AnchoredWhy YouVersion is a great place to start
- It is free, with no subscription.
- There are many translations and a huge library of reading plans, including many on marriage and relationships.
- You can do a plan together. Invite your spouse, and you can each mark days complete and comment on them.
Where couples get stuck
- Plans are written for one reader. Most address "you" as an individual, so the couples part is up to you.
- Comments are not a conversation starter. Writing a reflection your spouse might read later is different from both answering the same question.
- Choice can stall you. With so many plans, it is easy to spend more time choosing than reading.
What changes in an app built for two
In Anchored, everything is designed around the two of you. You read the same short Scripture each day, then each answer one question about it, privately and on your own phone. When you have both answered, your answers unlock together. Because neither of you sees the other’s answer first, you both answer honestly, and you always have something specific to talk about.
“Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Instead of thousands of plans, there are 12 thirty-day series chosen for marriage: Foundations, Prayer Together, Forgiveness & Healing and more. You can read in the King James Version or the World English Bible, and each of you can choose your own.
YouVersion and Anchored compared
| YouVersion | Anchored | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free to download; Premium for the full daily devotional |
| Written for | Individuals | Couples |
| Doing it together | Invite your spouse to a plan | Built in from day one |
| Daily question | Some plans | Every day |
| Private answers that unlock together | No | Yes |
| Translations | Many | King James Version and World English Bible |
Can you use both?
Yes, and many couples do: YouVersion for personal Bible reading and study, and a short couples devotional for the time you share. Five minutes together each day is enough to build the habit.
