The Best Reading Plans on the Bible App (And How to Actually Stick With Them)

I’ve tried to read the Bible in a year more times than I can count. What finally made a difference for me wasn’t just willpower. It was finding the right reading plan on the Bible App and letting myself do it imperfectly. If you’ve started and stopped before, the plan you choose and the grace you give yourself matter more than you might expect.

My Picks for the Best Reading Plans on the Bible App

The Bible Recap (TBR) is the one I think every believer in Jesus should try at least once. Tara-Leigh Cobble guides you through the whole Bible in a year, in chronological order, with a short daily audio recap that helps explain what you just read. If you’re looking for the best Bible to read in a year, especially if you’ve never finished before, start here. TBR offers more resources than any other plan. You can follow along with video, audio, or text. There’s a strong community on Facebook, and many churches do it together. I even attended a TBR Live Event, which was fantastic. The best group Bible study I’ve ever joined was a D-Group led by the same team.

The Bible With Nicky and Pippa Gumbel (Classic) is the plan I’m currently following. Each day, it pairs readings from the Old and New Testaments with a short reflection from Nicky and Pippa Gumbel, the couple behind the Alpha Course. I’ve honestly looked forward to it most mornings.

The Real Secret: Grace, Not Perfection

Here’s what nobody tells you when you start one of these plans: you’re going to miss days. That’s not a failure, it’s just life. A couple of things I’ve learned that keep me from quitting entirely:

If you miss a day, don’t try to make it up. Just mark it complete and move on. Trying to catch up on three days of reading at once is exactly the kind of thing that makes people quit by week two.

If you’re in an especially busy day or season and you can’t do all of it, just do part of it. A few verses is still time in the Word. It still counts.

God is merciful. Every bit you do makes a difference. This isn’t a productivity system; it’s a relationship.

Pair It With a Devotional

Adding a short devotional to your reading plan gives you another perspective to nourish your soul. My current favorite is Heavenly Whispers by Işık Abla. It’s short, honest, and most days it feels like it was written just for me.

The Goal Isn’t Completion; It’s Transformation

It’s easy to treat a Bible reading plan like a checklist. I understand because I’ve done it too. But finishing isn’t really the goal. The real goal is to know God better and understand Him more. It’s about saying no to doubt and yes to faith. It’s about seeing change in your life as you replace lies with the truth of His word.

Scripture is alive. That’s why you can read the same verse a hundred times and get something new from it each time. The words haven’t changed, but you have, and God’s revelation is fresh every day.

Just a heads up: not every day in the Word feels exciting. Some days are honestly boring. But if you stick with it, you’ll have moments of real insight that make all the slow days worth it.

Go Deeper: Try the SOAP Method

If you want to slow down on a passage instead of just reading through it, the SOAP method is the simplest tool I’ve found. Here’s the version I use:

S — Scripture. Write out the verse or passage.

O — Observation. What’s happening in the text? Who’s speaking? What stands out or repeats? What does this reveal about God?

A — Application (S.P.E.C.K.). Is there a Sin to avoid, a Promise to claim, an Example to follow, a Command to obey, or something to Know about God?

P — Prayer. Talk to God about what you just read.

I’ll sometimes add an optional reflection at the end too: a truth to remember, an action step for today, and a verse to meditate on.

Bonus: Make Scripture Memory Tangible

If you want to really memorize verses instead of just reading them, Dwell Differently makes scripture memory tattoos. These are temporary tattoos with verses that you wear until they fade, so the words are always in front of you. It might seem like a small thing, but seeing a verse on your arm feels different than seeing it on a page.

And, if you prefer digital, they have a digital version that includes wallpapers for your phone. I love it!

The Secret of Simultaneous Reading

One of the best tips I learned from Bob Sorge’s book Secrets of the Secret Place is to read shorter sections from different books of the Bible at the same time, like the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. Rotating between them in one sitting keeps things fresh, unlike reading straight through a single long book. I know The Bible Recap doesn’t do this, but it’s still a great plan and worth trying.

What I’m Doing Next: My 2027 Bible Reading Plan

Here’s what I’m planning to run in 2027, which is basically the simultaneous-reading idea above put into practice:

Old Testament: Old Testament in 2 Years (679 days). I’ll read through the entire Old Testament at a slower pace over about two years.

New Testament: Abide: 6 Months in the New Testament (182 days). I plan to do this twice in the year, so I’ll go through the entire New Testament twice in 2027.

Psalms & Proverbs: I’ll read Psalms and Proverbs daily for wisdom, alongside the other two plans.

Plus I’ll keep going with Dwell Differently for scripture memory on the side.

Bottom Line

Whatever you choose, the best reading plans on the Bible App aren’t the ones with the most impressive completion streak, they’re the ones you’ll actually keep opening. Start with TBR if you’ve never made it through the whole Bible before, pair it with a devotional and the SOAP method if you want to go deeper, and give yourself grace on the days you miss. That’s the real secret behind the best bible to read in a year: not the plan itself, but showing up for it imperfectly, over and over, for a year.

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