Bound Bible is a minimalist, distraction-free Bible reader that deliberately gets out of your way. No ads, no account, no subscription, no notifications — just open it and read. Designed to feel like a physical Bible, its signature tab system works like ribbon bookmarks, letting you hold your place across multiple passages simultaneously.^1
Created by solo developer Jonathan Hagen (operating as codenhagen LLC), Bound Bible was born from a simple conviction: digital Scripture should feel as sacred and focused as a bound book. After church one Sunday, he built the core reading experience in a single afternoon, driven by frustration with cluttered Bible apps that pull readers away from the text itself.^2
The app bundles 36+ Bible translations — including KJV, WEB, ASV, the Berean Standard Bible, and an NIV-style text — all fully offline. Verse sharing lets you send any passage as a styled image or plain text. A Bible Drill feature lets you riffle through the Bible by its fore-edge to land on any chapter, just like flipping through a physical book, while Daily Verse Hunt turns verse-finding into a timed daily challenge with hints, history, and shareable results. A companion Free Play mode offers rapid-fire practice to see how many verses you can find in a row. Dark mode, selectable reading fonts, and a frosted-glass interface make it comfortable in any lighting, and the app is localized for international readers across multiple languages.^1
What Users Say"I keep finding myself coming back to this app when I just want to read. Other study apps are great, but having a simple yet elegant reading app like this is invaluable! The tab system is also a really clever way of simulating multiple ribbons in a physical Bible to hold your place." — App Store reviewer^3
"Just what I was looking for! The app is very straightforward — easy to use and free from all the extra distractions other Bible apps can sometimes have. It's nice to just have the Word of God alone with no extras." — Google Play reviewer^1
Notable- Completely free with no ads, no tracking, no subscription, no account required^1
- Developer collects no personal data according to Apple's privacy label^3
- Available on iOS and Android^1
- Actively maintained with regular updates since its April 2025 launch, including a recent frosted-glass redesign, Berean Standard Bible addition, and new Daily Verse Hunt and Free Play modes^1
- Reddit founder post on r/SideProject documents design philosophy^4
