Features & Platforms

A map of what Kalamos does and where it runs.

Platforms: iOS / iPadOS, Android, macOS, and Linux are supported today. Windows is intended but not yet available; a browser version is on the roadmap.

How Kalamos compares

There are many good Bible apps, and most do one thing very well: broad free reading and social plans, deep scholarly libraries, or Pencil journaling. What sets Kalamos apart isn't any single feature — it's the combination: handwriting over real study tools, kept open-source and local-first, with sync you control. The table below places Kalamos next to one representative app from each corner of that landscape.

✅ Yes 🟡 Partial / limited ➖ No

Capability	Kalamos	YouVersion	Logos	Olive Tree	Pencil Bible	AndBible
Handwrite / draw over scripture (ink)	✅	➖	➖	➖	✅	➖
Apple Pencil with native tool picker	✅	➖	➖	➖	✅	➖
Import & annotate your own PDFs / scans	✅	➖	🟡	➖	➖	➖
On-device OCR / document scanning	✅	➖	➖	➖	➖	➖
SWORD modules (CrossWire)	✅	➖	➖	➖	➖	✅
Original-language / Strong's word study	✅	🟡	✅	✅	➖	✅
Split / multi-pane workspace	✅	➖	✅	✅	➖	✅
Full-text search, fully offline	✅	🟡	✅	✅	🟡	✅
Works fully offline	✅	🟡	🟡	✅	✅	✅
Usable with no account	✅	🟡	➖	🟡	🟡	✅
Open source	✅	➖	➖	➖	➖	✅
Local-first — your data lives on your device	✅	➖	➖	➖	🟡	✅
Sync via your own cloud, end-to-end encrypted	✅	➖	➖	➖	➖	🟡
Runs on phone, tablet & desktop	✅	🟡	✅	✅	➖	➖
Base price	Free	Free	Paid	Freemium	Freemium	Free

Platform & account notes: YouVersion (iOS/Android/web) is free and works offline once versions are downloaded, but sync, plans, and highlights are tied to a YouVersion account on its servers. Logos and Olive Tree span phone, tablet, and desktop with strong original-language and library tools, but store your notes in their cloud. Pencil Bible is a lovely iPad/iPhone journaling app (iCloud sync) without SWORD or original-language study. AndBible is a free, open-source, offline SWORD reader — Android-only, with backup rather than live cross-device sync. Comparison reflects publicly documented features as of mid-2026; these apps evolve, so check each app for the latest.

The short version: if you want to write by hand and do serious offline study and keep everything open-source and on your own device, Kalamos is built for exactly that intersection — no other app in this table covers all four corners.

What runs where

The rest of this page is the detailed feature-by-platform matrix for Kalamos itself.

✅ Implemented & expected to work ⚠️ Implemented, verification on that device ongoing 🟡 Partial / known limitation 📋 Planned ➖ Not applicable

Bible reading & navigation

Feature	iOS/iPad	Android	macOS	Linux	Notes
Bundled offline Bible (public domain)	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Ready on first launch
SWORD module reading	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Concordance, lexicon
Download modules (CrossWire)	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Needs network
API.Bible (bring-your-own-key)	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Online, your key
Chapter navigation	✅	⚠️	✅	✅
Verse context menu	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	e.g. study original language
Original-language / word study	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Strong's; shows tapped word + lemma
Full-text scripture search	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Matches section headings too
Section subheadings	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Kept out of verse text

Workspace & panes

Feature	iOS/iPad	Android	macOS	Linux
Split panes (multi-pane workspace)	✅	⚠️	✅	✅
First pane opens as type chooser	✅	⚠️	✅	✅
Pane types: Scripture / Notes / Notes+Verses / Blank / Document / Search	✅	⚠️	✅	✅
Open reference reuses / splits a scripture pane	✅	⚠️	✅	✅

Notes & rich text

Feature	iOS/iPad	Android	macOS	Linux	Notes
Version-agnostic notes	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Travel across translations
Rich text (bold / italic / underline / size)	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Selection-based
Inline tappable scripture refs	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Tap → open · long-press → new pane
Blank pages (type + draw)	✅	⚠️	✅	✅

Ink / handwriting

Feature	iOS/iPad	Android	macOS	Linux	Notes
Apple Pencil ink + native tool picker	✅	➖	➖	➖	Device-verified, high fidelity
Pencil auto-detect / draw-mode toggle	✅	➖	➖	➖	Pencil draws; finger scrolls/zooms
Finger taps / scroll / zoom coexist with drawing	✅	✅	✅	✅
Stylus ink (S Pen, Wacom, desktop)	➖	⚠️	✅	✅	Flutter ink surface
Insert writing space between verses	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Ink flows into the gap
Ink anchored to verse / note / space	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Stays put as layout reflows
Segment-clipping eraser	⚠️	⚠️	✅	✅	Splits strokes, not whole-stroke

Documents (PDF / scans)

Feature	iOS/iPad	Android	macOS	Linux	Notes
Import PDF	✅	⚠️	✅	✅
Add page images (→ PDF)	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Cross-platform fallback
Native document scanner (edge-detect, multi-page)	⚠️	⚠️	➖	➖	Camera on iOS / Android
Book-page dewarping ("flatten" curled scans)	⚠️	➖	➖	➖	On-device, iPad
Rendering + zoom / scroll	✅	⚠️	✅	✅
Selectable text	✅	⚠️	✅	✅
Native PDF links + tappable scripture refs	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Incl. cross-chapter ranges
In-document text search	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Highlight + prev/next
Ink & typed text boxes over pages	⚠️	⚠️	✅	🟡	On-device positioning being verified
OCR → searchable / tappable text on scans	⚠️	⚠️	✅	📋	On-device text recognition
PDF stored in study (resumable / syncable)	✅	⚠️	✅	✅

Library / module management

Feature	iOS/iPad	Android	macOS	Linux	Notes
Library sheet (My documents / Browse & download)	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Works offline
Install / remove SWORD modules	✅	⚠️	✅	✅
API.Bible connect + search listings	✅	⚠️	✅	✅

Sync & storage

Feature	iOS/iPad	Android	macOS	Linux	Notes
Local store, syncable schema	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Notes, ink, PDFs, formatting
Encrypted backup + restore (`.kalbackup`)	⚠️	⚠️	✅	✅	Restore merges, never overwrites
Sync — Nextcloud (WebDAV)	⚠️	⚠️	✅	✅	Browser sign-in, no manual token
Sync — Google Drive	⚠️	🟡	✅	✅	Your app data folder
Sync — Dropbox	⚠️	🟡	✅	✅	App folder
Sync — OneDrive	⚠️	🟡	✅	✅	App folder
Translation list syncs + re-download prompt	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	A new device offers to re-fetch
Merge same-named studies after sync	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Merge or keep separate
Offline device-to-device transport (BLE / LAN)	📋	📋	📋	📋	Planned

Studies & safe deletes

Feature	iOS/iPad	Android	macOS	Linux	Notes
Multiple studies (create / switch)	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Shared across panes
Rename / delete a study	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Delete cascades its content
Delete confirmation dialogs	✅	⚠️	✅	✅
Trash — restore deleted items	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Per-study, kept until emptied
Undo snackbar after delete	✅	⚠️	✅	✅	Instant recovery

Study packs

An open study-pack format (reading plans, passages, and prompts) is specified; importing and authoring packs, and scheduling reading plans, are planned features.

Web version (roadmap)

Kalamos is built with Flutter, so a browser build is genuinely possible — and it's in progress. Because the app is aggressively local-first and native-integrated, some parts port straight to the browser and others need real engineering or a different approach:

Ports cleanly

The multi-pane workspace, typed notes with rich text and tappable references, the scripture reference parser, end-to-end encryption, PDF assembly, and encrypted backup export/restore.

Needs engineering

The on-device database (moving to a browser storage engine), PDF viewing, re-enabling stylus ink in the browser, and a browser-friendly sign-in flow for cloud sync.

Stays native-only

Camera scanning, on-device text recognition, book-page dewarping, and native-fidelity Apple Pencil ink remain best on the installed apps.

When the browser version is ready it will live at kalamos.bible/app.