# Daylio Journal vs HRV

The clearest difference is monetization model: HRV at free against Daylio Journal's free with in-app purchases. HRV also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 92%). Daylio Journal's advantage is ratings volume (62K vs 4) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Daylio Journal sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and HRV sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Daylio Journal against 4.8 for HRV. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Daylio Journal has 62K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Daylio Journal's written reviews are positive against 100% of HRV's.

Daylio Journal ships an update every 9 days, HRV every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Daylio Journal | HRV |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (62K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daylio-journal-mood-tracker/id1194023242/reviews) | [4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hrv-tracker/id6746576506/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **62K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 91.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#169** | — |
| Size | 215 MB | 13 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Relaxio s.r.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1194023241) | [Philippe Gerin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1817452297) |

## What reviewers say

### Daylio Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daylio-journal-mood-tracker/id1194023242)

**Currently charting:** #169 Top Grossing · Lifestyle (US App Store)

This app helps you track your moods and activities to understand your well-being. It offers a private micro-diary experience without requiring extensive typing, allowing you to identify happiness triggers and build positive habits.

**Highlights:** Mood tracking with icons and emojis, Activity logging, Private journaling without typing, Statistics and charts for habit analysis, Goal setting and habit building, Customizable themes and dark mode, Secure data backup and PIN lock

**Features:** Family Sharing, iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Daylio Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Daylio Premium | $4.99 | per month |
| Daylio Premium | $17.99 | per year |
| Daylio Premium | $17.99 | per year |
| Daylio Premium | $23.99 | per year |
| Daylio Premium | $35.99 | per year |
| PREMIUM | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Customizable moods and activities
- 📊 Helpful statistics and analytics
- 🗓️ Consistent daily logging
- 💡 Motivating goal-setting features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Backup feature locked behind premium
- 🔍 Limited mood/activity options in free version
- 📱 No Apple Watch app
- 🧠 Difficulty tracking mood changes throughout the day

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional app freezing and notification issues
- Difficulty restoring data after device change

**Requested features**

- Add ability to log voice recordings
- Implement color-coding for activity groups
- Allow syncing across multiple devices
- Provide more detailed mood/emotion tracking options
- Add option to schedule future activities


### HRV

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hrv-tracker/id6746576506)

This app analyzes heart rate variability from Apple Health and Apple Watch to provide actionable insights into your daily stress, energy levels, sleep quality, and recovery. It uses scientific visualizations and dual HRV metrics to help you understand your autonomic nervous system activity.

**Highlights:** Dual HRV metrics (SDNN + RMSSD), All-day stress curve, Energy (Body Resources) reserve tracking, Nightly Sleep Score, Personalized Recovery score, Interactive trend charts, Apple Watch complications

**Features:** Apple Watch app

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bronze Supporter | $1.99 | one-time |
| Bronze Supporter Tier | $1.99 | one-time |
| Silver Supporter | $4.99 | one-time |
| Gold Supporter | $11.99 | one-time |
| Platinum Supporter | $44.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Daylio Journal free?

Daylio Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is HRV free?

HRV is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Daylio Journal or HRV?

Daylio Journal and HRV are both rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store, from 62K and 4 ratings respectively.

### Do Daylio Journal or HRV have ads?

Neither Daylio Journal nor HRV shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Daylio Journal or HRV?

Daylio Journal ships an update every 9 days, and HRV every 6 weeks. Most recently, Daylio Journal was updated on September 26, 2026 and HRV on September 21, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*