# Mood vs Private Journal

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mood at none against Private Journal's 6. Private Journal's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (542 vs 12). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Private Journal sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Mood asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Mood against 4.7 for Private Journal. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Private Journal has 542 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Mood's written reviews are positive against 85% of Private Journal's.

Mood ships an update every 3 months, Private Journal weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mood | Private Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (12 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mood-self-development/id1484307445/reviews)** | [4.7 (542 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-journal-punkt/id1507575828/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 12 | **542** |
| Positive reviews | **92.0% of reviews** | 85.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Ad-supported** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 68 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.6** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FizzUp](https://appshunter.io/developer/585641634) | [Gregor Pichler](https://appshunter.io/developer/949814417) |

## What reviewers say

### Mood

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mood-self-development/id1484307445)

This app helps you understand your emotions by tracking your mood and identifying underlying feelings and needs. It offers guided analysis of situations, providing relief and suggesting new life strategies for improved well-being and joy.

**Highlights:** Guided mood tracking, Identify feelings and needs, Written or spoken situation analysis, Discover hidden needs, Develop new life strategies, Track mood statistics and history

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Private Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/private-journal-punkt/id1507575828)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Punkt Premium Monthly | $1.49 | per month |
| Punkt Premium Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Punkt Premium Monthly | $3.49 | per month |
| Punkt Premium Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Punkt Premium Lifetime Special | $19.99 | one-time |
| Punkt Premium Lifetime | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 🚀 Intuitive interface
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 💡 Helpful for journaling habit
- 👍 Minimalist design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or data loss
- 🔒 Lack of password/biometric options
- 💡 Limited customization options
- 💡 Desire for more features (video, multiple photos, etc.)

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mood free?

Mood is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Private Journal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Mood or Private Journal?

Mood is rated higher. Mood averages 4.8 out of 5 from 12 ratings, while Private Journal averages 4.7 from 542 ratings.

### Do Mood or Private Journal have ads?

Neither Mood nor Private Journal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mood or Private Journal?

Mood ships an update every 3 months, and Private Journal weekly. Most recently, Mood was updated on September 21, 2026 and Private Journal on September 26, 2026.

---

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