Comparison

Private Journal & Diary vs Tonic Widget

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

Head to head
About

Private Journal & Diary

This app provides a secure and private space for daily journaling and mood tracking. Its simple design focuses on your entries, with no login or ads required. Enhance your well-being by reflecting on your days and emotions.

Highlights
  • Secure and private storage
  • No login or account required
  • Ad-free experience
  • Face ID/Touch ID lock
  • Simple and intuitive design
  • Accessibility support
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 will remember what your days were really like. 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 stores your entries on your device and in your private iCloud, with no Punkt account and no Punkt servers. You can also lock your stories with Face ID or Touch ID, for free. * NO LOGIN, NO ADS * Punkt works without an account. The app is focused on simplicity and privacy. There is no login, no ads, no Facebook or Google SDKs and no servers for your entries. Your journal stays truly private. * 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 a login. --------------- 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

About

Tonic Widget

Features
Read full description

Track what really matters for your health. Tonic helps you balance your daily essentials, like nutrition, sunlight, movement, and activities, through a simple interface and beautiful widgets. Each habit updates automatically as you log your activities, so you can see your week’s progress at a glance. Features: - Build your ideal daily routine - Multiple smart widgets that adapt to time and day - Visual progress tracking for your daily essentials - Minimal, calm design - See your progress over the last week at a glance, or highlights over the past 30 days or all time - Own it forever: No subscriptions or data collections. All future updates are included with a one-time purchase. Focus on your essentials and build better habits, one day at a time.

Screenshots

Private Journal & Diary4 screens
Tonic Widget4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Private Journal & Diary at Free against Tonic Widget's $1.99. Private Journal & Diary also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). Tonic Widget's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6). On ads and device support 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

Private Journal & Diary is free to download; Tonic Widget costs $1.99 up front. Private Journal & Diary sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Tonic Widget asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Private Journal & Diary ships an update every 4 days, Tonic Widget monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Private Journal & Diary versus Tonic Widget: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPrivate Journal & DiaryTonic Widget
PriceFree — better$1.99
Rating4.7 (544 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews85.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings544 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGregor PichlerCecile Lebleu

Bugs and requests

Private Journal & Diary

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

Tonic Widget

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Private Journal & Diary

Subscriptions4
  • Punkt Premium Monthly$1.491 Month
  • Punkt Premium Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Punkt Premium Monthly$2.991 Month
Show 1 more
  • Punkt Premium Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
One-time2
  • Punkt Premium Lifetime Special$19.99
  • Punkt Premium Lifetime$59.99
None

Tonic Widget

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Private Journal & Diary free?
Private Journal & Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tonic Widget free?
Tonic Widget costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Private Journal & Diary or Tonic Widget have ads?
Neither Private Journal & Diary nor Tonic Widget shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Private Journal & Diary or Tonic Widget?
Private Journal & Diary ships an update every 4 days, and Tonic Widget monthly. Most recently, Private Journal & Diary was updated on November 7, 2026 and Tonic Widget on October 30, 2026.

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