Journaling Apps
Free journaling apps
34 of the 36 journaling apps in this directory are free or have a free plan.
7 have no paid plan at all. The rest pair a free plan with paid ones, and the table says what each free plan includes.
Listings checked up to Oct 9, 2026 · Where the facts come from
| Tool | Price | What is free |
|---|---|---|
| Day OneEncrypted journal for text, photos, audio and video across devices | Free plan · from $49.99/yr | Basic plan: unlimited text entries and journals, 1 photo per entry, end-to-end encryption, prompts, templates and web access, used from 1 device. |
| Apple JournalApple's free journaling app for iPhone, iPad and Mac | Free | Everything. There is no paid plan. |
| DaylioMood tracker and micro-diary you fill in with a couple of taps | Free plan · from $4.99 | Free version with no time limit: the core mood and activity diary, with caps on moods, goals, reminders and important days. Advanced stats, automatic backups and PDF export need Premium. |
| JourneyCross-platform diary with maps, mood tracking and guided programs | Free plan · from $17.99 one-time | Free version with no time limit: Google Drive sync, or 70MB and 60 entries on Journey Cloud Sync, limited photo uploads and 10 Odyssey AI questions a day. No desktop app, audio or video. |
| ReflectlyAI-guided journal and mood tracker for iPhone, iPad and Android | Free plan · from $4.99 | Free download with in-app purchases. The listing does not spell out free limits; unlimited stories, a new daily question and advanced statistics are described as Premium. |
| DiariumPrivate journal with a one-time Pro purchase and your own cloud sync | Free plan · from $14.99 one-time | Free to use on Android, iPhone, iPad and Mac, without Pro features such as Cloud Sync, unlimited attachments, Word export, widgets, custom fonts, weather and integrations. Windows is a paid app. |
| PenzuPrivate online journal for the browser, with iOS and Android apps | Free plan · from $19.99/yr | Basic plan: unlimited entries, the mobile apps, basic journal covers and fonts, and simple writing reminders. No credit card is required. |
| StoicGuided journal with morning and evening reflections and mood tracking | Free plan · from $6.99 | Daily prompts, quotes and affirmations, basic guided journals and a limited selection of breathing and meditation exercises. |
| Five Minute JournalGuided gratitude journal with short morning and evening prompts | Free plan · from $4.99/mo | Free basic version: guided morning and evening entries, timeline and calendar, reminders, daily quotes, weekly challenges, streaks, passcode lock and backup or export. |
| Grid DiaryPrompt-based diary and planner laid out as a grid of questions | Free plan · from $4.99/mo | Many of the app's features are free to use. Sync between all your devices, the passcode lock and more color themes are member-only. |
| DailyBeanTap-based mood diary that logs a day with icons instead of writing | Free plan · from $3.99/mo | Custom and special blocks, basic analysis and 1 photo a day, with ads. In-depth analysis, device sync and ad removal need Premium Pass. |
| How We FeelFree emotion check-in journal from a science nonprofit | Free | Everything. There is no paid plan. |
| 1 Second EverydayVideo diary that stitches one second a day into a movie | Free plan · from $49.99/yr | Free with one Journal project and one 1-second snippet a day. Extra projects, longer snippets, 1SE Cloud backup, 1080p and 4K export and ad removal need Pro. |
| GratitudeGratitude journal with affirmations and vision boards | Free plan · from $4.99/mo | Free to download, and the vendor describes the app as a freemium service. Its site and store listings do not spell out which features need a Pro plan. |
| DiaroDiary and notes app that syncs through your own Dropbox | Free plan · from $8.99/yr | Free app with ads: unlimited entries, folders, tags, photos, mood tracking and a lock. Dropbox sync, Diaro Online access to your entries and file export need Pro. |
| DaybookCloud-synced diary with guided journals and voice entry | Free plan · from $3.49/mo | Free plan with unlimited entries, sync across devices and automatic cloud backup. Mood analytics, AI features, custom templates, themes and the full set of guided journals need Pro. |
| My DiaryLocked diary with themes, stickers and a mood calendar | Free plan · from $2.99/mo | Free with ads: the vendor says most features are free, including the lock, photo entries, mood tracking and tags. Some themes and backgrounds need a Premium membership. |
| BearableSymptom and mood tracker that links health to daily habits | Free plan · from $34.99/yr | Free: unlimited symptom, mood, sleep, medication and factor tracking, reminders, CSV export and 30 days of trend reports. Goals and experiments are limited in number. |
| ZinniaHandwritten digital journal and planner for iPad, iPhone and Mac | Free plan · from $39.99/yr | Free version with limited content from the Zinnia Studio catalog. Full access to journals, planners, stickers and templates needs Zinnia Premium. |
| DiarlyPrivate Markdown journal for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch | Free plan · from $2.99/mo | Free forever: one journal with unlimited entries and media, kept on the device. iCloud sync, multiple journals, encryption, themes and extra export formats need Premium. |
| MindseraAI journal that analyzes entries for emotions and patterns | Free plan · from $10.75/mo | Curious plan: minimal journal, journaling streak tracker, passcode, tags, smart highlights, Markdown or PDF export and 52+ framework templates. No AI features. |
| ReflectionAI-coached journal with guided programs and voice entries | Free plan · from $5.75/mo | Free Forever plan: unlimited entries, prompts, reminders, search, monthly and annual reviews, import and export, and one photo per entry, with limited syncing. |
| ClearfulGuided journal with 400+ prompts and templates on every device | Free plan · from $9.99/mo | Free forever with unlimited text entries, prompts, streaks, reminders and export, on up to two connected devices. Photos, AI Reviews, themes and custom templates need Pro. |
| Dabble MePrivate journal you keep by replying to email prompts | Free plan · from $4/mo | Free forever: an email prompt every other Sunday, journaling by email reply, reading entries online, past entries resurfaced in emails, and data export. |
| Life NoteAI journal whose mentors reply in the voice of historical thinkers | Free plan · from $10.99/mo | Free: 3 journal entries a week (10 in the first seven days), 1 mentor response per entry, limited Deep Chat and 10 voice recordings a week. Import, export and the app lock are included. |
| JournalisticMicro journaling web app built around short bulleted entries | Free | Everything. There is no paid plan. |
| WaffleShared journal app for couples, families and friends | Free plan · from $14.99/mo | Free: unlimited journals, entries and journal members, with basic journal covers and basic question decks. Photos, comments, search and export need Waffle Plus. |
| MoodflowMood tracker and journal that charts what shapes your days | Free plan · from $3.49 | The terms say the core features are free: check-ins and journals stored on the device, with optional backup to your own Google Drive. The only ads are ones you choose to watch. |
| MoodistoryMood tracker that logs a day in seconds and keeps data on-device | Free plan · from $2.99 | Free to download and use, with no ads according to the developer's Google Play replies. The vendor does not publish which features are held back for Premium. |
| EverlogMarkdown journal for iPhone, iPad and Mac with threaded comments | Free plan · from $1.99/mo | One journal, image attachments, tags, bookmarks, search and a passcode lock. Sync between devices, extra journals and automatic backups need Premium. |
| RedNotebookFree desktop diary that stores entries as plain text files | Free | Everything. There is no paid plan. |
| DailyTxTSelf-hosted encrypted diary web app that runs in Docker | Free | Everything. There is no paid plan. |
| Easy DiaryFree, open-source diary app for Android with no ads | Free | Everything. There is no paid plan. |
| Daily YouFree, open-source offline diary and mood tracker for Android | Free | Everything. There is no paid plan. |
Common questions
Which journaling apps are free?
34 of the 36 journaling apps in this directory are free or have a free plan. They are Day One, Apple Journal, Daylio, Journey, Reflectly, Diarium, Penzu, Stoic, Five Minute Journal, Grid Diary, DailyBean, How We Feel, 1 Second Everyday, Gratitude, Diaro and 19 more.
Which journaling apps are free with no paid plan?
Apple Journal, How We Feel, Journalistic, RedNotebook, DailyTxT, Easy Diary and Daily You have no paid plan. The others on this page limit the free plan and sell paid ones.
When was this checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 5, 2026 to Oct 9, 2026. Vendors change prices and plans without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.
This page is built from the listings. A tool is here because its listing says so, and each listing names the pages it was read from.