Comparison

Sunset Micro Journal vs Private Journal

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

Head to head
About

Sunset Micro Journal

Capture your thoughts quickly with a micro journal. Express emotions using animations, create custom templates, and organize entries with drag-and-drop sections. Personalize your journal and keep entries private with passcode or biometric locks.

Highlights
  • Quick bullet point entries
  • Mood animations
  • Customizable templates
  • Drag-and-drop organization
  • Personalized journal themes
  • Passcode and biometric lock
Read full description

Sunset is a micro journal that helps you capture your thoughts and stay organized. FEATURES Write Quick Bullet Points - Write quick entries anytime, anywhere Express Your Emotions - Use happy and sad animations to express your moods and feelings Create Templates - Write entries fast with your own templates Organize Your Entries - Put your entries into sections and subsections by drag-and-drop Create Your Own Journal - Customize your journal with your favorite colors, prompts, etc Write In Private - Lock your private entries with passcode, TouchID or FaceID * The duration of every period of Monthly Subscription is 1 month. The duration of every period of Yearly Subscription is 1 year. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Terms of Use: http://sunsetmicrojournal.com/terms.html

About

Private Journal

This app offers a secure and private journaling experience with a simple, user-friendly design. It focuses on helping users track their moods and daily experiences to foster happiness and positivity. All data is stored locally or in private iCloud, with no ads or logins required.

Highlights
  • Simple and intuitive design
  • Secure local and iCloud storage
  • Face ID/Touch ID protection
  • No login or ads
  • Supports accessibility features
  • Fair and transparent pricing
Features
Read full description

Punkt is the German word for punctuation mark. Punkt makes journaling secure, private, easy and fun. But the best of starting a journal now is that you become a happier person. Here's what makes Punkt special: * EASY TO USE * Punkt's focus is on a simple design. Your stories are the most important part of the app, so why should we distract you with any other complicated stuff? * SECURE AND PRIVATE * Punkt saves your stories on your local device and in your private iCloud. No one but you can read your stories. You can also protect your stories with Face ID or Touch ID. * NO LOGIN, NO ADS * Punkt works without sharing any personally identifiable information. The app is focused on simplicity and privacy. There is no login, no Facebook or Google SDKs, no analytics tracking, no server connection. Everything you do in Punkt is truly private and secure. * ACCESSIBILITY * Punkt supports dynamic type, voice-over and voice control. It is designed to be used by everyone. I would welcome any feedback regarding accessibility as this is truly important to me. * FAIR PRICING * Punkt is developed just by one developer, therefore I want to make really fair and transparent pricing. If Punkt makes you just a little bit happier, you can help to contribute that the app stays independent and does not need to display ads or require personal data. --------------- Why did I start building this app? I'm a startup founder myself and I've been through very rough but also hyper exciting and happy times. That's tough by itself, but if one of your loved ones is helpless in pain and suffers then your world stops spinning. Bad times in business and private life made me think about how I can get out of this and become more positive and happier in the end. I've researched a lot and came across the one-sentence journaling technique. Long story short, I've started tracking my days in a Google Sheet. With just a few clicks I could make myself smile again by reading stories about happy days. But also the other way round, looking at rough times makes you appreciate even more what you have in your life. Now I want to help other people with this app. If you have any feedback you can reach out at https://punktapp.me or gregor@punktapp.me ============ Should you choose to support the development of this app and unlock all premium features of Punkt, payments will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase. Your subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period and cancellation of the current active subscription period is not allowed. Auto-renewal may be turned off in your Account Settings in iTunes after purchase. You can read our privacy policy at https://punktapp.me/privacy-policy You can read our terms of use at https://punktapp.me/terms App Preview Music: www.bensound.com

Screenshots

Sunset Micro Journal4 screens
Private Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Private Journal at 85% against Sunset Micro Journal's 52%. Private Journal also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (544 vs 160). Sunset Micro Journal's advantage is iOS requirement (11.2 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. Sunset Micro Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Private Journal sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Private Journal holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 160 and 544 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 52% of Sunset Micro Journal's written reviews are positive against 85% of Private Journal's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sunset Micro Journal ships an update every 3 days, Private Journal weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Sunset Micro Journal versus Private Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSunset Micro JournalPrivate Journal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (160 ratings)4.7 (544 ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.0% of reviews85.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings160544 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 days — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.2 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWayDCGregor Pichler

Customer experience

Sunset Micro Journal

All ratings162 ratings
Positive85.8%
Neutral6.2%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive52.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative28.0%

Private Journal

All ratings542 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral3.9%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews254 reviews
Positive85.4%
Neutral5.9%
Negative8.7%

Bugs and requests

Sunset Micro Journal

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Private Journal

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes when exporting journal
  • Inconsistent behavior when writing late at night
  • Restore purchases not working on iPad

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add iPad and macOS app support
  • Allow editing of past entries
  • Expand mood/reason options
  • Provide more detailed analytics and data visualization
  • Add ability to change entry dates
Show 1 more
  • Implement iCloud/cloud sync support

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Sunset Micro Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly Subscription$1.991 Month
  • Pro Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$18.991 Year
6 purchases

Private Journal

Subscriptions4
  • Punkt Premium Monthly$1.491 Month
  • Punkt Premium Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Punkt Premium Monthly3 Days trial$3.491 Month
Show 1 more
  • Punkt Premium Yearly3 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time2
  • Punkt Premium Lifetime Special$19.99
  • Punkt Premium Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is Sunset Micro Journal free?
Sunset Micro Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Private Journal free?
Private Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Sunset Micro Journal or Private Journal?
Private Journal is rated higher. Sunset Micro Journal averages 4.4 out of 5 from 160 ratings, while Private Journal averages 4.7 from 544 ratings.
Do Sunset Micro Journal or Private Journal have ads?
Neither Sunset Micro Journal nor Private Journal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sunset Micro Journal or Private Journal?
Sunset Micro Journal ships an update every 3 days, and Private Journal weekly. Most recently, Sunset Micro Journal was updated on October 21, 2026 and Private Journal on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons