bible Gateway sources support the specific download price, In-App Purchases list, website plan wording, trial wording, store listings, ads wording, and privacy wording identified below; this is not an independent review of either app. Our product details describe Seraph’s current published offering. If we've got something wrong, tell us and we'll fix it.
The main difference
Consider Bible Gateway if you want Scripture in the translation you already use, with study tools beside the verse. The US listing (id506512797) lockup on this check is “Free · In‑App Purchases,” seller HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., category Reference, subtitle “Read the Bible wherever you go,” age 9+. Age Rating details print Infrequent Guns or Other Weapons, and Contains Advertising. JSON-LD Offer on that page is price 0, currency USD — the download, not Plus. Listing copy: 200+ Bible translations and audio Bibles in 15+ languages, all free to use; a free account to highlight, note, react, and sync; Bible Gateway Plus = ad-free plus 60+ study tools. We do not have Android, and we are not a multi-translation study library.
Choose Seraph if you want something quieter: one flame kept daily, the whole King James Bible readable free, guided prayer paced by breath — and a hard privacy line: no account to create, no ads, and a public vow of no prayer analytics. Your prayer life stays on your device. Seraph+ is $6.99/mo or $59.99/yr on our US App Store listing and on our pricing page. The daily office is free. Sacred Seasons, including Advent, are not. There is no Seraph+ trial. Bible Gateway is a Bible reader and study library with ads on free. We are a silent daily office. That is the fork, not a ranking.
Side by side
| Feature | Seraph | Bible Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Annual price | $59.99/yr | The US listing IAP list on this check is not one yearly SKU. It prints Bible Gateway Plus Yearly at $69.99 and Bible Gateway Plus Yearly at $58.99 (both amounts appear more than once). JSON-LD Offer on that page is price 0 / USD for the download. This app’s offer data sets hasInAppPurchases to true and isFree to true. Their Plus page FAQ prints a limited-time offer of “just $4.92/month when billed annually” (save 30% for a Yearly Plan compared with paying monthly for one year) and that Bible Gateway Plus is normally “$6.99 USD per month or $69.99 USD per year.” The following sentence in that FAQ answer prints “Offer expires 9/15 at 3:00 AM EST.” That FAQ names $69.99, not $58.99. Site chrome on the same check also prints “LESS THAN $5/MO.” We print both IAP yearly amounts. We do not invent that one of them is current. |
| Monthly price | $6.99/mo | The US listing IAP list prints Bible Gateway Plus Monthly $6.99 on every monthly row this check transcribed. No other monthly amount appears in that Apple list. Their Plus page FAQ also prints $6.99/month. The Play listing shows a range chip “$3.99 - $58.99 per item,” not a named monthly SKU. We do not invent a $3.99 Plus month from that range. |
| Family plan | — | None published on the US listing, the Plus page, or the app page. The IAP names are Monthly and Yearly. We do not invent a family SKU. |
| Free trial | None — the free tier is the trial | 7-day free trial of Plus for new members. Their Plus page: “New members can try Bible Gateway Plus free for 7 days,” sign up required for the trial, cancel during the 7 days without being charged. Their app page table for Plus includes “7-day free trial.” That is a trial of Plus, not of the ad-supported reader. |
| Free, forever | Daily verse · 2 guided sessions · the whole KJV Bible (1,189 chapters) · every reading plan · streak flame · reminders | The download they price at 0, plus the free reader. The US listing lockup is “Free · In‑App Purchases.” JSON-LD Offer is price 0 / USD. Listing copy: 200+ translations and audio Bibles in 15+ languages, “all free to use.” Age Rating details: Contains Advertising. Their Plus page: “Bible Gateway is free to use for everyone, which means it’s supported by advertising.” Their Play listing chips: Contains ads · In-app purchases. Highlights, notes, emoji reactions, and sync sit behind a free account on the listing and the app page. |
| Subscription opens | Full guided-prayer library (12 sessions) · Sacred Seasons (Advent & Lent) | Bible Gateway Plus. The US listing: ad-free, 60+ study tools aligned with the verse — 30+ study Bibles (NIV Application Bible, NIV Study Bible, NKJV MacArthur Study Bible, CSB Tony Evans Study Bible among them), commentaries, dictionaries and word studies. Their Plus page also prints “more than 70 premium resources.” That is a different count from the listing’s 60+. We quote the listing for the store claim and the Plus page for the website claim. We do not invent that those two numbers are the same library. |
| Account required | No — no sign-up exists | Not to read. A free account for the rest. The US listing: “Create a free account to highlight verses, write notes, react with emojis, and sync automatically across devices.” Their app page: “Create a free Bible Gateway account to highlight verses, write notes, and keep your study in one place.” Their Plus page: “a free Bible Gateway account is required to subscribe to and use Bible Gateway Plus.” You must be logged in to access Plus content. |
| Spoken Scripture | None as a spoken Bible product. Breath-paced guided prayer. Full KJV readable, not narrated as a catalogue of voices. | Named on the US listing: 30+ Audio Bibles in English, Spanish, Chinese, and more. Their app page chips “Audio Bibles in 15+ languages.” This page is not about HarperCollins’s separate Bible Audio app. |
| Prayer analytics | None — a public vow. Prayer data never leaves your device | Apple’s App Privacy label on the US listing (self-reported, not verified by Apple): Data Used to Track You — User Content, Identifiers, Usage Data. Data Linked to You — Developer’s Advertising or Marketing (Contact Info: Email Address, Name); plus Linked Analytics (Purchases, Search History, Identifiers, Usage Data), Product Personalization (Contact Info, Usage Data), and App Functionality (Purchases, Contact Info, User Content, Identifiers, Usage Data). Data Not Linked to You — Third-Party Advertising (Identifiers, Usage Data); Analytics (Diagnostics); Product Personalization (Sensitive Info); App Functionality (Diagnostics). High-level Linked categories: Purchases, Contact Info, User Content, Search History, Identifiers, Usage Data. High-level Not Linked categories: Identifiers, Usage Data, Sensitive Info, Diagnostics. Their listing’s Privacy Notice Highlights (last modified October 21, 2025) collect from you, affiliates, third parties, and device/browsing including cookies, and share with service providers, partners, and “third parties for those parties' own marketing or other commercial purposes.” Their Play Data safety: may share Device or other IDs with third parties; may collect Personal info, App activity, and App info and performance; “Data is encrypted in transit”; “You can request that data be deleted.” We print those pages. We do not restate rating or ranking marketing from those listings. |
| Scripture | Full KJV bundled; offline on iPhone | Many translations. The US listing names NIV, KJV, ESV, NKJV, NASB, AMP, and MSG among 200+. Search by keyword, verse, or topic; two versions side by side on iPad; Verse of the Day; reading plans. Their app page repeats 200+ translations. biblegateway.com is the website reader. |
| Platforms | iPhone and web | The US listing Information section names iPhone (iOS 17.0 or later), iPad (iPadOS 17.0 or later), and Apple Vision (visionOS 1.0 or later). JSON-LD operatingSystem on that page is “Requires iOS 17.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.” JSON-LD availableOnDevice is “iPhone, iPad.” We print both. This check found no Mac row in Information. The Google Play listing is Android, package com.csnmedia.android.bg, developer HarperCollins Christian Publishing. Their app page links that Play URL and the US listing. Their Plus page: Plus is “fully online” — “Access online or in-App, on your laptop, tablet, or phone.” |
| Tradition | Broadly Christian, KJV | HarperCollins Christian Publishing’s Bible reader and study library. The US listing seller is HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.; copyright © 2026 Bible Gateway, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing; category Reference. Not YouVersion, not Dwell, not Blue Letter Bible, not She Reads Truth, not First 5, not Our Daily Bread. We do not restate chart position or review marketing from that page. |
| If you cannot pay | No scholarship or sponsorship path published. Advent and most guided sessions require Seraph+. | The ad-supported reader is already free. Plus has a 7-day trial for new members, then the paid plans above. Their Plus page: cancel in Account Settings; refund if requested within five days of the membership renewal date by emailing plus@biblegateway.com. We found no scholarship sentence on the pages cited here. |
Bible Gateway Plus yearly on the US listing IAP list is both $69.99 and $58.99. Monthly there is $6.99. Seraph+ is $59.99/yr or $6.99/mo. Those yearly numbers are not a match, and we do not invent that one year is cheaper. Check Bible Gateway’s checkout and Apple’s SKU list before you subscribe. Their Plus page says you can cancel anytime from Account Settings. Manage an App Store subscription in Apple ID settings on iOS. This check did not find auto-renew copy in this listing’s JSON-LD description, so we do not invent a 24-hour Apple cancel line for Plus from another HarperCollins app on the same page.
What Bible Gateway does better
Breadth, study, Android, audio, and a trial of the paid library. If “read the translation I already use, with commentaries beside the verse, on a phone that is not an iPhone” is the requirement, they meet it. Their listing names 200+ translations against our single King James. They ship Android. They name 30+ audio Bibles. They publish a 7-day trial of Plus. We do not: you never try a Seraph+ session before buying it. The daily office is the trial of Seraph, not of the paid library. They are honest that free is ad-funded. If you want a multi-translation Bible reader and study library, Bible Gateway is the honest recommendation, and we are not in that contest.
They are also not YouVersion (Life.Church’s free, no-ads Bible App with no paid tier on the pages we cite there), not Dwell (an audio Bible with its own Solo / Duo / Family ladder), not Blue Letter Bible (no Seraph essay for that app), not She Reads Truth, not First 5, and not Our Daily Bread. Those are different products. This page is HarperCollins’s Bible Gateway.
What Seraph does differently
Restraint as a feature, and a Bible you can finish with your eyes. No account between you and prayer — Bible Gateway’s Plus page requires a free account to subscribe to Plus, and the listing requires one for highlights, notes, and sync. Prayer data never leaves the device; their US listing reports User Content, Identifiers, and Usage Data used to track you, and Linked Contact Info (Email Address, Name) under Developer’s Advertising or Marketing. Two prices, written in plain numbers: $59.99 a year or $6.99 a month, auto-renew, cancel anytime. The entire KJV free — readable, not an ad-supported catalogue of 200+ versions — bundled offline on iPhone, every chapter. A public web office you can open without installing an app. A streak that forgives a missed day instead of shaming it. No ads on free or paid. Guided prayer paced by breath. Compare the plan and features that fit your use, rather than assuming one worldwide price difference. Plus yearly on Apple is not a single number on this check.
Three disclosures that belong here. The web subscription and the iPhone subscription are separate purchases and do not unlock each other. The complete offline Bible is the iPhone app; on the web, chapters you have already opened stay readable. And restoring a web subscription in a new browser emails a magic link, so we will not claim “no email ever.” There is no Seraph+ trial: you never try a paid session before buying it.
When each app wins
Bible Gateway — if you want 200+ translations, study tools, Android, or an ad-supported free reader
Start from the US listing, the Play listing, biblegateway.com/app, or biblegateway.com/plus. Read without paying, knowing the free tier carries ads. Create the free account if you want highlights, notes, and sync. Take the seven-day Plus trial if you want the study library. Use Android if that is your phone. Do not come here first for a silent one-flame office with no account, no ads, and a public vow that prayer never leaves the device. They are HarperCollins Christian Publishing’s Bible read/listen/study app, and the listings say so.
Seraph — if you want a quiet office with no account, a full readable KJV, and a price you can read before you install
Ours, last on purpose. A flame, the KJV, two free guided sessions, reading plans, no sign-up. Paid for the remaining sessions and Sacred Seasons, free for the office. Small, new, iPhone-and-web only. If none of those sentences is what you came for, Bible Gateway is the better fit, and we would rather you found it here than felt sold to.
Sources and scope
Checked against the following official Bible Gateway pages on . These references do not establish an independent review or endorsement of Seraph. Subjective product fit remains our assessment. We did not quote HarperCollins’s long Privacy Notice beyond what the Highlights page and the App Privacy label support, and we did not invent named Play IAP SKUs from a range chip.
- US App Store listing (id506512797)
Supports lockup “Free · In‑App Purchases,” JSON-LD Offer price 0 / USD, seller HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., copyright © 2026 Bible Gateway, a division of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, category Reference, subtitle “Read the Bible wherever you go,” age 9+, Age Rating details Infrequent Guns or Other Weapons and Contains Advertising, In-App Purchases Yes, the IAP list we transcribed (Bible Gateway Plus Monthly $6.99; Bible Gateway Plus Yearly $69.99; Bible Gateway Plus Yearly $58.99 — both yearly amounts, multiple rows), hasInAppPurchases true / isFree true on this app’s offer data, bundleId com.zonervan.biblegateway, 200+ translations / 30+ Audio Bibles / free account for highlights notes sync / Plus as ad-free + 60+ study tools copy, Information devices (iPhone iOS 17.0+, iPad iPadOS 17.0+, Apple Vision visionOS 1.0+), JSON-LD availableOnDevice “iPhone, iPad” and operatingSystem including iPod touch, no Mac row in Information, App Privacy as parsed from the live HTML (Track — User Content, Identifiers, Usage Data; Linked — Developer’s Advertising or Marketing Contact Info Email Address and Name, plus Linked Analytics / Product Personalization / App Functionality as listed above; Not Linked — Third-Party Advertising Identifiers and Usage Data, Analytics Diagnostics, Product Personalization Sensitive Info, App Functionality Diagnostics), and the App Store–linked privacy URL below. We do not restate their rating, review count, or chart rank. We do not cite another HarperCollins app’s auto-renew paragraph elsewhere in that HTML document as Plus.
- Bible Gateway on Google Play
Supports an Android listing, package com.csnmedia.android.bg, developer HarperCollins Christian Publishing, chips Contains ads and In-app purchases, IAP shown as a range “$3.99 - $58.99 per item” rather than the Apple named list, and Data safety “This app may share these data types with third parties Device or other IDs” / “This app may collect these data types Personal info, App activity, and App info and performance” / “Data is encrypted in transit” / “You can request that data be deleted.” We do not restate review counts or install totals from that page, and we do not invent named SKUs from the range chip.
- Bible Gateway Plus
Supports “Bible Gateway is free to use for everyone, which means it’s supported by advertising,” Plus as premium study resources plus banner ad-free reading, “more than 70 premium resources,” 7-day free trial for new members, FAQ limited-time “just $4.92/month when billed annually” (save 30% for a Yearly Plan compared with paying monthly), “Offer expires 9/15 at 3:00 AM EST,” normally “$6.99 USD per month or $69.99 USD per year,” “a free Bible Gateway account is required to subscribe to and use Bible Gateway Plus,” cancel from Account Settings, refund within five days of renewal via plus@biblegateway.com, and access “online or in-App.” Site chrome on this check also printed “LESS THAN $5/MO.” We cite IAP yearly amounts from the Apple list, not from that FAQ promo.
- Bible Gateway — Mobile App
Supports the iPhone and Android store badges (US listing id506512797 and Play package com.csnmedia.android.bg), 200+ translations, audio Bibles in 15+ languages, free account for highlights/notes/sync, and the Plus overview table (ad-free reading, 30+ Study Bibles, 15 Commentaries, 25+ additional resources, 7-day free trial).
- Bible Gateway — Privacy Notice Highlights
Supports last modified October 21, 2025, collection from you / affiliates / third parties / device and browsing including cookies, use including telling you about products, choices about targeted advertising, and sharing with service providers, partners, and third parties for those parties' own marketing or other commercial purposes. The US listing’s App Privacy label is cited separately above. We do not quote the long Privacy Notice at /legal/privacy-notice/ beyond what this Highlights page names.
Daily office free, with no account · Seraph+ $6.99/mo or $59.99/yr · auto-renews · cancel anytime
Web and iPhone subscriptions are separate purchases and do not unlock each other