# Thinky vs Guided Journaling

The clearest difference is ads: Guided Journaling at none against Thinky's shown. Guided Journaling also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 84%). Thinky's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and ratings volume (89 vs 5). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Thinky sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Guided Journaling sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Thinky holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thinky has 89 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 84% of Thinky's written reviews are positive against 100% of Guided Journaling's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Thinky | Guided Journaling |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (89 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thinky-mindful-journal/id1484067196/reviews)** | [4.4 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guided-journaling-doentry/id1524463587/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **89** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 84.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 49 MB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thinky Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1484067195) | [Dominik Gyecsek](https://appshunter.io/developer/1447946653) |

## What reviewers say

### Thinky

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thinky-mindful-journal/id1484067196)

This app offers a secure and simple way to journal your thoughts and feelings. It automatically classifies your mood, provides writing prompts, and allows for cloud backup. Track your emotional patterns with visual graphs and set reminders to build a consistent journaling habit.

**Highlights:** Automatic mood classification, End-to-end encryption, Writing prompts, Cloud backup and sync, Photo attachments, Daily reminders, Visual mood graph

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Coffee-sized tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Sandwich-sized tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Pizza-sized tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| A very generous tip | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- ✨ Visually appealing design
- 🧠 Helps with self-reflection
- 🔒 Passcode protection available
- 💡 Tracks moods effectively

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📝 Strict word limit (250 characters)
- 🤔 Difficulty navigating to past dates
- 📱 No iPad specific version
- 🔔 Reminders not always working
- ❓ Privacy key issues preventing login

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when navigating to past dates
- Privacy key not working for login
- Wind down and bedtime alerts not working

**Requested features**

- Increase word limit
- Ability to export entries
- Tagging entries for search
- Add a return button for new lines
- Bullet points feature


### Guided Journaling

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guided-journaling-doentry/id1524463587)

This app helps you reflect on your life, form habits, and reduce stress through personalized guided journaling. Analyze trends with over 60 charts, manage tags, and set goals with reminders. Secure your data with on-device encryption and cloud sync.

**Highlights:** Personalized guided journals, Habit formation and goal setting, Mood and activity tracking, Data analysis with 60+ charts, On-device encryption and secure backup, Export data in multiple formats

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| DoEntry Monthly Plan | $1.49 | per month |
| Doentry Pro Lifetime | $40.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Thinky free?

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

### Is Guided Journaling free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Thinky or Guided Journaling?

Thinky is rated higher. Thinky averages 4.7 out of 5 from 89 ratings, while Guided Journaling averages 4.4 from 5 ratings.

### Do Thinky or Guided Journaling have ads?

Thinky shows ads; Guided Journaling does not.

### Which is updated more often, Thinky or Guided Journaling?

Thinky ships an update every 2 weeks, and Guided Journaling every 2 weeks. Most recently, Thinky was updated on September 28, 2026 and Guided Journaling on September 30, 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.*