- Starting price
- Free
- Free tier
- Yes
- Platforms
- macOS 12+ · Apple silicon and Intel universal build
- Developer
- PJ Ventures
- Launched
- 2025
- Updated
- Aug 9, 2026
The verdict
Forge gets the foundational decision right: observations belong to the reader, live beside Scripture, and remain readable after the app disappears. The current Mac build adds full-text search, verse links, several viewers, study-coverage insights, navigation history, and personal verse transcriptions without turning Bible reading into a feed. It is still pre-1.0, Mac-only, closed-source, lightly documented, and limited to BSB and KJV. Back up the vault, inspect its file grammar before reorganizing it elsewhere, opt out of analytics if desired, and keep a mature Bible platform for original languages, commentaries, mobile reading, and licensed translations.
Try Forge ↗Opens ownforge.app
Forge is a desktop Bible reading and note-making app from PJ Ventures. The public site captures its thesis in one contrast: mainstream Bible apps optimize for consumption, while Forge optimizes for understanding. Open a passage, create one focused observation, attach it to the relevant verse, link it to other passages or notes, and let those small records compound into a personal network. The note is not a proprietary cloud object. It is a Markdown file in a local folder chosen by the user.
The first public version was 0.1.0 on November 1, 2025. The current release manifest exposes 0.2.4, dated January 19, 2026, as a universal macOS build for both Apple silicon and Intel. macOS 12 or later is required. The homepage says Windows is in development, but there is no public Windows download and no iPhone, iPad, Android, browser, or Linux version. The included Bible texts are the Berean Standard Bible and King James Version. No account, subscription, premium tier, ad, or cloud service is required.
Public release history shows more than the sparse homepage. Forge gained full-text Bible search through SQLite FTS5, a MultiViewer, verse navigation and ranges, note and verse linking, a study-coverage heatmap called Insights, browser-style chapter history, keyboard shortcuts, in-app release notes, personal Bible versions with auto-saved verse transcriptions, a search result cap raised from 50 to 150 verses, and automatic vault creation. A graph and Journey feature were removed in 0.2.0, evidence that the product is still deciding its durable shape rather than accumulating every experiment forever.
Privacy is stronger than the category norm but needs precise reading. Notes, Bible text, file paths, folder names, screenshots, and identities are not supposed to leave the machine. The app sends anonymous feature, performance, stability, and error events to PostHog under a locally generated UUID. Settings can disable analytics, reset the identifier, or clear data associated with it. Separately, the marketing website loads Simple Analytics. The app policy does not describe that site measurement because it is scoped to the desktop application.
We reviewed the official homepage, blog rationale, release page and JSON manifests, privacy policy, terms, download target, and public product claims. We did not install the DMG, inspect its signature, test Gatekeeper, diff the generated Markdown, measure search, use personal versions, confirm every Bible-text license, inspect network traffic, recover a vault, validate analytics deletion, assess accessibility, reverse engineer the binary, or audit source code. The terms say Forge’s original source is proprietary, so local-first should not be confused with open source.
✓ The good
- Real data ownership - each observation is an ordinary Markdown file in a folder the reader chooses, with no cloud account standing between user and notes
- Local-first operation - reading and note work can continue offline without a hosted workspace or server-shutdown dependency
- Bible-specific context - verse markers resurface prior observations inside the passage instead of forcing users to search a generic notes vault
- Focused atomic workflow - one insight per note encourages reusable observations rather than enormous sermon or journal documents
- Useful current study tools - SQLite full-text search, verse ranges, navigation history, MultiViewer, links, shortcuts, and coverage Insights exceed the minimal homepage pitch
- Strong privacy boundaries - the policy explicitly excludes notes, Bible text, paths, identity, IP address, geolocation, fingerprints, recordings, heatmaps, and screenshots
- Analytics controls - users can opt out, regenerate the anonymous UUID, and request clearing for the active identifier from Settings
- Two genuinely reusable English texts - KJV and public-domain Berean Standard Bible are sensible defaults for a free local product
- No monetization pressure - the vendor states free forever with no subscription or premium tier, while optional support is separated from functionality
✗ Watch out
- Mac-only today - Windows is merely planned and there is no phone, tablet, browser, Linux, Chromebook, or shared church surface
- Pre-1.0 maturity - eight public versions across eleven weeks, removed features, and a January 2026 latest release indicate a young product with limited longevity evidence
- Only BSB and KJV - no ESV, NIV, NLT, NASB, NKJV, CSB, deuterocanon, original-language morphology, or multilingual catalog is documented
- Closed-source binary - Markdown files are portable, but the reader, linking grammar, analytics behavior, updater, and future maintenance cannot be community-audited or forked
- No public user evidence - there is no app-store rating base, install count, issue tracker, support SLA, uptime record, or published reliability testing
- Thin documentation - the site does not publish a complete manual for Markdown front matter, links, imports, migration, backups, conflicts, accessibility, or recovery
- Anonymous analytics are still analytics - PostHog receives feature and performance events by default unless the user switches them off
- Terms preserve termination power - the service license may be terminated without notice even though the site promises offline use; the files survive, but app rights are less absolute than the slogan
- No collaboration or sync layer - local ownership is excellent for one reader and provides no built-in multi-device continuity, shared study, review, or pastoral administration
Best for
- Mac users who want a quiet Bible reader and connected personal note system without an account or subscription
- Obsidian, plain-text, Git, iCloud Drive, Syncthing, or backup users who value files they can inspect and move
- Pastors, teachers, writers, and long-term readers capturing reusable verse-level observations over months or years
- Readers satisfied with BSB or KJV who need fast English text search more than commentaries and original-language tools
- Privacy-conscious people willing to keep responsibility for backup, device security, and any third-party folder sync
Avoid if
- Your primary device is Windows, Linux, Chromebook, iPhone, iPad, Android, or a shared web browser
- You need licensed modern translations, audio, multilingual text, deuterocanonical books, Greek or Hebrew parsing, commentaries, maps, or academic libraries
- You need built-in cloud sync, shared notes, classroom workflow, church administration, mobile capture, or managed organizational backup
- Your organization requires open source, a signed support agreement, accessibility conformance, managed deployment, security audit, or long maintenance history
- You are unlikely to back up a local vault and verify recovery before trusting years of study to one computer
What Forge is
Forge combines a bundled Bible reader with a personal knowledge base. A reader creates an atomic note about one observation, anchors it to Scripture, links related ideas, and later sees the marker again when returning to that passage. Full-text Bible search finds up to 150 results, MultiViewer keeps related text visible, chapter history restores navigation, and Insights visualizes which books and chapters have accumulated study. Personal Bible versions let a user transcribe or translate verses and auto-save them locally.
It is not a cloud notebook whose vendor happens to offer an export. The local folder is primary storage, and the terms say PJ Ventures does not access, transmit, store, or receive a license to user notes. That reverses the usual risk: vendor outage matters less, while device loss, accidental edits, sync conflicts, disk failure, malware, and an untested backup matter more. The durable object is the Markdown; richer Forge behavior depends on its expected metadata and link syntax.
Why active Bible readers choose Forge: context returns the note when it becomes useful again
A folder of sermon notes can contain years of insight and still fail at retrieval. Forge attaches the observation to the verse that prompted it. When John 3 leads to Ezekiel 36, the reader can preserve the connection; later, opening either context can reveal the earlier work. Atomic notes also combine more flexibly than one enormous document named “John study.” The value grows only when observations remain small, titled clearly, linked deliberately, and revisited.
Begin with one test vault rather than migrating everything. Create ten notes, inspect the files in a plain editor, learn front matter and link syntax, rename and move a copy outside Forge, test restore, then decide where the canonical folder lives. Use versioned backup and full-disk encryption. If a sync provider watches the folder, test simultaneous edits and conflicts. Local-first removes vendor custody; it does not remove the need for information hygiene.
Atomic Markdown notes and verse links: durable ideas with a format contract to respect
The core object is a short Markdown file stored in a selected vault. Notes can connect to verses and one another, and markers appear in the Bible view when relevant. The public blog says files may be opened in VS Code, version-controlled with Git, synchronized through iCloud, emailed, or used in other editors. The terms reinforce that notes stay local and grant the vendor no license. Automatic vault creation in v0.2.4 reduces first-run configuration.
Plain text is portable, but app behavior may rely on filenames, YAML front matter, IDs, or wiki-link conventions that ordinary editors can damage. The public site does not document the complete schema or import and repair behavior. Keep one canonical copy, avoid bulk renames until tested, use commits or snapshots before external transformations, and confirm whether links survive spaces, Unicode, duplicate titles, verse ranges, folder moves, and merge conflicts.
Bible reading, FTS5 search, MultiViewer, and Insights: a compact English study surface
Forge includes BSB and KJV text, direct book and chapter navigation, range-aware verse links, full-text search backed by SQLite FTS5, and a 150-result ceiling. MultiViewer supports related passages, history moves backward and forward through viewed chapters, keyboard shortcuts accelerate navigation, and Insights replaces an earlier graph with a heatmap of study coverage by book and chapter. These are productive features rather than streaks, feeds, or generic content recommendations.
Search is lexical rather than semantic and the corpus is tiny compared with Logos, Accordance, Olive Tree, STEP, or Bible Gateway. A heatmap records where notes exist, not comprehension, obedience, importance, or spiritual maturity. Treat coverage as a memory aid, never a score. Verify edition and paragraphing, read whole literary units, compare relevant translations, and move into historical, linguistic, and commentary resources when the question exceeds the included English texts.
Personal Bible versions and privacy controls: powerful private work still needs scholarly labels
Version 0.2.2 added auto-saved personal verse transcriptions and startup initialization for custom versions. This can serve handwritten-copy practices, memory, language learning, paraphrase comparison, or a translator’s early exercise. The same app collects anonymous product events through PostHog using a random UUID, while excluding note contents and paths; Settings can disable analytics, regenerate the identifier, and clear associated data.
A personal version should be labeled as personal notes or draft translation, never presented to others as an established Bible edition without qualified review and rights. Preserve source text, decisions, edition, date, and uncertainty outside the final wording. For privacy, turn analytics off before sensitive use if zero telemetry is the requirement, inspect network behavior independently, encrypt the Mac, restrict folder permissions, and remember that adding iCloud or another sync provider changes the data boundary Forge itself promises.
Pricing
Forge for macOS
Free forever
The universal DMG supports macOS 12 or later on Apple silicon and Intel. The official site states no subscription, premium tier, account, advertisement, or paid feature gate.
Personal vault
Included
Choose a local folder and retain notes as Markdown. Local disk space, backup, permissions, encryption, version history, and recovery remain the user’s responsibility.
Optional sync or backup
Your provider’s cost
The files can be placed in a service such as iCloud or another synchronized folder, versioned with Git, or copied to external storage. Forge does not sell or manage that service.
Support the project
Optional; amount not published
Release notes mention a Support Forge option. No donor-only feature, entitlement, service level, refund, or suggested amount is published on the reviewed marketing pages.
Windows
Not available
The homepage says a Windows version is in development. No release date, public beta, installer, feature-parity commitment, or price is stated.
Forge is free in the direct sense: download the Mac application, create a vault, and use every published feature without an account, card, subscription, advertisement, seat count, storage meter, or premium upgrade. “Free forever” is the vendor’s explicit statement, though it is a promise rather than an irrevocable open-source license.
The terms identify the original source code and functionality as PJ Ventures property. Existing Markdown remains yours, but a future maintainer cannot necessarily fork the application if distribution stops. That is the key distinction between local-first and open source. The exit plan is data-readable, not app-rebuildable.
Users supply the operational layer. A safe setup may involve Time Machine, encrypted external backup, version control, or paid synchronized storage. Those costs are optional but recovery is not. Test a deleted note and a lost vault before the collection matters.
Optional project support does not appear to unlock features. No price, perk, response time, refund, or roadmap influence is stated. Give only to sustain work already found valuable, not to purchase an implied service level.
The largest switching cost is habit and structure, not money. Before committing, verify that another editor can read the notes intelligibly and that verse anchors remain meaningful without Forge. A portable body with proprietary connective tissue is still far better than a proprietary body, but it is not zero migration work.
Where Forge falls behind
Platform coverage. Ship the announced Windows version, then define realistic plans for Linux, iOS, Android, and web without weakening the local-first model.
Documentation. Publish the vault schema, front matter, verse identifiers, links, import, export, conflicts, backup, restore, repair, version compatibility, and recovery procedures.
Translation breadth. Add clearly licensed multilingual and original-language texts, edition metadata, attributions, optional downloads, and user-imported modules with validation.
Transparency. Publish source or reproducible builds where possible, checksums, code-signing identity, security contact, vulnerability policy, dependency updates, and audit results.
Accessibility. Document VoiceOver, keyboard-only operation, focus order, zoom, contrast, reduced motion, dynamic sizing, selection, headings, and tested macOS versions.
User evidence. Provide an issue tracker, release cadence, known defects, install or active-use ranges, crash measures, feedback route, and public response history.
Sync safety. Explain supported cloud folders, file watching, atomic writes, simultaneous edits, conflicts, symlinks, network drives, case sensitivity, and backup exclusions.
Legal consistency. Reconcile “works offline forever” and “files you own forever” marketing with proprietary code and the terms’ right to terminate the software license immediately.
Forge vs. Obsidian vs. Logos vs. Apple Notes
Obsidian shares the local Markdown philosophy and has mature links, graphing, mobile apps, synchronization choices, plugins, canvases, properties, and a huge community. A carefully configured Bible vault can exceed Forge. Forge wins by eliminating configuration and embedding notes directly in an included Bible. Choose Forge when verse context and simplicity matter more than extensibility; choose Obsidian when the knowledge base includes far more than Scripture and you can maintain the structure.
Logos is the opposite scale: licensed libraries, original languages, morphology, search, citations, commentaries, sermon tools, datasets, mobile clients, cloud sync, and academic depth. It costs money and creates more interface and vendor dependence. Forge is not a cheap Logos replacement. It is a private notebook and reader for observations; Logos is a research library. Serious pastors may use Forge to preserve personal synthesis and Logos to investigate claims.
Apple Notes is already on every supported Mac and synchronizes effortlessly across Apple devices. It handles scans, drawings, tables, attachments, collaboration, and quick mobile capture better. It does not know that a note belongs to John 3:5 or automatically resurface it in Ezekiel 36. Forge’s advantage is biblical retrieval; Apple Notes wins for general capture and mature platform support.
The bottom line
Forge is one of the rare young Bible apps whose architectural promise is more important than its feature count. The reader’s work begins as local Markdown, remains usable without an account or server, and can be backed up with ordinary tools. Verse-aware resurfacing makes those files more valuable than a disconnected notes folder, while search, MultiViewer, Insights, history, shortcuts, and personal transcriptions provide a thoughtful current workspace. The constraints are real: v0.2.4, one operating system, two English translations, proprietary code, sparse documentation, anonymous analytics, and almost no public reliability evidence. Pilot it with a disposable vault, inspect the files, opt out if desired, encrypt and back up the folder, test recovery, and pair it with a mature study source. If that discipline feels natural, Forge is unusually easy to recommend.
Alternatives to Forge
VerseLink BibleA free offline Bible app with bidirectional verse-note linking and original-language tools across more consumer platforms.
Eternity BibleA free focused reader with saved contexts, semantic search, audio, and mobile/web access, but a lighter connected-note model.Apple NotesExcellent built-in capture and device sync without Bible-aware resurfacing or verse relationships.Paper wide-margin BiblePrivate, stable, tactile, and permanently readable; less searchable, linkable, duplicable, and recoverable than versioned text files.Frequently asked questions
Is Forge really free?
The official site says free forever with no subscriptions or premium tiers. No account, card, paid storage, advertisement, or feature purchase appears in the current Mac product.
Which devices run Forge?
The current universal download supports macOS 12 or later on Apple silicon and Intel. Windows is described as in development; no Windows, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android, Chromebook, or browser version is available publicly.
Where does Forge store my Bible notes?
In a folder you choose, as ordinary Markdown files. The terms say the vendor does not access, transmit, or store copies and receives no license to the notes.
Which Bible translations are included?
Berean Standard Bible and King James Version. The public site says more are coming but does not publish a list, timeline, import specification, or licensing plan.
Does Forge work offline?
The vendor says the core app and notes work offline with no cloud required. We did not install and test every feature, updater, license check, or first-run dependency, so verify the exact build before relying on it in a disconnected setting.
Does Forge collect data?
The app policy says it sends anonymous feature, performance, stability, and error events to PostHog under a random UUID, while excluding identity, IP, notes, Bible text, paths, screenshots, and fingerprints. Settings can opt out, reset the ID, and clear data.
Is Forge open source?
No public open-source license is stated. Its terms say the original source code, features, and functionality remain the property of PJ Ventures and its licensors. The notes are portable even though the application is proprietary.
Sources & further reading
More Bible Study Software
VerseLink BibleVerseLink Bible keeps Scripture, sermon notes, highlights and original-language helps entirely on your device with no account, tracking, ads or subscription—but local-first privacy makes manual backup your responsibility.
Ezra Bible AppA serious free, open-source study workspace built around topical verse collections, notes and the SWORD module ecosystem, now spanning desktop and mobile—but resource licensing varies, sync depends on Dropbox, and its 2022 privacy template contradicts the current App Store disclosure.
Rava: Discover God’s StoryA free, multilingual facilitator that lets almost anyone press play and guide a Discovery Bible Study with little preparation—excellent for reproducible group participation, but not a replacement for wise leadership, contextual interpretation or a modern privacy policy.
ARMA CoursesARMA makes serious Bible and theology teaching approachable through short, energetic courses—valuable for guided learners, but narrower and less transparent than a seminary library.
Storyverse InstituteStoryverse makes Bible, theology, soul care and ministry training approachable through 200+ videos, community and cohorts—but its age, collection and deletion disclosures conflict too sharply for informed enrollment.
The Word One to OneA polished, completely free guide for reading John and Acts with a friend—excellent for a trusted conversation, but narrow in scope and incomplete on app privacy and safeguarding.