When I began using a Mac in 2006 I moved from Bible Works to Accordance since Bible Works did not have a Mac platform at the time. Cost was an issue for me then. So I did not use the Bible program in the Logos 5 software under review. However, friends who use Logos software find it very useful for both Bible and related resources. One colleague commented, “I’m an enthusiastic and heavily-invested Logos Bible Software user. I have the top Platinum library plus other titles in the Logos collection I’ve acquired over the years. Five stars! Not cheap, but the Rolls Royce of Bible software as far as I’m concerned.... 5835 items in my Logos resource library, all searchable in seconds.”

While I find electronic resources helpful when writing articles, I find commentaries more accessible and useful in hard copy. Clearly one of the greatest strengths of Logos is the enormous number of old and new resources. You have the latest commentaries and the oldest Puritans at your finger tips. Logos also offers free digital resources monthly. I have found most of these very desirable. But the volume of these resources comes at a price.

The constant need for indexing the vast number of resources slows down some computers. It slowed mine down considerably, because it uses more than six times the RAM that Accordance uses. On the other hand the mobile app works from the cloud so doesn’t take up much space or take any time to load. This is one of the greatest strengths of Logos. So, I have found using my iPad for reference, while using the Bible software on my laptop, a very satisfying combination.

Accordance reminds me of BOSE and Apple products—haiku simplicity. That being said Logos Reformed Platinum is perfect for the pastor-scholar. The choice of Reformed resources makes this software option well worth the price. I am grateful for the opportunity to use and review such fine Bible software.

Here is a comparison chart to help you decide:

Gregory E. Reynolds serves as the pastor of Amoskeag Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Manchester, New Hampshire, and is the editor of Ordained Servant. Ordained Servant Online, May 2015.