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A digital journaling app can make the healthy habit of regularly jotting down your thoughts so much easier to maintain. With so many options out there, though, it can be a challenge to identify which one will work best for you and the way you journal.
To make that process a little easier, we’ve pulled together a list of some of the best journaling apps available. We’ve included a quick introduction to each one along with their key features and some insights into the type of people they might be particularly useful for.
Day One
Day One is consistently ranked among the best apps for journaling. It’s a powerful option with a lot of functionality.
You can customize your text entries with Markdown and templates, get daily prompts, easily look back at memories, and sync with other apps to keep track of things like your step count. There’s also the option to create multiple journals.
Price
It has a free version, or you can upgrade to access additional features for $49.99 billed yearly.
Key features
Platforms: iOS, Mac, Android, Windows, and web app.
Multimedia support: Photos, videos, audio, speech to text, and handwritten text/drawings.
Security features: End-to-end encryption. You can use a passcode or biometrics.
Reminders: Customizable reminders.
Best for
People looking for a lot of functionality and people wanting to journal across multiple devices.
Diarium
Diarium is a journal app with a solid range of features and customization options. Upgrading to the paid version is also a onetime purchase, making it one of the best online journals for anyone wanting to avoid an ongoing subscription.
You can personalize the look of your journal, explore your past with a range of charts and other features, and integrate data from other apps.
Pricing
There’s a free plan (for all platforms except Windows), but you can also upgrade for additional features, for a onetime payment of $9.99 per platform.
Key features
Platforms: iOS, Mac, Android, and Windows.
Multimedia support: Photos, videos, audio, speech to text, and other file types.
Security features: You can use a password/code or biometrics.
Reminders: Customizable reminders.
Best for
People journaling on multiple devices, people wanting a lot of features, and people wanting to avoid an ongoing subscription.
Journey
Journey is another feature-rich option.
It features tools for customizing your journal, exploring past entries, and tracking your mood. There’s an AI tool to help you search your journal for insights, and “coach” features, which provide guidance to help you reflect. There’s also the option to create shared journals with friends.
Price
There’s a free option or you can buy a onetime premium license to unlock additional features on your chosen platform ($17.99), sign up for the membership for additional features on all platforms ($6.99 billed monthly or $49.99 billed yearly), or buy a lifetime subscription ($199.99).
Key features
Platforms: iOS, Mac, Windows, Chrome OS, and web app.
Multimedia support: Photos, video, and audio.
Security features: End-to-end encryption when using their cloud sync option. You can set a passcode or use biometrics.
Reminders: Customizable reminders.
Best for
People journaling on multiple devices, people wanting to track their mood, or people looking for guidance or inspiration while journaling.
Grid Diary
Grid Diary is worth exploring for anyone looking for a little more structure or inspiration.
It mixes intuitive, grid-based templates with reflective prompts to help the words flow. You can customize further with stickers and tags and easily explore previous entries.
Pricing
There’s a free option, or you can upgrade for additional features for $2.99 billed monthly or $22.99 billed yearly.
Key features
Platforms: iOS, Mac, and Android.
Multimedia support: Photos and other attachments.
Security features: Paid members can set a passcode.
Reminders: Customizable reminders.
Best for
People who want more structure and people who want a quicker option.
Penzu
Penzu positions itself as a journaling app for people who care a lot about privacy.
It has features for writing, customizing, and organizing that suit a range of journaling styles. The app also allows you to set specific passwords for your journals and to auto-lock them.
You’re able to sync across devices with a free account, unlike with many of the other best diary apps out there where this is a paid for feature.
Price
There’s a free version or you can upgrade to Pro ($4.99 billed monthly or $19.99 billed yearly) or Pro+ ($9.99 billed monthly or $49.99 billed yearly) for additional features, like more security options.
Key features
Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and web app.
Multimedia support: Photos and other media.
Security features: Various levels of encryption. You can password-protect your journals, as well as set a PIN for the app.
Reminders: Customizable reminders.
Best for
People who are particularly concerned about keeping their journal private.
Zinnia
Journaling can be a creative outlet, and Zinnia aims to recreate that digitally.
It simulates the experience of personalizing a physical journal with themes, stickers, and washi tape. It also provides a range of tools for handwriting, doodling, and designing.
Price
There’s a free option, or you can access all features for $3.99 billed weekly, $8.99 billed monthly, or $34.99 billed yearly.
Key features
Platforms: iOS and Mac.
Multimedia support: Photos, PDFs, and drawing/handwriting.
Security features: You can set a passcode.
Reminders: Customizable reminders.
Best for
People who like the aesthetic side of journaling and people who like to handwrite or doodle.
Daylio
If you’re hoping to use your journal to get an insight into your well-being, Daylio could be just what you need.
You can track your mood and what you got up to that day in seconds. If you want to add more, the notes feature lets you add a traditional written journal entry. Review your mood and activities over time with charts and other tools.
Price
There’s a free version, or you can upgrade for additional features for $4.99 billed monthly or $35.99 billed yearly.
Key features
Platforms: iOS and Android.
Multimedia support: Photos and audio.
Security: PIN lock and biometrics.
Reminders: Customizable reminders.
Best for
People looking for a quick option and people wanting well-being insights.
Goodnotes
Goodnotes is a digital note-taking app that lends itself well to journaling, particularly for those who like to handwrite or doodle.
It has advanced handwriting and drawing features, including the ability to convert handwriting to text and to make it searchable. You can also customize with decorative elements like stickers and washi tape.
Price
There’s a free version or several paid options: Essential ($11.99 billed yearly), Pro ($35.99 billed yearly), and a onetime payment for Apple-only access ($35.99). Additionally, there’s a monthly pass costing $9.99 that gives you access to their AI features.
Key features
Platforms: iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and web app.
Multimedia support: Photos, drawing/handwriting, and audio recording/transcription.
Security features: You can set a password to lock notebooks or use biometrics (though this is seemingly only available on iOS at the moment).
Reminders: No.
Best for
People who like the aesthetic side of journaling and people who like to handwrite or doodle.
Dabble Me
Dabble Me aims to make journaling easier to stick to by making it as simple as sending an email.
Compose your entry in your email app, hit send, and it’ll be automatically added to your journal. You can then browse through your past entries on the website. There’s also a Blasts from the Past feature to remind you of previous memories.
Price
There’s a free tier, or you can upgrade for more features (most notably customizable email reminders). It costs $4 billed monthly or $40 billed yearly.
Key features
Platforms: Your email app and web app.
Multimedia support: Photos and embedding content from Spotify.
Security features: The process happens over email, and your entries are then added to your account on the website. You can set a passkey or turn on two-factor authentication for your account.
Reminders: Limited reminders for free users and customizable reminders on the Pro plan.
Best for
People looking for a simple option and people who want to limit the number of apps they use.
Rosebud
Rosebud is an AI-assisted journaling app with a focus on personal growth.
It has many of the tools of a traditional journaling app, with several AI features. The AI assistant can provide personalized prompts to help you reflect, as well as highlight insights and patterns in your previous entries.
Price
There’s a free tier, or you can upgrade for more features for $12.99 billed monthly or $107.99 billed yearly.
Key features
Platforms: iOS, Mac, Android, and web app.
Multimedia support: Photos, voice to text, and the ability to scan handwritten entries.
Security features: You can use a PIN or biometrics on mobile.
Reminders: Customizable reminders.
Best for
People who are curious about AI-assisted journaling or people looking for prompts and inspiration to support their journaling.
Daybook
Daybook is another potential option for people interested in apps with AI features.
As well as customization and organization options, it offers additional features like guided journals. It has an in-built AI assistant and also connects to voice assistants and AI apps to provide more functionality.
This is another app where cross-device syncing is available for free users.
Price
There’s a free version, or you can upgrade to gain access to more functionality for $3.49 billed monthly or $39.99 billed yearly.
Key features
Platforms: iOS, Android, and web app.
Multimedia support: Photos, voice to text, and the ability to scan handwriting.
Security: You can set a passcode or use biometrics.
Reminders: Daily reminders.
Best for
People who are curious about AI-assisted journaling or people looking to integrate with their existing AI apps or voice assistants for convenience.
Notion
If you want to build a custom digital journal from scratch, Notion, the workspace app, could be a powerful tool.
You can set up a page or database to store and organize your entries, then create templates to get your journal entries exactly the way you want them.
Price
Notion offers a free version for personal use. The paid plans are aimed at businesses.
Key features
Platforms: iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and web app.
Multimedia support: Photos, video, audio, and other files.
Security: You can set up a passkey and two-factor authentication for the app.
Reminders: There are workarounds to achieve this, but a simple setting for recurring reminders is still in the works.
Best for
People looking for advanced customization options.
Other things to look for in a journaling app
Here are a few other things to consider while researching the best journaling software for you.
Import/export options: If you’ve already been keeping a digital journal elsewhere, you might want an app that allows you to import those entries. You may also want to think about the options for exporting any entries you create, as you don’t want to lose years of journaling if you later decide to leave a particular app.
Data security: Journaling can be highly personal, so it’s worth looking into how your data will be stored, transferred, and used. Is data encrypted and how? Who has access? Some apps have their own cloud storage, while others give you the option to use yours.
AI features: If there are AI features, you might want to read up on how those are provided to make sure you’re comfortable. For instance, it’s worth double-checking the company’s policy on using data for training.
There’s a journal app out there for you
Whether you’re looking for an app that makes it easy to flip back through your previous entries, one that lets you create beautiful page layouts, or one that provides you with prompts to inspire you, hopefully you’ve found a few promising options on this list.
Don’t be afraid to try out multiple apps. Journaling is highly personal, so it’s worth spending time finding the best digital journal for your individual needs and tastes.
And if journaling has given you the writing bug and you’d like to sharpen your skills, ProWritingAid has a whole host of useful tools and features to help you do that, including writing analysis reports that suggest ways to polish your prose, and advanced grammar checking.
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