Logos 8 is like having a seminary library and a research assistant in your pocket. It’s the most powerful, professional Bible study application on the market.
I’ve used it for ministry, seminary and research for my books for years. So I was thrilled when the good people at Logos reached out to me and gave me early access to a shiny new copy of Logos 8.
Is it worth the upgrade or a first-time investment? Here’s my impression after some time using it.
It’s Faster
Logos 8 boasts search speeds of up to 10 times faster than Logos 7, and while I didn’t do an official speed test, I noticed the difference immediately.
Logos 8 loaded faster and instantly felt quicker and more responsive. Complex searches through thousands of books that would’ve left me staring at a spinning wheel for a few minutes on Logos 7, took just seconds.
The faster speed alone would be enough of a reason for me to upgrade. The quicker the search, the better. We don’t have time to waste.
Custom Workflows Are a Game-Changer
If you repeatedly follow the same steps, the new Workflows are priceless. For example, in Preaching Nuts & Bolts, I wrote about my 7 Step Sermon Prep method.
So I can create a custom workflow of my seven steps to guide me every time I write a sermon.
But workflows are more than just a checklist. I can add parts that will automatically link to all of the sections in my commentaries related to my key passage of Scripture, suggest illustrations, and a lot more.
With the sermon editor open, I can now follow my steps, study the passage, take notes, find illustrations, instantly search through thousands of resources for relevant material, write the sermon, and create slides and handouts all in one app. Wow.
It Has Powerful New Features
Although I don’t see myself using it too often, the new Canvas editor is intriguing for creating visuals (see my video demo for details).
There’s a new Notes feature that now allows you to save and search your notes, kind of like Evernote.
The new Theology Guide will help you explore theological themes and quickly search through your systematic theology books. Plus, you can access Logos 8 from anywhere at app.logos.com or on their mobile apps.
Here Are the Negatives
There are only two real negatives that I see with Logos 8. First, it’s a big investment for a tight budget.
Logos is an investment in your Bible study. It’s worth it, but it’s not cheap. Thankfully, they know this and offer different packages to fit different budgets. Remember though, that the quality of your study is only as good as the books in your library. So over time, you’ll want to invest in books and other materials unless you get one of the big packages right away.
But I’d rather build a commentary library in Logos that I can take anywhere and search in seconds than a physical library that I have to go to and take hours to explore.
The other drawback is that there are more features than you’ll use. Since Logos 8 is a professional Bible study app, like other professional applications, it’s packed with powerful features for all purposes. It’ll take some time to learn how to best take advantage of its many features, and all of the options can be a bit overwhelming at times.
The key here is to only use with what you need at the time. You don’t have to use every feature to get your money’s worth.
What Is the Verdict?
Highly recommended.
Overall, Logos 8 is the best Bible Study tool on the market. It’s the only app I recommend for people who want to do serious Bible study. The more you use it, and the more your library grows over time, the more powerful it becomes.
With Logos 8, the Logos team has shown that they aren’t satisfied with the status-quo. They’ll continue to improve the features, performance, and design of Logos to help you do serious Bible study better than ever.
So if you’re considering an upgrade or a first-time investment, go check it out.
Read more from Brandon Hilgemann »
This review originally appeared on ProPreacher.com.