It is old news that the latest upgrade to Logos Bible Software (Logos 10) arrived on October 10, 2022, to much fanfare. I had received a review copy several weeks before, and I had every intention of sharing my review on the release date. However, I was too busy to write it until now.
Too busy?
Yes, too busy enjoying all the new features! As a near daily Logos user since early 2017, I have come to rely on it for crafting sermons and lessons, personal Bible study, language study, devotions, casual reading, and answering the myriad of Bible questions I get from people every week. I preach from Logos on my iPad, and use Proclaim in my services. I am a confessed junkie for buying books, and no, I dare not share how much I have invested in my library over the years.
In this review, I am not going to discuss all that Logos can do. Suffice it to say, it is by far the best Bible software on the market. Yes, there is a learning curve, but it is worth it. Instead, in this review I will highlight some of the new features which I have found to be most exciting and most useful.
For reference:
Hardware: I run Windows 11 on an HP Omen Laptop (plus external monitor) with an Intel Core i7-8750H CPU @ 2.20 GHz, with 32 GB RAM.
Logos Upgrade: I upgraded to Logos 10 Gold (now Diamond) from Logos 9 Portfolio (and many other packages and libraries added through the years). Faithlife generously provided me with Logos 10 Gold in exchange for an honest review.
My favorite new features:
Before I ever opened Logos 10, I watched their preview video which highlights some (but not all) of the new features. For me, it was like watching a sneak preview of the latest blockbuster movie. If you love Bible study, I expect you will have the same reaction.
Searching the Bible and Other Resources
Certainly the greatest upgrade of an existing feature is the Search capability. In Logos 9, users needed to remember clunky bracket commands. In Logos 10, not only is the search feature more intuitive, but there are clear and very helpful examples that pop up below the search bar (see image).
But wait, there’s more! Logos 10 (Gold and above) added the ability to include my print library in my search results. Rather than having to buy the Logos version of a printed book that I already own, I am able to scan the title into Logos and that book is included in my search results.
Unfortunately, the new feature does not mean I own a digital copy of the print book. But Logos does tell me the page number of the book when it gives me a result in my searches. Thank you, Logos!
Sermon Builder and Sermon Manager Improvements
I made the switch to Logos in 2017, when Dallas Theological Seminary gave me a massive upgrade as I was starting work on my doctorate. Prior to that, I wrote my sermons in Word, and still to this day have hundreds of them in my files. Although I found Sermon Builder was not as versatile as Word, I did like that it was integrated into the software, so quoting scripture and my books was much easier. So I adapted, and became a regular user of Sermon Builder and added the Proclaim software shortly after that.
However, my friend Al never got used to Sermon Builder. He is a Word for life guy. Well, Al, I have some good news. With Logos 10 (Silver and above), you can now import your existing Word sermons and lessons into Sermon Manager. And the moment you do, they are automatically tagged and formatted to make them a part of your library. This is good news for every Bible teacher who has been around the block a few times.
But Al may still want to make the crossover to Sermon Builder, because Logos 10 (Silver and above) has added a new feature that I find quite fun and helpful. In the information panel of Sermon Builder, there is a new Quote Icon that brings up a search box for finding relevant quotes that can be immediately imported into your sermon and presentation. Gone are the days of scouring your library for that one accent quote for your message. Thank you, Logos. My congregation appreciates it!
A New Engine
Logos 10 is faster. Period.
However, I expect there will always be people complaining about the speed of the program. Logos is massive, and each user’s library needs to be indexed. The bigger the library, the longer that might take. For that reason, even with Logos 10 I highly recommend users buy as much RAM as they can afford. I run 32 GB and have no problems.
The Logos team did a good job tweaking the Logos engine, and even the casual user will notice the speed improvement (after your library has been indexed, of course).
Logos 10 is also smart. Artificial intelligence has added millions of tags to the books I own. Now called “Factbook Tags” these hyperlinks require merely a hover to give me a popup of quick information that makes me feel smarter than I am. Impressive.
Logos 10 is also multi-lingual. One click (on Gold or above) opens a side panel that will translate almost any resource into or out of over 100 languages. Now I can read those Latin and German books that came in that library I bought. And I can quickly translate a quote from a book for my Spanish-speaking friends in Costa Rica. This is a new feature I didn’t know that I wanted. But it turns out, I did. Thank you, Logos!
Logos 10 is prettier. Okay, this will only matter to some, but the user interface is improved. The desktop is flatter, and now users have an option to put the taskbar on the left (default) or up top. I tried the left side for a while and liked it. It provides more “real estate” for my open tabs. However, I found myself floating to the top to do things out of habit, and after a few days I moved the taskbar back to the top. Only two clicks to make the change, so, well done, Logos.
I could probably go on all day, but my Logos is open and it is calling me back in to work on a message. If you can’t tell, I wholeheartedly recommend Logos 10 (as an upgrade, or for those first timers). You really can’t go wrong. But again, fair warning, there is a bit of a learning curve. There are many video tutorials online, so once you dive in, invest in your software education a little bit each day. I find that I learn best by doing. When I need to know how to find something, I watch a few videos then I go in and do it. After a few times I own that skill. So be patient and soon you will unleash the power of Logos 10 in your spiritual journey.
Ready to Purchase?
If you follow my link to purchase or upgrade to Logos 10, Logos provides a small commission to support our work in Costa Rica. Their generosity in no way has influenced my review.
For the next few weeks, the following offers are available:
• 15% off L10 for new Logos customers and 30% off for upgraders (own any previous version of a Logos base package). Subsequent upgrades are 15% off. There is no discount on standalone Feature Upgrades
• Exclusive offer when you follow my link: 5 free resources (from a pre-selected list of 30) with a customer’s Logos 10 base package purchase (first L10 purchase only). You can see the new selections here.
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