Journey vs Waffle

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

Waffle

• Couples, including long-distance ones, who want a shared daily check-in
• Families and friend groups who like answering a question together
• Therapy clients sharing day-to-day notes with a therapist between sessions

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.

Waffle

• Phone only: the FAQ says laptops are not supported, and the App Store listing is for iPhone.
• The free plan has no photos, video, voice notes, comments, read receipts, search or PDF export.
• A journal's creator cannot remove a member; the FAQ says members have to leave on their own.
• Plus prices are not on the website. The App Store lists ten purchases, and only the weekly and monthly ones name a billing period.

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.

Waffle

Shared journals

A journal is shared through an invite code, and every member writes entries the others can read. There is no limit on journals or members, and a journal can also be kept solo.

Daily Waffle questions

Each journal gets a daily question from decks matched to its preset, such as Partner, Family members or Friends. Basic decks are free and personalized decks need Plus.

Waffle AI prompts

Waffle AI uses a journal's relationship type and its entries to suggest more personal prompts. An 'AI Questions Only' mode is part of Plus.

Photos, video and voice notes

Entries can carry photos, a video or a recorded voice note. All three attachment types are locked on the free plan and included in Waffle Plus.

Comments and read receipts

Plus journals let members comment on each other's entries and see who has read an entry. Neither is available on the free plan.

Search and PDF export

Plus adds search across entries and export of a journal as a printable PDF. Journal settings also include a local backup option on the device.

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.

Waffle

• Free$0

  Unlimited journals, entries and members, with basic journal covers and basic question decks.

• Waffle Plus$9.99 to $199.99

  billing period not shown for most App Store purchases

  Photos, video, voice notes, comments, search and PDF export. The US App Store lists Waffle Weekly at $9.99, Waffle Monthly Plus at $14.99 and others from $39.99 to $199.99.

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.

Waffle

• Other savings

  One subscription upgrades the whole journal

  Only one member of a journal needs Waffle Plus for everyone in that journal to get the Plus features, according to the FAQ.

• Other savings

  Discounts for licensed therapists

  The FAQ says Waffle offers discounts to licensed therapists who use the app with clients. The terms are given on request.

• Other savings

  Bulk discounts for teams

  The FAQ says discounts are available for bulk purchases by companies and organizations. Pricing is given on request.