Apple Journal vs Journey

Apple Journal

• iPhone, iPad and Mac owners who want a journal at no cost
• People who like prompts drawn from their photos, workouts and outings
• Logging state of mind to the Health app alongside written entries

Journey

• People who want one journal on phone, desktop (including Linux) and web
• Travel journals, with entries tagged by place and shown on a map
• Guided journaling through coach programs and templates
• Buyers who would rather pay once than subscribe

Apple Journal

• Listed only for iPhone, iPad and Mac; no Android, Windows or web version is offered.
• Apple says audio transcription is available in English only, excluding the Singapore and India locales.
• End-to-end encryption of entries stored in iCloud requires two-factor authentication and a device passcode.
• On Mac, journal entries are not included in iCloud backups; Apple points to Time Machine for a backup copy.

Journey

• The free version has no desktop app access and caps Journey Cloud Sync at 70MB and 60 entries.
• A Premium license covers a single platform; the help center says the Journey Desktop and web apps do not support it.
• Turning on end-to-end encryption disables search, and the vendor says it cannot be reversed.
• Membership stops at 10GB and 5,000 entries; more needs the separate Signature subscription, whose price is not shown publicly.

Apple Journal

Journaling suggestions

Suggested moments group outings, photos, workouts and media into starting points for an entry, alongside writing and reflection prompts. Suggestions are created with on-device processing.

Text, media and voice entries

Entries hold formatted text, photos, videos, drawings and map locations. Voice recordings made in the app are transcribed automatically.

Multiple journals and Places

Separate journals can each have a custom name and icon. The Places view shows entries on a map by location, and entries can be searched, filtered and bookmarked.

Insights and reminders

Insights shows the current writing streak, the days journaled and other statistics. Scheduled and streak notifications remind you when it is time to write.

State of mind logging

A state of mind can be logged from within Journal and saved to the Health app, and writing time is saved to Health as Mindful Minutes.

Lock, sync and export

The journal can be locked with a passcode, Touch ID or Face ID. Entries sync through iCloud and can be printed or exported to PDF, singly or by date range.

Journey

Multimedia entries

Entries hold photos, videos and audio, with formatting such as tables, checklists and text color. The free version limits photo uploads and has no audio, video or text formatting.

Atlas, calendar and Throwback

Atlas maps entries and media by tagged location, the calendar shows entries by date, and Throwback resurfaces entries from a week, a month or years ago.

Sync and end-to-end encryption

Journals sync through Google Drive or Journey Cloud Sync. Journey Cloud Sync has optional end-to-end encryption with a passphrase the company does not store, and a Docker image for a self-hosted sync drive is offered.

Coach programs and templates

More than 60 guided journaling programs and a set of prompt templates. Free and Premium get limited access; Membership unlocks all programs and custom templates.

Odyssey AI

A chat assistant answers questions about your own past entries. Free and Premium accounts can ask 10 questions a day, and Membership raises that to 50.

Shared journals and web links

Journals can be shared with other people, and selected entries published as web links that open in a browser. Free accounts get 2 web links, Membership 50.

Apple Journal

• Free$0

  Every feature of the app on iPhone, iPad and Mac, including multiple journals, journaling suggestions, Insights and iCloud sync.

Journey

• Free$0

  Mobile and limited web access, Google Drive sync, 70MB and 60 entries on Journey Cloud Sync, shared journals and limited photo uploads.

• Premium$17.99

  one-time purchase per platform (US App Store price)

  Unlocks rich text, audio, themes, Throwback and export on the platform it was bought for, Android or iOS. Not supported on the desktop or web apps.

• Membership$6.99

  per month, or $49.99 per year

  Every platform including desktop and web, 10GB and 5,000 entries on Journey Cloud Sync, all coach programs, custom templates, email entries and Zapier.

• Lifetime Membership$199.00

  one-time purchase

  The Membership features on every platform for a single payment instead of a subscription.

Apple Journal

No public discounts listed.

Journey

• Annual discount

  About 40% less with the annual Membership

  The US App Store listing prices Membership at $6.99 monthly or $49.99 a year, which works out to about 40% less than twelve monthly payments.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Membership for a single payment

  Journey's membership page offers a lifetime purchase as an alternative to the subscription. The US App Store lists Lifetime Membership at $199.00.