- Starting price
- Free
- Free tier
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web · iPhone · iPad · Apple Silicon Mac · Android
- Developer
- The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc.
- Launched
- 2012
- Updated
- Aug 2, 2026
The verdict
CBN Bible is one of the better free alternatives to YouVersion for readers who want a smaller interface with daily devotion built in. Multiple translations, two audio editions, offline plans, notes, cross-references, and no in-app purchase make the value exceptional. The new Prayer Wall adds community and pastoral warmth, but also user-generated content and a reason to protect personal details.
Try CBN Bible ↗Opens cbnbible.us
CBN Bible is a full Bible reader and daily devotional app from the Christian Broadcasting Network. The mobile app includes popular translations such as NLT, KJV, ESV, and NASB, audio for NLT and NASB, reading plans, 365 selected devotions, highlights, bookmarks, notes, reminders, cross-references, footnotes, verse images, and display controls. A major 2025 redesign modernized the interface, and a July 2026 release added the Prayer Wall.
The pricing is simple: free. Apple lists no in-app purchase, and the official product materials present translations and features without a subscription. CBN is a donor-supported ministry, so users may encounter invitations to support its wider work, but the Bible app itself is not a disguised trial. That matters in a category where a Free store label often means a small sample before recurring billing.
CBN Bible now also has a browser version at cbnbible.us. The web surface offers Scripture, daily devotionals, and self-paced plans, with an account used to synchronize notes, highlights, and bookmarks. Mobile reading plans can work offline. English and Russian are listed on iOS, although translation and content availability can differ by language and platform.
This review is based on current CBN pages, live store metadata, privacy disclosures, and release history, without claiming direct product testing. It evaluates the app as a CBN ministry product: devotional selection and community features come from that organization’s broadly evangelical and charismatic media context. Readers who want a neutral text-only reader can ignore the extras or choose a simpler app; readers who value integrated encouragement receive far more than the price suggests.
✓ The good
- Actually free - the Bible, audio, plans, devotionals, and personal tools have no listed subscription or in-app purchase
- Strong translation set - NLT, KJV, ESV, NASB, and additional options cover common reading preferences
- Two useful audio editions - NLT and NASB listening is included rather than sold as a premium add-on
- Bible and devotion connect directly - daily readings can lead into the referenced passage instead of stopping at inspiration
- Modern cross-platform access - redesigned iOS and Android apps plus the cbnbible.us browser experience
- Minimal iOS label - Apple lists only product-interaction Usage Data collected without being linked to identity
✗ Watch out
- CBN editorial identity - devotionals and ministry prompts come from one evangelical broadcaster rather than many traditions
- Prayer Wall introduces sensitive user content - requests and encouragement are visible within a moderated community
- Smaller library than YouVersion - fewer translations, languages, audio voices, public plans, and social reading features
- Account needed for web synchronization - cross-device notes and highlights require identifying information
- No original-language study layer - cross-references and footnotes do not equal interlinear, lexicon, or commentary tools
- Apple labels the app 13+ - messaging, chat, social media, and user-generated content accompany the prayer feature
Best for
- Readers wanting a free Bible-plus-devotional routine
- NLT or NASB audio listeners
- CBN viewers who want connected ministry content
- Christians who value a moderated prayer community
Avoid if
- You want the largest translation library
- You need Greek, Hebrew, or scholarly commentary
- You do not want user-generated prayer content
- You prefer a Bible app unaffiliated with a media ministry
What CBN Bible is
CBN Bible is a free mobile and web Bible experience operated by the Christian Broadcasting Network. It combines reading and audio with a year of daily devotionals, reading plans, personal annotations, reference links, sharing, and prayer community. The iOS app dates to April 2012 and currently requires iOS 15 or later.
The 2025 redesign added a cleaner reader, notes, updated Bible-in-a-Year material, and offline plan support. Version 5.3 in July 2026 added the Prayer Wall, where users can post a request, pray for others, encourage them, and track requests and people they have supported.
A smaller Bible app where the devotional is part of the reading path
YouVersion offers almost limitless choice; CBN Bible offers a more bounded routine. Open the app, read the selected devotion, move into the associated Scripture, listen if useful, and continue a plan. For users overwhelmed by thousands of public plans and social options, a curated year can be an advantage rather than a deficit.
Curation also carries a point of view. CBN’s writers and ministry priorities shape what is emphasized, and the Prayer Wall turns the product from a personal reader into a community ministry surface. That can create belonging, but it should not be confused with private pastoral counseling or a representative survey of Christian interpretation.
Multiple Bible translations with NLT and NASB audio
The official materials name NLT, KJV, ESV, NASB, and other translations, with audio specifically for NLT and NASB. Readers can search, follow cross-references and footnotes, adjust display settings, highlight, bookmark, make notes, create verse images, and share text.
This is enough for daily reading and listening but not advanced study. There is no advertised morphological search, original-language interlinear, or bookstore of commentaries. The sensible pattern is CBN Bible for the daily routine and Blue Letter Bible, Olive Tree, or Logos when a passage requires deeper research.
Daily devotions and offline plans reduce decision fatigue
A full year of selected devotions gives the app a recurring home-screen purpose. Bible-in-a-Year and topical plans add longer structure, and recent releases support completing plans offline. The companion web app has self-paced options alongside scheduled reading.
A devotion is most valuable when it opens the passage rather than substituting for it. CBN’s integration makes that movement easy. Users should still read enough surrounding text to see whether an application follows the author’s argument, especially when a short devotional begins from one verse.
The Prayer Wall is meaningful community with ordinary social risk
Users can submit prayer requests, pray for others, leave encouragement, and track requests and people they have lifted up. CBN describes moderation, and Apple flags messaging, chat, user-generated content, and social media in the age rating. Translation support for prayer requests has also appeared in the broader CBN app ecosystem.
Prayer requests often contain health, family, financial, legal, or relationship details. Post as though a community moderator and other users may read the text: omit full names, addresses, diagnoses, employer details, and anything that identifies another person without consent. For crisis, abuse, self-harm, or immediate danger, use qualified local help rather than an app wall.
Pricing
Bible reader
Free
Multiple translations, search, footnotes, cross-references, highlights, bookmarks, notes, verse images, and reading controls.
Audio and plans
Free
NLT and NASB audio, Bible-in-a-Year and other reading plans, reminders, and offline plan completion.
Devotions and Prayer Wall
Free
A year of selected daily devotionals plus posting, following, and encouraging prayer requests in the moderated community.
Optional ministry support
Voluntary donation
CBN accepts donations for its broader ministry; giving is not required to unlock the Bible app features described here.
Every core feature discussed here is free. The current App Store page has no In-App Purchases section, and the official listing describes no Premium tier.
Free does not mean costless to operate. CBN is donor-supported and can present opportunities to give, but a donation is voluntary and separate from unlocking Scripture, audio, or devotionals.
The included NLT and NASB audio is particularly strong value because audio licensing is often where Bible apps introduce subscriptions.
An account may be required to synchronize web and mobile personal data. That is an information trade rather than a monetary fee, so use a unique password and review what you choose to store.
Where CBN Bible falls behind
Translation breadth cannot match YouVersion. Readers needing rare languages, many audio narrators, or a specific licensed edition should confirm it before switching.
Study depth remains introductory. Footnotes and cross-references help, but there is no named commentary library or original-language workspace.
Community changes the privacy stakes. A low-data iOS label does not make the contents of a voluntarily public prayer request private.
The editorial stream belongs to CBN. Users who disagree with the network’s charismatic evangelical approach or public ministry identity may prefer a publisher-neutral reader.
The app is English- and Russian-oriented on iOS. Its language reach is modest beside global Bible platforms.
CBN Bible vs. YouVersion vs. Our Daily Bread vs. Blue Letter Bible
CBN Bible is the focused all-rounder: enough translations, two audio Bibles, a full year of devotions, plans, and prayer community, all free. YouVersion is the scale leader with vastly more languages, versions, plans, friends, church profiles, and platform support. It is the safer default when a specific translation or language is non-negotiable.
Our Daily Bread is the devotional specialist. Its long-running multi-author reading is the reason to install it, with Bible access supporting the daily article. CBN Bible puts more weight on the reader and now on community prayer. Blue Letter Bible is the study alternative, trading visual simplicity for interlinear, lexicon, concordance, and commentary depth.
Choose CBN Bible for one uncomplicated free rhythm. Choose YouVersion for breadth, Our Daily Bread for its editorial tradition, and Blue Letter Bible for source checking. Because all four have meaningful free access, the practical answer can be a primary reading app plus one specialist.
The bottom line
CBN Bible is easy to recommend with one qualification: know that the Bible reader is also a CBN ministry environment. On product value alone, free NLT, KJV, ESV, NASB, two audio editions, plans, notes, cross-references, 365 devotions, web access, and a 4.86 average from 3,039 ratings is excellent. Use the Prayer Wall with the same privacy judgment you would bring to any public community, and add a sourced study tool when a devotional raises a question the app cannot answer.
Alternatives to CBN Bible
YouVersionThe unmatched free library for translations, languages, audio, plans, sharing, and cross-device reach.
Our Daily Bread AppA free, long-running multi-author daily devotional with audio and supporting Bible access.
Blue Letter Bible AppThe free study companion for lexicons, interlinear text, concordance work, and named commentaries.
Bible Gateway AppA familiar multi-translation reader with audio and a paid resource library from a major Bible website.
CBN FamilyCBN’s wider video and teaching app for users who want the network’s programs beyond the Bible reader.Frequently asked questions
Is the CBN Bible app free?
Yes. The current iOS listing has no in-app purchases, and CBN presents the Bible, audio, reading plans, devotions, notes, and Prayer Wall without a subscription. Donations to CBN are optional.
Which Bible translations are in CBN Bible?
Current official materials name NLT, KJV, ESV, NASB, and additional translations. Exact availability can vary by platform, language, and licensing region.
Does CBN Bible include audio?
Yes. CBN specifically advertises NLT and NASB audio Bibles at no charge.
What is the CBN Bible Prayer Wall?
It is a moderated community feature for posting prayer requests, praying for others, offering encouragement, and tracking requests. Treat submissions as community-visible and omit sensitive identifying details.
Can I use CBN Bible on a computer?
Yes. CBN operates a browser version at cbnbible.us with Scripture, devotionals, and reading plans. A free account supports synchronization of personal data such as notes, highlights, and bookmarks.
Is CBN Bible a study Bible?
It includes footnotes, cross-references, devotions, and personal notes, but it is not a full study-Bible or original-language platform. Use a named commentary or study app for difficult interpretive questions.
Sources & further reading
More Bible Reading Apps
Gideon Bible AppA free, ad-free, purchase-free Bible from the 1899 ministry that put a Testament in your hotel nightstand, carrying KJV, ESV and 2,200-plus translations with dramatized audio - and a privacy story that Apple and Google cannot agree on.
Literal WordLiteral Word is a five-translation, word-for-word Bible reader with Greek and Hebrew lexicons attached to every word, free on iOS, Android and the web with no ads and no in-app purchases. It is also the app that gives you NASB 1995 without giving you NASB 2020 - and it never says who pays for any of it.YouVersionThe default Bible app for the entire planet - a billion installs, three thousand translations, and a streak counter that has changed more devotional habits than any printed plan ever did.Blue Letter BibleA donation-supported mobile study suite with Strong's numbers, Hebrew and Greek lexicons, parsing tags, and a stack of classical commentaries - the closest thing to free Logos that exists on a phone.
Bible HubA free mobile front door to one of the deepest study libraries on the open web - and the closest thing to Logos you can get without paying a cent.
Tecarta BibleA clean, modern reader with an a-la-carte library of study Bibles and commentaries - the app for readers who want Olive Tree’s depth without Olive Tree’s interface.