Dabble Me vs Penzu
We give Dabble Me a 3.0 GPA and Penzu a 3.2, out of 4.0. Dabble Me grades higher on ease of use. Penzu grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Dabble Me
Private journal you keep by replying to email prompts
Penzu
Private online journal for the browser, with iOS and Android apps
How we grade them
| 3.0GPADabble MeVery good | 3.2GPAPenzuVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPRO is $4 a month or $40 a year. That's about typical, with the middle of this category at $4.99 a month. It buys your own email schedule, photos, search, a calendar view and the web editor. | APenzu Pro is $19.99 a year, well under what journaling apps usually charge, or $4.99 a month. It adds encryption locking, tagging, PDF export, writing prompts and writing by email. Pro+ is $49.99 a year for versions and a zen-mode. Lifetime is $199.99, which is a lot up front. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree forever, with your replies saved as entries, old entries sent back to you and export whenever you like. But the prompt only comes every other Sunday, and search, photos and the web editor are all PRO. | ABasic gives you unlimited entries on the web and in the mobile apps, with basic covers, fonts and reminders, and no credit card. You could write here for years. What you don't get is tagging, PDF export or writing prompts, which are Pro. |
| Features | BReply to an email and it's filed under that day, with an old entry tucked into each prompt. PRO adds up to 8 photos an entry, hashtags, search, importers from Day One and OhLife, and a connector so Claude or ChatGPT can search your journal. Entries aren't end-to-end encrypted, though. | BUnlimited entries that save as you type, journals with their own covers and locks, reminders, search, and emails that send you back to old entries. Solid for plain writing. But tagging, PDF export and prompts need Pro, and versions with entry recovery are Pro+ only. |
| Ease of use | BNo App Store rating on record, so B is as high as we go. If you can reply to an email, you can keep this journal. Reply twice in a day and both land in the same entry. | C4.2 from about 2,500 App Store ratings, which is a C on our ladder. The writing side sounds simple enough: open a browser, type, and it saves itself. But that rating is for the iOS app, and it's the lowest mark on this card. |
| Platforms and integrations | BEmail and a website, with no phone or desktop app. It does connect out: on PRO, an MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT and other compatible assistants search and add entries once you approve it. | BAny web browser, plus iOS and Android apps. There's no desktop app, and no integrations or API are listed. On Pro you can write to a journal by email with Penzu Post. The App Store shows English as the only language. |
| Best for | journaling by replying to an email | writing a private journal in your browser |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Dabble Me and Penzu. How we grade
Where they differ
- Dabble Me starts at $4 per month, or $40 per year. Penzu starts at $19.99 per year, or $4.99 per month.
- Only Penzu lists iOS and Android apps.
- Dabble Me is open source, according to its own site.
- Penzu can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- Penzu also covers long-form writing.
At a glance
| Dabble Me | Penzu | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4 per month, or $40 per year | $19.99 per year, or $4.99 per month |
| Free plan | Free forever: an email prompt every other Sunday, journaling by email reply, reading entries online, past entries resurfaced in emails, and data export. | Basic plan: unlimited entries, the mobile apps, basic journal covers and fonts, and simple writing reminders. No credit card is required. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Dabble Dev LLC | Penzu Inc. |
| Price read from | dabble.me | penzu.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Dabble Me
- People who would sooner reply to an email than open a journaling app
- Rereading old entries, which come back inside the prompt emails
- Journal keepers who want to query their entries from Claude or ChatGPT
Penzu
- People who mostly write at a computer in a web browser
- Writers who want unlimited entries on a free plan
- Keeping several journals, each with its own cover and lock
Worth knowing
Dabble Me
- There is no mobile or desktop app: you write by replying to an email or in a web browser.
- Free accounts get a prompt only every other Sunday; daily prompts, photos, search, the calendar view and the web editor need PRO.
- Entries are not end-to-end encrypted: the privacy policy notes that email content passes through email providers in transit.
- Entries an AI assistant reads through the connector are sent to that assistant's provider for processing.
Penzu
- There is no desktop app: on a computer Penzu runs in a web browser, with apps for iOS and Android only.
- Encryption locking, entry tagging, PDF export and writing prompts require Penzu Pro.
- Versions with entry recovery and the fullscreen zen-mode are limited to Pro+.
- The App Store listing shows English as the only supported language.
Key features
Dabble Me
- Journaling by email reply
- A prompt arrives in your inbox and your reply becomes that day's entry. Several replies on one day are added to the same entry, and a date in the subject line files it elsewhere.
- Blasts from the past
- Each prompt email carries an entry you wrote on an earlier date, so old entries come back without you looking for them. This is part of the free plan.
- Custom schedule
- PRO members choose the days and times prompts arrive, from daily to weekly. Free accounts get a prompt every other Sunday.
- Photos, hashtags and search
- PRO adds up to 8 photos per entry, sent as email attachments or added on the web, plus a calendar view and search across entries and #hashtags.
- Web editor and importers
- PRO members can write or edit an entry for any date on the website with rich text, and import journals from OhLife, Day One, Ahhlife and Trailmix.life.
- AI connector over MCP
- A remote MCP server lets Claude, ChatGPT and other compatible clients search, list, analyze and add entries after you approve access. It needs PRO and a passkey or two-factor login.
Penzu
- Unlimited entries with autosave
- Every plan, including the free one, allows unlimited entries, and Penzu saves as you type on a computer or in the mobile apps.
- Custom journals
- Each journal and entry can have its own cover, background and fonts. Basic includes a basic set; Pro adds custom covers, fonts and colors.
- Locks and encryption
- Journals and entries can be locked with a password, and the mobile app with a PIN. Encryption locking is a Pro feature, and Pro+ lists military grade encryption locking.
- Reminders and look-backs
- Daily, weekly or custom reminders prompt you to write, and Penzu emails links to past entries so you can reread them later.
- Tags, search and prompts
- Journals can be searched to find past entries. Entry tagging and writing prompts are part of Penzu Pro.
- Penzu Post, PDF export and versions
- Pro adds writing to a journal by email (Penzu Post) and PDF export. Pro+ adds versions and entry recovery plus a fullscreen zen-mode.
Plans
Dabble Me
Free$0
An email prompt every other Sunday, entries written by email reply and read online, past entries resurfaced, and export at any time.
PRO$4
per month, or $40 per year
Custom email schedule, web editor with rich text, up to 8 photos per entry, calendar view, search, tags, analytics and the AI connector.
Penzu
Basic$0
Unlimited entries, mobile apps, basic journal covers and fonts, and simple writing reminders.
Penzu Pro$19.99
per year, or $4.99 per month
Adds encryption locking, custom covers, fonts and colors, entry tagging, PDF export, writing prompts and writing by email (Penzu Post).
Penzu Pro+$49.99
per year, or $9.99 per month
Everything in Pro, plus premium handwritten fonts, fullscreen zen-mode, versions and entry recovery, and premium support.
Penzu Pro+ Lifetime$199.99
one-time payment
Everything in Pro+ for a single payment with no renewal, plus 24-hour support.
Ways to pay less
Dabble Me
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
PRO is listed at $4 a month or $40 a year, so paying yearly costs $8 less than twelve monthly payments, a saving of about 17%.
Penzu
- Annual discount
Up to 66% off with yearly billing
Penzu's Pro page labels yearly billing as 66% cheaper: Pro is $19.99 a year against $4.99 a month, and Pro+ is $49.99 a year against $9.99 a month.
- Lifetime license
Penzu Pro+ Lifetime for $199.99
A one-time payment of $199.99 buys the Pro+ feature set with no renewal, as listed on Penzu's Pro page.
