Comparison

Meross vs Journelly

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Meross

Control and manage a wide range of smart home devices remotely. Set schedules, create custom scenes, and integrate with voice assistants for automated control. Access troubleshooting guides, firmware updates, and community forums for support.

Highlights
  • Remote device control
  • Custom schedules and scenes
  • Voice assistant integration
  • Firmware updates
  • In-app hardware guides
  • Consumer forum
Features
Read full description

Meross app can help you set up and manage smart WiFi bulb, plug, switch, garage door opener, thermostat, air purifier, sensor, humidifier and so on. Meross app offers you special value that other platform apps can not offer such as in-app hardware guide and troubleshooting, in-app setup guide and dedicated troubleshooting, firmware update, cloud service maintenance notice, digital user manual, consumer forum, and new product release information. With Meross app, you can 1. Turn on and off your devices remotely from anywhere with internet. 2. Set schedules and scenes for your devices so that they can run automatically as you wish. 3. Link your devices to your voice assistant platform. 4. Check and update your devices to the latest firmware. 5. Share great product experience with others and discuss about how to use products in Forum. 6. Find information about special offer and new product release. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Journelly

Capture thoughts, ideas, and memories in a private, offline-first digital journal. This app offers a familiar feed-like interface for quick notes, checklists, and more, with robust organization and markup support.

Highlights
  • Offline-first privacy
  • Familiar feed interface
  • Add images, links, and location
  • Markdown and Org markup support
  • Search and organize with hashtags
  • 14-day text snapshots for version history
  • Optional iCloud sync
Currently charting
Read full description

Take notes and journal privately — Offline by default. No account needed. Journelly gives you a familiar feed for quick notes, ideas, recipes, checklists, music, links, journal entries... Everything's offline, for your eyes only. Why you’ll love Journelly: - Feels like posting to a private feed — simple and fast - Local-first privacy: everything is offline by default - No accounts, logins, tracking, or ads — just open and write - Add images, links, checklists, tags, location, and weather - Search, organize, and find your moments with hashtags - Markdown and Org markup support: future-proof, no vendor lock-in - Restore earlier versions anytime from 14-day text snapshots - Optional iCloud sync across devices Journelly is frictionless, future-proof, and private. Try it for quick notes or journaling — no clutter, no compromises.

Screenshots

Meross4 screens
Journelly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Meross at Free against Journelly's $14.99. Meross also leads on ratings volume (7.9K vs 79) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). Journelly's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Meross is free to download; Journelly costs $14.99 up front. Meross sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Journelly asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Journelly holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Meross has 7.9K ratings behind it against 79, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 77% of Meross's written reviews are positive against 97% of Journelly's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Meross ships an update every 2 weeks, Journelly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Meross versus Journelly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMerossJournelly
PriceFree — better$14.99
Rating4.6 (7.9K ratings)4.9 (79 ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.3% of reviews97.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.9K — better79
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank—#187 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size228 MB13 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperChengdu Meross Technology Co.,Ltd.Xenodium Ltd.

Customer experience

Meross

All ratings7,910 ratings
Positive89.6%
Neutral2.7%
Negative7.6%
Written reviews1,609 reviews
Positive77.3%
Neutral6.0%
Negative16.7%

Journelly

All ratings79 ratings
Positive96.2%
Neutral2.5%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive97.0%
Neutral1.5%
Negative1.5%

User reviews

Meross

From 7.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use app
  • 🚀 Reliable and stable performance
  • 💡 Useful features like power consumption monitoring
  • 🔒 Secure and private
  • 🔌 Seamless integration with smart home platforms

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional connectivity issues and device disconnections
  • 🔧 Setup can be tricky at times
  • 📱 Limited customization options in the app
  • 🕰️ Routines and scheduling could be more flexible

Journelly

From 79 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent design and thinking
  • 👍 Effective, simple, and a pleasure to use
  • 👍 Just what I was looking for
  • 👍 Perfect. Clean, crisp, and Org mode!
  • 👍 Very well done

Bugs and requests

Meross

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Unreliable garage door status reporting
  • Compatibility issues with iOS 16 updates
  • Inconsistent device discovery and pairing

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for more smart home platforms
  • Improve app interface and allow for more customization
  • Enhance scheduling and automation features
  • Provide more detailed energy consumption reporting

Journelly

Requested features

2 requests
  • Markdown support for formatting text
  • Concern about long term scalability of an Orgmode file

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Meross

Subscriptions6
  • 10 SMS for a month$0.991 Month
  • 优惠测试-月$1.991 Month
  • 优惠测试-年$1.991 Year
Show 3 more
  • 优惠测试-周$1.997 Days
  • 30 SMS for a month1 Month trial$2.491 Month
  • 100 SMS for a month$6.991 Month
One-time2
  • 30 SMS$3.49
  • 100 SMS$9.99
None

Journelly

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Meross free?
Meross is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Journelly free?
Journelly costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Meross or Journelly?
Journelly is rated higher. Meross averages 4.6 out of 5 from 7.9K ratings, while Journelly averages 4.9 from 79 ratings.
Do Meross or Journelly have ads?
Neither Meross nor Journelly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Meross or Journelly?
Meross ships an update every 2 weeks, and Journelly every 3 weeks. Most recently, Meross was updated on November 2, 2026 and Journelly on October 31, 2026.

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