Clearful vs Five Minute Journal

Clearful

• People who want prompts and guided templates instead of a blank page
• Journaling across phone, tablet, Mac and browser with one account
• Free text journaling with unlimited entries and no ads

Five Minute Journal

• People who want a short guided gratitude routine each morning and evening
• Users of the paper Five Minute Journal who want the same format on a phone
• Beginners who prefer answering set prompts to free writing

Clearful

• Photos in entries, AI Reviews, custom templates, themes and locked entries need Clearful Pro, and the free plan connects only two devices.
• There is no bulk import: the help center says no CSV, Day One or one-click migration tool exists.
• The interface is English only, and audio journaling with transcription is still marked as coming soon.
• The vendor's site lists no prices. The App Store description gives $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year, while its in-app list also shows $14.99 and $89.99.

Five Minute Journal

• Listed for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android in English, French, German and Spanish; no web or desktop version is offered.
• Photos and video, custom questions, the notes section, the mood tracker and the widget need Premium.
• The vendor's site shows no prices; the US App Store lists several monthly and annual price points, some marked for existing users.
• The privacy policy says journal entries are stored on the vendor's servers, and that AI features send your messages to Anthropic's Claude once you consent in the app.

Clearful

Guided journals library

More than 400 guided journals, prompts and templates cover topics from gratitude to work decisions, with a Discover Daily question each day. Some guided journals are reserved for Pro.

Flow Editor

A rich-text editor with 14+ formatting options, including headings, bulleted and numbered lists, checklists, quotes, dividers, links and text styles.

Rediscover

Past entries resurface from set points such as 1 month, 6 months, 1 year and 3 years ago, so you can look back at how things have changed.

AI-Enhanced Reviews

Weekly, monthly, quarterly, bi-yearly and yearly reviews use AI to summarize themes, moments and patterns from your own entries. AI Reviews are a Pro benefit.

Privacy controls

The vendor says entries are encrypted on the device, in transit and at rest. Face ID or Touch ID locks the app, a device manager revokes sign-ins, and Pro adds a lock for single entries.

Sync across devices

One account syncs the journal between iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android and the web app. The free plan supports up to two connected devices and Pro removes the limit.

Five Minute Journal

Guided morning and evening entries

A guided flow takes you through gratitude prompts at the start and end of the day, in a format modeled on the paper Five Minute Journal.

Timeline and calendar

Past entries appear as short daily excerpts on a timeline, and tapping a date in the calendar view opens that day's full entry.

Eva AI coach and voice memos

The App Store version notes introduce Eva, an AI coach that reflects on a finished entry with you, and voice memos that are transcribed. They do not say which plan each needs.

Quotes, challenges and streaks

The app delivers a daily quote and a weekly challenge, sends optional daily reminders and tracks your journaling streak.

Lock and export

Entries can be protected with a passcode, Face ID or Touch ID, and backed up or exported to PDF, HTML or Dropbox for a chosen date range.

Premium extras

Premium adds a daily photo or video on any prompt, a photo timeline, a notes section, custom questions, a mood check-in, On this Day reminders and a home screen widget.

Clearful

• Free$0

  Unlimited entries, the rich-text editor, prompts and templates, Rediscover, streaks, reminders and text or PDF export, on up to two connected devices.

• Clearful Pro (monthly)$9.99

  per month

  Photos in entries, Pro guided journals, unlimited devices, AI Reviews, personal templates, locked entries, analytics and themes. The in-app list also shows a $14.99 monthly entry.

• Clearful Pro (annual)$59.99

  per year

  The same Pro benefits billed annually. The US App Store in-app purchase list also shows a yearly entry at $89.99.

Five Minute Journal

• Free$0

  Guided morning and evening entries, timeline and calendar views, reminders, quotes, challenges, streaks, passcode lock and export.

• Premium (monthly)$4.99 to $9.99

  per month

  Adds photos and video, custom questions, notes, mood tracker and On this Day. The US App Store lists $9.99 for Journaling Premium and $4.99 monthly items.

• Premium (yearly)$19.99 to $39.99

  per year

  The same Premium features billed yearly. The US App Store lists $39.99 for Annual Journaling Premium, plus $24.99 and $19.99 annual items.

Clearful

• Annual discount

  Annual billing costs about half of monthly

  The US App Store description gives Clearful Pro as $9.99 billed monthly or $59.99 billed annually. Twelve monthly payments come to $119.88, so the annual plan saves about 50%.

Five Minute Journal

• Annual discount

  About 67% less with the annual plan

  The US App Store lists Journaling Premium at $9.99 for one month and $39.99 for a year, about 67% less than twelve monthly payments.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime plan as an alternative to subscribing

  Intelligent Change's help center says Premium is sold under monthly, yearly and lifetime plans. The lifetime price is not published on its site.