So Logos is on to something. I have really enjoyed their software since I first started using it but what they developed this past year is really taking them to another level. I am going to tell you what they have come up with and then offer you a chance to win a 1 year Premium subscription at the end of this article. After reading what this is, I think you will be interested in trying it out. The good news is, even if you don’t win the subscription, Logos is offering a 1 month trial of this new system. If you are already familiar with Logos cloud and just want to enter, feel free to shoot down to the end of the article and enter to win!
If you don’t know what Logos is, let me introduce you. Logos is Bible study software that can be used by people of all skill levels and interest. You can go from the free version, which is basically an e-reader with a few bells and whistles, to a full blown theological library with helpful tools to improve your study. Logos is one of the most essential components of my Bible study, sermon preparation and class/small group lesson writing. I have used it for close to 15 years and I cannot begin to tell you how much it has blessed my ministry.
I was impressed when they came out with the phone app. This is a lot bigger than that…This isn’t just one more feature. This is a paradigm shift in the way they are giving access to their resources and tools to make things easier. Logos has started a cloud based system that is absolutely fantastic called, appropriately enough, Logos Cloud. Like I said above, they are giving away a free trial month to people who are interested. You can try that here but also see below to win a full year of the Premium subscription service.
The first thing that I noticed when I got in on Logos cloud Premium was that my number of resources shot up pretty substantially. When I first saw that I was pretty excited but what made me even more excited was seeing what resources were added to my library! These weren’t just random old books that I might not ever crack…these were books and commentaries that I have a great deal of interest in from ICC, Black’s, church fathers, dead sea scrolls, and others. I was ecstatic. That was my first big discovery but not my biggest discovery.
Then I went to login to the cloud based system at https://app.logos.com/. My jaw hit the floor when I first pulled it up in my browser and began trying out the normal operations, searches and tools that I use on a near daily basis. It was smooth, fast and without a hitch. This changes everything. I am not just saying that. I can go to any computer in the world with a connection and not just access my books. I can use the tools that makes Logos so helpful. Logos cloud is my Logos software tucked neatly into my web browser. Here it is with the browser/cloud version on the left and the PC desktop version on the right opened on dual screens to the same entries.
Three big positives for those familiar with Logos: First, this runs faster than my PC version. Second, I haven’t seen it do all of the indexing that tends to make Logos run slower on the desktop version. The third is that all of my desktop Logos books are in the cloud and all of my new cloud books are in my desktop version.
Are there any drawbacks? The only things that I have noticed have been that they are not finished developing the full set of Logos features in the cloud yet. It is under development. I will say that everything I do on a regular basis is up and running so that doesn’t affect me in the least.
Thank you Faithlife for this fantastic idea and for executing it flawlessly.
So what do you need to know about Logos Cloud and their subscription services?
It is a subscription based product that give you access to more resources and tools the higher the subscription you purchase. If you are interested in test driving one of these plans for a while you can get a free month’s subscription by clicking here.
The entry level subscription is called Logos Cloud essentials and it runs $8.99/month. This is for lite use and doing things like prayer lists and daily Bible readings and devotionals. Now, keep in mind that this still allows you web access to whatever level of Logos you already have. So whatever books you already own you can now access in your browser instead of through the software.
If you need more resources and tools that essentials offers you may want to step up to the Plus Package. This package gives you the functionality mentioned above for the Essentials package and adds in things like more books and language tools. This package is $19.99/month. If you are using this for teaching and preaching you at least want to start at this level. By the way, I believe you get a discount if you pay annually rather than monthly.
If that still isn’t enough for your needs try the Premium Package. This package is the one that I am running and I can tell you that I am very, very impressed with it and with the sheer number of resources and books it added to my library and even to my existing Logos software. So remember, what you get in cloud you also get in your desktop software as an update (new books, etc show up in your software’s library) and whatever you have in your software library also shows up in the cloud! This package is $49.99/month.
Now for the giveaway!
This giveaway is the Premium level and it is a one year subscription to this service. Click on the various methods of entry below. Each one will add “entries” up for you to give you a better chance to win.
Win a Logos Cloud Premium Annual Subscription from Matt Dabbshttps://js.gleam.io/e.js
2 Responses
Matt,
Two questions.
1. If I buy, for example, the $50/mo service, what does that equate to in terms of buying a Logos base package? Is it the same as, say, the Gold package? That’s $600/year, which buys a lot of Logos books when bought as a single base package. I can’t tell how to comparison shop between the two.
2. If I already own a base package, is there any circumstance where the Cloud service makes sense for me? I love the idea of offloading books into the Logos Cloud and doing fast searches without indexing, but I don’t see where I get any credit against the monthly charge for books I already own. I’ve been told by Logos salespeople that the Cloud only makes economic sense for a new Logos user for that reason. It would seem that they could give me credit against the monthly charge for books I already own and allow me to improve my Logos experience via the Cloud. This would also solve the well-documented problem of slow computer response time on Windows. I’m part of a user group where the Windows customers insist on any Logos user having an SSD hard drive (which I finally bought and am thrilled with). Can I move my library to the Cloud and pay only for the Cloud and not the books I’ve already paid for?
Or am I missing something?
1 – I am not sure about that. What would be really helpful would be a list of features, data sets and resources that are received at each level of cloud. They already have a base package comparison chart that compares the resources you already have against other package levels (silver, gold, etc). They should revamp that chart with the cloud levels in it so we can all compare. I have noticed that my number of books changes a small amount here and there in both the software and the cloud libraries and I figure it must be related to the availability of my cloud resources. I would like to know how that works as I don’t want to think I have something and then come back and cannot access it.
Let me see if I can get someone here to answer that.
2 – The way I read it, the books that you get from the cloud are not necessarily a fixed set of books. I will have to find where I read this but I believe they select these on some level for you based on what you already have. So I believe they are tailored to you on some level. Premium added 1,000 books to my library. I don’t know what is typical so I don’t know if that is normal or not but that is what I received. There are some really, really good commentaries in what I received new in the cloud like the newer ICC commentary on James just to give you an idea.
Cloud would make the most sense for a new user. Here are the advantages that I can see for existing users:
– Having your library on any computer or device all around the world. So if I go to a friend’s house and want to show them something I don’t (and wouldn’t anyway) have to download Logos on their computer to do so (16 gigs+). I can just use their browser. Or say I am at the library and want to use my Logos…this is a huge advantage.
– Speed: It runs way faster than the desktop version. Also no indexing.
– My new cloud books are in my software and the books in my software are in the cloud so everything is available in both places.
The questions you asked need clarification. I will see if I can get someone over here to answer them more directly than the answers I am able to provide.