Pencil Bible vs Digible
Pencil Bible and Digible both let you write on Scripture with Apple Pencil on iPad. Compared as of October 2026, these are the three differences that matter most:
You can write on your iPhone too. In Pencil Bible, writing and drawing on iPhone are free, with no time or page limit. In Digible, handwriting is only for iPad and Android tablets.
20 translations, all built in. Digible's website lists 7, and it added the Spanish NTV in September. Pencil Bible's include the ESV, NIV, CSB, NASB, Amplified and The Passion Translation (New Testament plus selected books), none of which Digible's website or App Store page lists, and 15 of them are free to read.
Pay once, with no new account. Pencil Bible offers a one-time Lifetime option and syncs through your own iCloud, using the Apple ID you're already signed in with. Digible describes Pro as a monthly or annual subscription, and it syncs between devices through a Digible account.
| Feature | Pencil Bible | Digible |
|---|---|---|
| Write on the Bible page with Apple Pencil (iPad) | Yes | Yes |
| Write and draw on iPhone | Yes, with your finger. Free, with no time or page limit | No. On iPhone you can read, highlight and type notes |
| Bible translations | 20 (15 free to read) | 7 on its website (updated July 2026), plus the Spanish NTV added in v1.17 |
| ESV, NIV and CSB | Yes, each a one-time purchase. The purchase covers the text; writing is free on iPhone, and on iPad needs Premium after the 14-day trial | Not listed. On 25 Sept 2026 Digible said the ESV "isn't available yet" |
| NASB, Amplified, The Passion Translation (New Testament plus selected books), Douay-Rheims | Yes, all free | Not listed |
| Spanish Bibles | 5 (4 free) | At least 2: Reina Valera 1909, plus the NTV added in Sept 2026. Digible says LBLA and NVI "aren't available yet" |
| Scripture stored in the app for offline reading | All 20 translations | 4 bundled for offline use (WEB, ASV, BSB, RV1909). Others, such as the NLT, NKJV and KJV, stream and then cache as you read (per its website) |
| Free reading | 15 translations, no chapter limit | Digible's sources differ: its website (last updated July 2026) describes a 5-chapter preview before Pro, while its Google Play listing names 4 free translations |
| Free drawing on iPad | 14-day trial with no payment details. Pages you've written on stay editable after it ends; new pages need Premium | 5 chapters and 3 journal pages, then Pro (Digible's website, last updated July 2026) |
| One-time Lifetime option | Yes. Lifetime Access, $79.99 one time | Not offered. Digible describes Pro as a monthly or annual subscription, and in September said a one-time purchase was a recorded request. The in-app purchases on its US App Store page are all weekly, monthly or yearly plans (checked 8 Oct 2026) |
| New account to create | No. Uses the Apple ID you're already signed in with (your own iCloud) | Yes, to sync between devices (a Digible account). Notes are stored on Digible's servers |
| Photos, stickers, shapes and text boxes | Yes: 500 stickers and 9 shapes | Yes (on tablets) |
| Reading streak with daily reminder | Yes | Yes |
| Decorative custom covers | No | Yes, with a 3D preview |
| Android | Yes, as a separate edition that doesn't sync with iPhone or iPad | Yes. Syncs through a Digible account |
| Requires | iOS / iPadOS 16.6 or later | iOS / iPadOS 18.0 or later |
| On the App Store since | March 2022 | December 2025 |
Compared as of 8 October 2026. Sources: each app's current App Store listing, Digible's Google Play listing and digibleapp.com, all checked that day. Prices are US App Store prices and may vary by country. Pencil Bible's ESV, NIV, CSB and NVI editions are separate one-time purchases. They are not included in Premium or Lifetime. Digible Pro includes all of Digible's translations. Digible's own pages give different translation counts (5 to 7) and different free-tier terms. Its homepage, the source of the 7-translation count and the free-tier terms shown here, was last updated 18 July 2026; we've noted where Digible's newer statements differ.
Where Pencil Bible shines
A real Bible page you write on. Every chapter is laid out like a printed journaling Bible, and you write right on it with Apple's own pens, pencil, highlighter, eraser, lasso and ruler. To straighten a line, hold still at the end of the stroke. To bend it, drag its middle. To move, copy or paste a note, lasso it.
On your iPhone too. Pencil Bible is one app for iPhone and iPad, and writing and drawing on iPhone are free, with no time or page limit. It runs on iOS and iPadOS 16.6 or later.
20 translations, all built in. Fifteen are free to read, including the NLT, KJV, NASB, Amplified, The Passion Translation (New Testament plus selected books), Berean Standard Bible, Douay-Rheims and four Spanish Bibles. The ESV, NIV, CSB and the Spanish and Portuguese NVI are one-time purchases. Every translation's text ships inside the app, so you can read and write offline.
Make the page yours. Each Bible has its own layout:
- 7 typefaces, including OpenDyslexic
- text from 8 to 64 pt
- line spacing up to 80 pt, for writing between the lines
- left and right margins you can widen separately
- a Left Handed option
On iPad, choose blank, lined, dotted or grid paper in Settings. Tap + to add photos, 500 stickers, 9 shapes and text boxes.
Read and study comfortably. Search the whole translation, show the words of Christ in red, adjust dark mode and swap instantly between your Bibles. On iPad, zoom up to twice the size and use Split View.
Pay once, with no new account. You can choose a subscription or Lifetime Access ($79.99 one time, US App Store price; may vary by country). There's no sign-up, your notes sync through your own iCloud, and the app has no ads.
Here since 2022. Pencil Bible has been on the App Store since March 2022, and version 3.0 rebuilt it from the ground up in December 2025.
What's free and what you pay for
Pencil Bible. On every device, these are free:
- downloading the app
- reading 15 translations
- verse highlighting
- bookmarks and folders
- search
- the reading streak
- iCloud sync
On iPhone, writing and drawing are free too. On iPad, drawing starts with a 14-day free trial that needs no payment details. After the trial, every page you've already written on stays editable, and Premium (monthly, yearly or Lifetime) lets you write on new pages. The ESV, NIV, CSB and NVI editions are licensed from their publishers and sold separately as one-time purchases that cover the text. They aren't included in Premium or Lifetime.
Digible. Digible Pro covers all of Digible's translations. Digible describes Pro as a monthly or annual subscription, and the in-app purchases on its US App Store page are all weekly, monthly or yearly plans (checked 8 Oct 2026). A one-time option isn't offered: in September, Digible said it had recorded a user's request for one.
Who Digible may suit
Digible may suit you if decorating your Bible is part of the joy. It offers customizable covers with a 3D preview, plus a Style Studio of themes, typefaces and color palettes. It also has:
- AI-assisted study plans called Paths
- a notebook canvas beside the Bible on iPad
- side-by-side translation comparison and PDF import and export on iPad, plus a Home Screen widget
- an app interface in five languages
- one Digible account that syncs across its iPhone, iPad and Android apps
If those things matter most to you, it's worth a look.
How Pencil Bible works today
Here's how Pencil Bible works as of October 2026.
Free annotation works differently now. Some descriptions, including an out-of-date line in our own App Store text, mention 10 free pages. Today, writing and drawing on iPhone are free with no limit, and iPad has a 14-day free trial. After the trial, pages you've written on stay editable, and Premium lets you write on new ones.
It's on iPhone too. Pencil Bible is one app for iPhone and iPad, and a separate edition is on Google Play for Android.
20 translations, 15 of them free to read. Digible's own comparison page (digibleapp.com/compare/pencil-bible, last updated 18 July 2026) says "Pencil Bible has the edge in translation count", though several of its guides updated the same day still call our translation choice "limited".
Apple's full set of drawing tools. Pencil Bible uses Apple's PencilKit tools: pens, pencil, highlighter, eraser, lasso and ruler. It adds line straightening, lines you can bend, and lasso cut, copy and paste. The + menu adds photos, 500 stickers, 9 shapes and text boxes.
Streaks and reminders. An olive-tree reading streak sets a 7-day goal, forgives one missed day per tree and comes with a daily reminder.
Room to write between lines. You can set line spacing up to 80 pt and widen each margin on its own, and on iPad you can choose lined, dotted or grid paper.
Your Bibles and notes, organized. The menu shows all your Bibles as tiles, and Recents lists your latest annotations. You can name your bookmarks and save passages into named folders.
Actively developed. Pencil Bible shipped seven App Store updates between July and October 2026, adding:
- stickers, photos, shapes and text boxes
- folders
- automatic line straightening
- lasso copy and paste
- page zoom on iPad
- lines you can bend
- iPad Split View
It has been on the App Store since March 2022 and has 1,491 ratings on the US App Store.
One thing Pencil Bible doesn't offer is decorative custom covers.
FAQ
What's the biggest difference between Pencil Bible and Digible?
Both let you write on Scripture with Apple Pencil on iPad. Pencil Bible also lets you write and draw on iPhone and includes 20 built-in translations. Digible's website lists 7, and it added the Spanish NTV in September. Pencil Bible also offers a one-time Lifetime option and has no new account to create.
Can I handwrite in my Bible on iPhone?
In Pencil Bible, yes. You write with your finger, free and with no time or page limit. Digible's App Store listing says handwriting and drawing are iPad features, and its iPhone app is for reading, highlighting and typed notes.
Which app has the ESV, NIV and CSB?
Pencil Bible offers all three as one-time purchases. On the US App Store the ESV is $8.99 and the CSB is $9.99 (prices may vary by country), and the app shows each price before you buy. A translation purchase covers the text only: on iPhone, writing is free, and on iPad, writing in any Bible after the 14-day trial needs Premium. Digible doesn't list any of the three, and on 25 Sept 2026 it said the ESV "isn't available yet".
Can I avoid a subscription?
With Pencil Bible, yes. Lifetime Access is a one-time $79.99 purchase (US App Store price; may vary by country), offered alongside monthly and yearly plans. Digible describes Pro as a monthly or annual subscription, and in September said a one-time purchase was a recorded request.
Does Pencil Bible limit free annotation to 10 chapters?
It works differently now. Some descriptions, including an out-of-date line in our own App Store text, mention 10 free pages. Today, drawing on iPhone is free with no limit. On iPad there's a 14-day free trial that needs no payment details. After it, any page you've written on stays editable, and Premium lets you write on new pages.
Do I need an account?
Not a new one for Pencil Bible. There's no sign-up: it uses the Apple ID you're already signed in with, and your notes sync through your own iCloud. Digible lets you start as a guest, but syncing between devices needs a Digible account, and it stores your notes on its servers.
Try Pencil Bible free.
Download it from the App Store to read 15 translations for free and write on your iPhone at no cost. On iPad, you can try Apple Pencil drawing free for 14 days, with no payment details needed.
