Comparison

Reflection vs By Then

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

Head to head
About

Reflection

This AI-powered journal provides personalized coaching and insights based on your daily entries. It allows you to write, speak, or scan your thoughts, and then ask your journal questions to gain deeper self-understanding. Track your growth with mood insights and reviews.

Highlights
  • AI Coach replies to entries
  • Ask your journal questions
  • Voice journaling with transcription
  • Scan handwritten pages
  • Mood and emotion insights
  • 100+ guided journals and prompts
  • Private and encrypted entries
Features
Read full description

Reflection is a journal that writes back. Write or speak about your day, and Reflection's AI Coach replies right inside your entry with a question that helps you go a layer deeper. Over time your journal becomes something you can ask: what has been weighing on you, what brings you joy, how your mood has shifted since spring. NEW IN REFLECTION 7 A complete redesign. The journal is calmer and more spacious, with nine color themes, a rebuilt Coach, one + button for everything you add to an entry, and Focus Mode for longer sessions. It's faster, too. A COACH IN EVERY ENTRY • Instant Chat: press Enter and the Coach replies on the next line. • Go Deeper, Get Perspective, Coach Me and Action Items when you want more. • Voice Call (Premium): talk it through out loud. When you hang up, the conversation is written into your entry. ASK YOUR JOURNAL ANYTHING Search by meaning, not only by keyword. Ask "What have I been grateful for lately?" and get an answer drawn from your own entries, with the dates you wrote them. WRITE, SPEAK OR SCAN • Voice journaling with accurate transcription • Scan a handwritten page into text • Add photos, and catch up on missed days from your camera roll • Templates and daily prompts for when you don't know where to start SEE HOW YOU'RE GROWING Mood and emotion insights, writing streaks, and weekly, monthly and annual reviews that show where your head has been. 100+ GUIDED JOURNALS AND PROMPTS Gratitude, anxiety, self-care, shadow work, relationships, work and more, including multi-day programs like the 14-day Reflect & Reset. A fresh prompt is waiting on your Today page each morning. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Your entries are encrypted • Lock the app with Face ID or a PIN, and keep single entries private • Your entries are never used to train AI models • Turn AI off entirely, or exclude any entry from it • Export your journal as PDF, CSV or JSON whenever you like EVERYWHERE YOU WRITE iPhone, iPad, Mac and the web, all in sync. "This app manages to do what many others in this category don't: make AI features that actually feel useful." (App Store review, July 2026) FREE TO START Journal for free, with AI Coach replies each day and insights after every entry. Reflection Premium adds unlimited AI and voice, Voice Call, all 100+ guides, all nine themes, App Lock, export and unlimited sync. Reflection is a tool for self-reflection. It is not a substitute for professional mental health care. Questions or feedback: hello@reflection.app Terms: https://www.reflection.app/tos Privacy: https://www.reflection.app/pp

About

By Then

Features
Read full description

A weight gain/loss calculator for people who have weight goals they want to achieve. If you need to gain weight or lose weight, By Then will tell you what you need to do to achieve that goal. Simply enter your current weight and target weight, and then either a weekly weight change you can commit to or a target date, and By Then will calculate the rest. The widgets allow you to perform the calculations right on your Home Screen for added convenience. A one-off purchase unlocks the weekly weight-change projections view and a number of themes to personalise the app. Simple, focused, to the point; you'll know where you need to be, By Then.

Screenshots

Reflection4 screens
By Then4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Reflection at every 3 weeks against By Then's every 6 months. Reflection also leads on device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.5). On price, 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. Reflection sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and By Then sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Reflection ships an update every 3 weeks, By Then every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Reflection versus By Then: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReflectionBy Then
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.1K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews90.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.1K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size121 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJournal Better Inc.Michael Lysons

Bugs and requests

Reflection

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Keyboard covering screen on smaller devices
  • Inability to delete or edit entries

Requested features

3 requests
  • More customization options (fonts, themes, etc.)
  • Handwriting/Apple Pencil support
  • Improved web/desktop app experience

By Then

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Reflection

Subscriptions6
  • Premium (Monthly)7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Premium (Monthly)$8.001 Month
  • Launch Special (Annual)7 Days trial$35.991 Year
Show 3 more
  • Premium (Annual)7 Days trial2 variants$47.991 Year
  • Premium (Annual)1 Month trial$47.991 Year
  • Premium (Annual)7 Days trial$69.001 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime Premium Special$124.99
  • Premium (Lifetime)$249.99
1 purchases

By Then

One-time1
  • Unlock all features$5.00

Questions

Is Reflection free?
Reflection is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is By Then free?
By Then is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Reflection or By Then have ads?
Neither Reflection nor By Then shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Reflection or By Then?
Reflection ships an update every 3 weeks, and By Then every 6 months. Most recently, Reflection was updated on November 7, 2026 and By Then on October 30, 2026.

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