# Prompted Journal vs Refocus Now

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Prompted Journal at 6.9K against Refocus Now's 6. Refocus Now's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 16.4). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Prompted Journal sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Refocus Now sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per year. 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 Prompted Journal against 4.8 for Refocus Now. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Prompted Journal has 6.9K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 95% of Prompted Journal's written reviews are positive against 100% of Refocus Now's.

Prompted Journal ships an update every 2 months, Refocus Now every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Prompted Journal | Refocus Now |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (6.9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/prompted-journal-shadow-work/id1208362996/reviews) | **[4.8 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refocus-now/id6448847485/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **6.9K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 94.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 6 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 71 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | **13.4** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Oatmeal Apps](https://appshunter.io/developer/1633130995) | [REFOCUS APP LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1686573893) |

## What reviewers say

### Prompted Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/prompted-journal-shadow-work/id1208362996)

This app provides a guided journaling experience with over 190 prompts and "Dive Deeper" questions to encourage self-reflection and personal growth. It helps users establish a consistent self-care routine through daily reminders and offers privacy with no data storage required.

**Highlights:** 190+ journal prompts, "Dive Deeper" questions, Daily reminders, PDF export, Custom prompt creation, Private journaling

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Prompted Journal Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Monthly | $6.99 | per month |
| Premium | $11.99 | per year |
| Yearly | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 💖 Great for self-reflection
- 🔒 No ads or data collection
- 👍 Simple and user-friendly interface
- 🤗 Helpful and thought-provoking prompts
- 🌟 Aesthetically pleasing design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Issues with editing/deleting past entries
- 🔍 Lack of search/filter functionality
- 📱 Compatibility issues on larger screens
- 🔁 Repetitive prompts

**Reported bugs**

- Entries disappearing or being lost
- Blank screens when opening the app

**Requested features**

- Ability to add custom prompts
- Option to password protect entries
- Exporting/printing journal entries
- More variety in prompt types


### Refocus Now

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/refocus-now/id6448847485)

This app offers biblically and clinically based mental health and mindfulness exercises. It provides guided meditations, affirmations, and journaling prompts to help users process emotions and improve their well-being. It's designed as a supplement to therapy for personal emotional health.

**Highlights:** Biblically based meditations, Therapeutic exercises for grief, identity, relationships, trauma, Guided prayer and affirmations, Daily meditations under 10 minutes, Journaling for emotional processing, Self-guided education and visualizations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Annual Premium Subscription | $0.99 | per year |
| Monthly Premium Subscription | $1.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Prompted Journal free?

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

### Is Refocus Now free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Prompted Journal or Refocus Now?

Refocus Now is rated higher. Prompted Journal averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6.9K ratings, while Refocus Now averages 4.8 from 6 ratings.

### Do Prompted Journal or Refocus Now have ads?

Neither Prompted Journal nor Refocus Now shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Prompted Journal or Refocus Now?

Prompted Journal ships an update every 2 months, and Refocus Now every 6 weeks. Most recently, Prompted Journal was updated on October 18, 2026 and Refocus Now on October 1, 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.*