57 replies to this topic

[wbarkley]

I am wondering if there is anyone who could give an accurate breakdown for the Mac version of Logos vs. Accordance. It seems that Logos is doing some interesting things with cloud support, synchronizing notes, and making more titles available. Since I am new to bible software, what are the strategies of these two companies? What are the pros and cons for either?

[Helen Brown]

This topic has a full and recent discussion on this subject. I also encourage you to read the reviews, some of the comparative, which are posted on our Reviews webpage. Rick Mansfiled reviews both on his blog.

[Vandymarc]

Ms. Brown is right. There are many discussions of this. I recently did a two week research bonanza on the two and ended up going with Accordance. Obvious search and old text word study are definitely in Accordance's boat. I want to keep accordance for what it does best, Bible study. I have had a sense that accordance has gained some contract the last couple years, might be wrong here, but they are going in the right direction with Bible study tools. I also did google searches for Accordance vs logos. Although some of these led to bias opinions, there are some good reviews from those that have recently used both. My hope is that accordance continues to strive to be the leader in new study engineering. Text tools will grow with time, they have more than anyone person can need to do proper and thorough research though. Having just recently bought Lib Premier as well as a couple seperate texts, I can say that the knowledge and tech support has been first class from Accordance. They are really helpful. Ms. Brown is right, do the research that she has given. You may also want to watch training videos on each to see..
http://www.youtube.c...AccordanceBible
I hope this keeps you pointed in the right direction as Ms. Brown has already stated...

[wbarkley]

Thanks. I have checked the resources that you mentioned. I feel more confident as an accordance user among logos users. I suppose I am only a little envious of the cloud support and synchronized notes.

[Scott Knapp]

Thanks. I have checked the resources that you mentioned. I feel more confident as an accordance user among logos users. I suppose I am only a little envious of the cloud support and synchronized notes.

Accordance for iOS allows syncing of user notes, user tools, and highlights between your Mac and iOS device (assuming this is what you mean by synchronized notes above).

Scott.

[Lorinda H. M. Hoover]

And if you mean syncing between Macs, one "workaround" for Accordance is to use DropBox. It takes a little bit of set-up work to make it work, and it's best to quite Accordance on one machine before running it on the other. That said, I've been using the Dropbox solution for "syncing" Accordance user notes, user tools, highlights, etc. for several months, and I've been happy with it.

[Donovan R. Palmer]

I've used Logos for many years. There are some theology resources that you can only get on that platform. It comes at a price though. The software is not known for being fast and I've consistently encountered bugs. It is the most problematic piece of software that I currently have on my Macbook and it's ironic, because 'trouble free' computing was why I came back to the Mac platform.

Accordance is fast, fast, fast. I don't recall the last time I crashed it. The focus on the text is wonderful, particularly if you are doing original language studies or translation work. Accordance is a lean and mean machine.

It's funny. There are some other computing parallels I have experienced. Years ago I got involved with setting up Linux servers. The trouble was most of the Linux distributions started to get bloated with tons of stuff you didn't need. I also seemed to fight bugs (albeit less than windows) on every new version. I finally got fed up and went with FreeBSD simply because of the discipline of the system. FreeBSD only had what I needed. It was rock solid, had extensive testing to eradicate bugs and it was blazingly fast.

As I did in computing, I have now gone this way with my Bible software. I started with Logos as a Windoze user. When I went to Mac, I tried to use their version of software for the Mac. It has tons of bells and whistles, but it has in my opinion too much extra stuff that keeps it from really flying. I just want something that is fast, rock solid and gets the job done with great efficiency with the latest up to date resources.

For most of my friends that ask me the question of whether to buy one or the other, unless they are engaged in theology studies, I only recommend Accordance. The reality is that 95% of what most users needs is on Accordance and for most users, all the fluff in Logos can overwhelm or distract them. Public domain stuff is cool and I got a lot of it, but you have to sift through it and understand when recent discoveries have rendered older materials antiquated. Most users don't have the time to do this and mainly just need the most recent materials based on recent scholarship.

However, if there are some resources they need which are only on the Logos platform, I tell them to buy Accordance and then buy a minimal Logos package and use it in effect as a resource Library. These tend to be people who are engaged in formal or extensive studies and need access to resources such as the works of Jonathan Edwards, John Calvin, etc. Very few of my friends will ever read or go through all these materials and in many cases there is sufficient amounts of these materials on Accordance to more than satisfy the average user.

Just as you can use a Windows computer to do many of the same tasks as a Mac, either software package can help you study the Bible. It really boils down to the individual. Software will not make anyone a student or investigator of the Word. It's only a tool. IMHO Accordance is the sharpest tool in the tool box, but get whatever works for you.

Hope this helps.

Edited by Donovan R. Palmer, 23 February 2012 - 12:52 PM.

[A. Smith]

What Donovan has said is perfect. The trouble with test driving the software is that they both have a learning curve. When I got the accordance 7 trial, I thought, 'this is garbage!' it was ugly and very difficult to figure out initially. However, I pressed on with the encouragement of others and got some training. Now, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I use Logos as Donovan said, only for a few select texts. I never use it for text study. So, I guess what im saying is, try accordance and give it a chance. It's worth every penny and every hour. Trust me.

[A. Smith]

I just thought of something. The best way I know of to describe the difference between accordance and logos is this. Logos is a library while accordance is a tool at the end of the day, logos may have a lot of books (many of questionable value) but what good are they of you can't accurately work out the biblical text--which, I assume, is the basic reason we all want bible study software. Accordance, on the other hand, has more horsepower than you can imagine to help you work out the text, first.

[Brent Lawrence]

Accordance for iOS allows syncing of user notes, user tools, and highlights between your Mac and iOS device (assuming this is what you mean by synchronized notes above).

Scott.

I think the envy comes in with cloud syncing rather than wi-fi only syncing. Rather than having to launch Accordance on the Mac and then Accordance iOS and navigate to the sync options, it would be great to make a change on the iPad and have it show up on the Mac next time you open Accordance there. Requires some type of server to handle that and I'm not sure that this is a make or break situation for Accordance.

In the end, I echo what others say about Accordance, it is fast, reliable and keeps you focused on the text of Scripture. It is awesome and from the few years I've used Accordance, they just keep making it better and better. I have no doubt that some of the current technologies we see larger companies be able to employ will eventually make it to the Accordance.

[Greg Terry]

Another unmentioned issue with Logos is the manner in which the resources are licensed to you. It is really more of a rental situation with Logos. They could (but likely wouldn't) deactivate a resource at any time. In fact I had a resource I got free that I found of no use to me and instead of being able to remove it from my library, like I can with Accordance, I had to contact Logos ask for the resource to be removed from my account and about 10 days or so later it did disappear. In addition to the other items already mentioned, Accordance resource management and licensing are VASTLY superior and more user-oriented.

[Vandymarc]

I'm sure our friends with Accordance will work with this if this is going to be a platform that Apple uses and expands upon ...Patience, patience, patience...

[Vandymarc]

Another unmentioned issue with Logos is the manner in which the resources are licensed to you. It is really more of a rental situation with Logos. They could (but likely wouldn't) deactivate a resource at any time. In fact I had a resource I got free that I found of no use to me and instead of being able to remove it from my library, like I can with Accordance, I had to contact Logos ask for the resource to be removed from my account and about 10 days or so later it did disappear. In addition to the other items already mentioned, Accordance resource management and licensing are VASTLY superior and more user-oriented.

Can you expound on this a little more Mr. Terry for us new guys and gals?

[Jonathan C. Borland]

The speed of Accordance stands out. I still want to know. Is this because the texts are not in Unicode, or would it be just as fast in Unicode?

[Joel Brown]

The speed of Accordance has nothing to do with Unicode or ASCII. The speed of a program is often much more dependent on how things are implemented, than what they actually are. For example, I can think of a variety of ways we could implement Unicode that would make it slower, but of course there are just as easy good implementations that maintain the speed. Its just a very high priority to us to maintain a good, clean, fast codebase. This is one of the reasons why it runs smoothly and quickly on OSes from 10.8 Mountain Lion down to Mac OS 7, and also why we can quickly tweak it or modify it to implement new features or capabilities.

[R. Mansfield]

In regard to the general topic of this thread, I have a significant amount of funds invested in both platforms, but I continue to primarily use Accordance for many of the reasons already mentioned above. Since these differences have already been discussed to a great extent, I thought I might offer a perspective on the topic from a slightly different angle.

Ultimately for me, Logos, with its larger library, becomes primarily a reader for texts I can't have in Accordance. This is why even though I currently cannot open Logos in Mountain Lion (it's not yet compatible), my work is not slowed down because if I need access to Logos titles, I can still read them on my iPad. I don't regularly take advantage of the "features" of the Logos platform because I find that I can perform the same kinds of tasks more efficiently in Accordance.

In regard to investing in both platforms, like all things, hindsight is always 20/20. If I could go back, I would definitely do things differently knowing what I know now. Nevertheless, some reading this might be able to learn from my experience and make choices that I wish I had.

When the first version of Logos for the Mac came out (2008, I believe), I was genuinely interested in comparing it to Accordance which I'd been using since coming to the Mac in 1998. Since Logos at the time was charging for the Mac version of their software unless bought with a package, I opted to purchase their Original Languages CD at the academic discount. Of course, Logos never completed their initial Mac offering and the next year junked it in favor of the Mono-based port of their Windows .Net-based Logos 4.x. This new version of Logos initially seemed innovative and certainly aesthetically attractive at first glance, so I decided to give it a whirl. Although Logos 4 would work with previously purchased titles, the new features could only be fully utilized if one of the new Logos 4 packages was purchased. So I opted to buy in again. But instead of staying at the same level, I was tempted by the large packages and I bought into Logos' second largest deal (Platinum).

Technically, I now have more titles in Logos than I do in Accordance, but I still wind up using Accordance more--again, for many of the same reasons mentioned by others above.

So, what is it I would do differently, if I could do things over?

Well, if I could do everything all over again, I wouldn't change anything about my investment of time and money with Accordance. That investment has been a good one for which I have no regrets.

However, knowing that I have come to the point that I prefer etexts over physical books, it's a simple reality that Logos has some titles that Accordance does not have. Therefore, if I were starting from scratch, I would purchase Logos' least-expensive package (I think it's the "Christian Home," though it's still a bit pricy for a "least-expensive package") because it's still the case that you need a full package to take advantage of some of the features of the Logos 4.x software. But after that, I would only buy the occasional Logos title that I felt like I really needed if I knew for certain it wasn't going to be available in Accordance anytime soon or if ever.

I would not buy large Logos packages.

Here's the reality--and those longtime Accordance users who are occasionally tempted by the big Logos packages should take note from my example--I wish that I had taken the money I spent on the larger Logos packages, which contain many titles I'll never, ever, read and had spent it growing my Accordance library even larger.

Because here's the other reality. Those large Logos packages do contain some of the same titles that OakTree also carries for Accordance. Let me give an example. I have the New International Greek Testament Commentary in Logos, but I do not have it for Accordance, even though it's available for Accordance. Based on how I use commentaries in Accordance, I know for a fact that I would use the NIGTC significantly more if I had it in Accordance, but I tend to use it less often because it's in Logos. I'd like to have the NIGTC in Accordance, and I'll probably just suck it up and buy it one day, but it's a bit of a bitter pill to swallow knowing that I've got it duplicated over in Logos.

So to sum up--my advice to the Accordance user who might be occasionally tempted by Logos is simply this: invest in Accordance as your primary platform, but if you need to, make a minimal investment in Logos for an occasional title you need that's only available on that platform.

That's the better path in my experience.

Edited by R. Mansfield, 24 February 2012 - 02:57 PM.

[Donovan R. Palmer]

Rick - I feel your pain. Hindsight is 20/20. I've got eight years of investment in Logos. Yes, I can and still continue to use these resources most often as an e-book reader. However, my 'go to' Bible study program is Accordance. With time, I will most likely buy many of my favorites for Accordance.

[Timothy Jenney]

Rick and Donovan, with the rising popularity of other e-readers (e.g. Kindle and Nook) and the fact that books in these formats tend to be much cheaper than those on the Logos platform, do you think you will continue using Logos as an e-reader? Or do you just plan to install, say, Kindle reader on your Mac/iPhone/iPad and purchase these kinds of books on that platform?

[Donovan R. Palmer]

Well, certainly for the stuff I already have, I will be using the OSX and iOS software packages to read them. I'm undecided on the future to be honest. It will probably depend on the price and what I am going to use it for. Sometimes having a resource tagged helps in terms of using it for research and then sometimes it does not matter so much.

I think one of the areas of my wish list would be for Accordance to continue to add to the journals that it has on offer. For example, I would love to see Themelios brought to the Accordance platform. I'd love to see BAR updated, but I know that has a lot to do with the publisher. I am a real sucker for journals!

[R. Mansfield]

Rick and Donovan, with the rising popularity of other e-readers (e.g. Kindle and Nook) and the fact that books in these formats tend to be much cheaper than those on the Logos platform, do you think you will continue using Logos as an e-reader? Or do you just plan to install, say, Kindle reader on your Mac/iPhone/iPad and purchase these kinds of books on that platform?

Well, I own two Kindles and a Nook. I also have the Kindle app installed on my iPad and my Mac, so yes, this is a factor. Incidentally, I don't have the Kindle app installed on my iPhone because I don't care to read from my phone and I usually have my Kindle and/or my iPad with me at all times. Except in the shower.

But to more directly answer your question--it depends on the title. If it is a book with graphics, I'd prefer to have it in Bible software so that I can potentially access those graphics for use in Keynote or elsewhere. Most of the newer Kindle titles now have color graphics (before the iPad Kindle app, they were all black and white); however, I can't just right-click on a Kindle graphic and copy it for use in another program. There's no option for that. The best I can do is a screen grab that may or may not give me an adequate image to use. Moreover, most of the images in Kindle titles are still fairly low resolution--probably from the cost to Amazon associated with "free" downloads on 3G Kindles.

If it is just a text title, though, and not available for Accordance, even if it is available for Logos, I'll probably favor the Kindle, which is also usually cheaper anyway. Plus, if it's just a title I want to read (as opposed to one I might reference over and over), I prefer reading on E Ink screens than on my iPad or computer.

Having said that, though, it's not too difficult to copy text from Bible software into a Word document and then send that document to my Kindle's email address. Within a short amount of time, it will magically appear on my Kindle. I've read a number of books this way in the past couple of years. Yet in fairness, I should point out that it's an easier process to move text from Logos to the Kindle than it is to move text from Accordance to the Kindle.