Comparison

Reflection vs Dreamside

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

Head to head
About

Reflection

This app combines a beautiful writing experience with AI to help you gain clarity and unlock your potential. It offers personalized guidance, advanced search capabilities, and over 100 guided programs for various aspects of personal growth. You can also use voice-to-text to capture your thoughts effortlessly.

Highlights
  • AI-powered personalized guidance
  • Advanced journal search and insights
  • 100+ guided journaling programs
  • Voice-to-text journaling
  • Private and secure entries
  • Custom templates and tags
  • Cross-device syncing
Features
Read full description

Your favorite journal, now with superpowers. Reflection is your private AI companion that helps you go deeper, find clarity, and unlock your potential. It combines a beautiful writing experience with powerful AI to turn your thoughts and feelings into a roadmap for personal growth. GET CLARITY WITH A COACH Get personalized guidance and questions that help you go deeper in real time as you write. ASK YOUR JOURNAL ANYTHING Go beyond simple keyword search to ask your journal anything, uncover hidden patterns, and synthesize your thoughts into clear insights. 100+ GUIDED PROGRAMS Never face a blank page again. Explore expert-led guides for anxiety, self-care, gratitude, growth, shadow work, relationships, and more. SPEAK & REFLECT Effortlessly transform your spoken thoughts into written entries with our advanced voice-to-text technology, making your journaling more accessible and free-flowing. // "The best app for journaling…and I've tried many. Reflection is a simple tool with all features I need, without clutter. Looking for essentials in beautiful design? Look no further. I use it daily to jot thoughts, dive deeper with Guides or Prompts. Love the intuitive design and insights. I'm very picky about apps—thank you for such a good tool for mindful journaling." // - Nicolina A SAFE SPACE FOR YOUR THOUGHTS • Private & Secure: Lock your diary with FaceID, TouchID, or PIN. Your entries are encrypted and accessible only to you. • Capture Life Your Way: Write, speak, and add photos to your entries in our beautiful, minimalist editor. • Syncs Everywhere: Your journal is always with you, seamlessly synced across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. TOOLS FOR A BETTER YOU • Custom Templates & Tags: Structure your writing for monthly reflections, gratitude lists, and more. • Track Your Journey: See your writing streak and stats at a glance to stay motivated. • Look Back & Grow: Revisit your memories with weekly, monthly, and annual reviews of your wellness journey. • Easy Import & Export: You own your data. Always. Import from other apps or export your entries in CSV/JSON at any time. MISSION-DRIVEN & DESIGNED WITH LOVE Our goal is to make the mental health benefits of journaling both accessible and delightful. We are passionate about what we’re building and are here for you, today and always. Ready to meet your future self? Download Reflection and start your journey today. GET IN TOUCH Questions or feedback? Contact: hello@reflection.app Read our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy: https://www.reflection.app/tos

About

Dreamside

Capture your dreams in a journal, transform them into AI art, and gain insights into your sleep patterns. Build personalized bedtime routines to improve your sleep quality.

Highlights
  • Dream journaling
  • AI dream artwork generation
  • Sleep data analysis
  • Bedtime routine builder
  • Apple Health integration
  • Dream history browsing
Read full description

Dreamside is your personal sleep and dream companion — a beautiful journal for capturing dreams, building bedtime routines, and discovering what your sleep patterns reveal. DREAM JOURNAL Log your dreams each morning while the details are fresh. Record the narrative, emotions, and vividness of each dream. Browse your entire dream history in the gallery. AI DREAM ARTWORK Turn your dreams into stunning watercolor paintings with one tap. Each image is uniquely generated from your dream's narrative by AI. SLEEP INSIGHTS Dreamside connects to Apple Health to pull your sleep data — duration, deep sleep, REM, HRV, heart rate, and wrist temperature. Its correlation engine reveals hidden patterns between your sleep quality and your dreams over time. BEDTIME ROUTINES Build a personalized wind-down routine with timed steps. Start a timer, track your streak, and build the habit of a consistent bedtime. FREE TO TRY Every account includes 5 AI images and 15 interpretations at no cost. Subscribe for more. DREAMER — $4.99/month 30 AI images · 500 interpretations per month LUCID DREAMER — $9.99/month 90 AI images · 1,500 interpretations per month Requires iPhone with iOS 17 or later. Sleep insights require Apple Watch or another Apple Health-compatible device. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://caseylester-dev.github.io/Dreamside/privacy

Screenshots

Reflection4 screens
Dreamside4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Reflection at 1.1K against Dreamside's 1. Reflection also leads on device support (4 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). Dreamside's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Dreamside sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dreamside holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Reflection has 1.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Reflection versus Dreamside: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReflectionDreamside
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.1K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews90.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.1K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size98 MB2 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperJournal Better Inc.Casey Lester

Customer experience

Reflection

All ratings1,098 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral4.1%
Negative2.0%
Written reviews576 reviews
Positive90.1%
Neutral5.4%
Negative4.5%

Dreamside

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Dreamside

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
2 purchases

Dreamside

Subscriptions2
  • Dreamer$4.991 Month
  • Lucid Dreamer$9.991 Month

Questions

Is Reflection free?
Reflection is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Dreamside free?
Dreamside is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Reflection or Dreamside?
Dreamside is rated higher. Reflection averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Dreamside averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Reflection or Dreamside have ads?
Neither Reflection nor Dreamside shows ads.

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