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. Read Aloud lets you listen to a passage, starting at the verse you choose, and Notes lets you write a study note beside your reading each day. 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." - 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." - Google Play reviewer^1
Notable- Completely free with no ads, no tracking claim on iOS, no subscription, and no account required^1
- Developer collects no personal data according to Apple's privacy label^3
- Available on iOS and Android^1
- Actively maintained since its April 2025 launch, with later updates adding Daily Verse Hunt and Free Play, a frosted-glass redesign, Read Aloud, and Notes^1
- Reddit founder post on r/SideProject documents design philosophy^4
