# Clearful vs Journal

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Journal at none against Clearful's 5. Journal also leads on ratings volume (342K vs 3.2K). Clearful's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Clearful sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Journal asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Clearful against 4.8 for Journal. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Journal has 342K ratings behind it against 3.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 85% of Clearful's written reviews are positive against 80% of Journal's.

Clearful ships an update every 2 weeks, Journal every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Clearful | Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (3.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clearful-journal-and-diary/id1513257639/reviews) | **[4.8 (342K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal/id6447391597/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 3.2K | **342K** |
| Positive reviews | **84.6% of reviews** | 79.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Size | 140 MB | 6 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.2 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Clearful Journal, Mindfulness Diary and Mental Health Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1513257638) | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) |

## What reviewers say

### Clearful

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clearful-journal-and-diary/id1513257639)

This app provides a secure and private space for personal growth and mental well-being. Capture thoughts, emotions, and experiences with rich text, photos, and audio, organized with powerful formatting tools. Rediscover past moments and build a consistent journaling habit with guided prompts and progress insights.

**Highlights:** Text, photo, and audio journaling, Rich text editor with 13+ formatting options, Moment rediscovery with time-based entry review, Encrypted and private with Face ID/Touch ID, Cross-device sync (iPhone, iPad, Mac, Web), Extensive library of guided journal prompts, Habit building with streaks and reminders

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Journal & Diary - Pro Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Journal & Diary - Pro Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Clearful Pro: Journal & Diary | $59.99 | per year |
| Journal & Diary - Pro Yearly | $59.99 | per year |
| Journal & Diary - Pro Yearly | $89.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 📝 Helpful writing prompts
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 🗓️ Useful for daily journaling
- 💭 Promotes self-reflection

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔓 Lack of offline access
- 🖼️ Limited free features (e.g. no image uploads)
- 🤖 Aggressive upselling of paid version

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes or freezes
- Syncing issues across devices
- Password/login problems

**Requested features**

- Ability to customize text color and font
- Integration with music or ambient sounds
- Offline journaling capabilities
- More free templates and prompts
- Improved accessibility features


### Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal/id6447391597)

Capture and reflect on life's moments with rich media like photos, videos, and audio. Intelligent suggestions and prompts help you start writing, while multiple journals and goal tracking support a consistent practice. Sync across devices for seamless access.

**Highlights:** Journaling suggestions and prompts, Rich media attachments (photos, video, audio), Handwriting and sketching support, Multiple journal organization, Streaks and insights for habit tracking, Cross-device iCloud sync

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Journaling made easy
- 🔒 Private and secure
- 👍 Organized and intuitive
- 👍 Helpful suggestions and prompts
- 👍 Convenient voice recording

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Cursor jumps around while typing
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and freezes
- 🔍 Lack of search and filtering options
- 🔍 Inability to organize entries into folders or tags
- 🔍 Limited customization options for fonts, colors, etc.

**Reported bugs**

- Cursor jumping to top/bottom of entry while typing
- App freezing or crashing when adding multiple photos
- Inconsistent behavior when editing existing entries

**Requested features**

- Add search and filtering capabilities
- Implement tagging and folder organization
- Provide more customization options
- Expand to iPad and Mac platforms
- Integrate with Health app for mood tracking


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Clearful free?

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

### Is Journal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Clearful or Journal?

Journal is rated higher. Clearful averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.2K ratings, while Journal averages 4.8 from 342K ratings.

### Do Clearful or Journal have ads?

Neither Clearful nor Journal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Clearful or Journal?

Clearful ships an update every 2 weeks, and Journal every 3 months. Most recently, Clearful was updated on November 11, 2026 and Journal on November 12, 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.*