Comparison

Journal Mate vs RoomTrace

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

Head to head
About

Journal Mate

Organize your physical and digital documents, from handwritten notes and scattered papers to screenshots and PDFs. This app acts as a scanner, library, and manager, making it easy to store, search, and share your important information.

Highlights
  • Scan papers on the go
  • Save screenshots and PDFs
  • Recognize and interact with text
  • Import from Photos and Files apps
  • Share notebooks or pages
  • Automatic iCloud sync
  • Instant search by name
Read full description

Saved something important - but can’t remember where? Journal Mate keeps handwritten notes, receipts, scans, photos, screenshots, GIFs, videos, Live Photos, PDFs, saved locations, and web links together and organized - instead of scattered across Photos, chats, browsers, albums, and folders. CAPTURE IT WHILE IT MATTERS • Scan paper pages or capture several photos with the built-in camera, then review or retake them before saving • Import photos, screenshots, GIFs, videos, Live Photos, and PDFs • Scan QR codes, save websites as bookmark pages, play saved YouTube links inline, and save locations shared from Apple Maps or Google Maps as map bookmarks • Create blank pages for drawing and annotation KEEP THE CONTEXT • Keep related pages together in Stacks and group new imports automatically without changing their journal order • Search journals by title and notes, then manage content with filters, multi-select, and Spotlight • Reorder pages, move or copy them between journals, merge or duplicate journals, mark journals as favorites, pin important ones, and archive older ones • Edit photos, GIFs, Live Photos, and videos: crop, rotate, adjust, filter, pixelate or blur details, draw, and add text, emoji, or stickers - while preserving animation and motion USE IT WHEN YOU NEED IT • Share media files, create configurable PDFs from selected pages or complete journals, and export a restorable backup • Preview PDFs and adjust paper size, layout, margins, scaling, and pages per sheet • Save content to Journal Mate from other apps with the Share Extension • Sync your library through iCloud across your Apple devices • Work comfortably on iPad with a multi-column layout and easy navigation between your library, journals, and pages YOUR DATA, WITHOUT TRACKING Your library is stored on your devices and syncs through your iCloud account. Journal Mate does not use third-party ad SDKs or cross-app tracking. Journal Mate includes improvements to VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, contrast, and navigation, refreshed themes, and support for 85 languages. Your first 50 active pages are free. Pro removes the page limit and unlocks every color theme. Save it now. Find it later. Terms of Use: https://journalmate.app/en/legal/terms/

About

RoomTrace

Features
Read full description

RoomTrace helps you scan rooms and keep simple floor-plan projects on your device. Use it when you are planning a move, trying furniture layouts, documenting a renovation, or just want a quick room record you can share later. With a LiDAR-capable iPhone or iPad, RoomTrace uses Apple RoomPlan to capture room geometry. In version 1.1, you can collect several room scans in one floor project, switch between the floor overview and individual rooms, rename rooms, and export clearer multi-page PDFs. Features: - Scan rooms with Apple RoomPlan - Collect several rooms in one floor project - Review 2D floor plans, room names, measurements, and project details - Save projects locally on your device - Export PDF, JSON, DXF, and USDZ when available - Share exports with the standard iOS share sheet - Optional location access to prefill a building address Privacy/local-first: Room and project data is processed locally on your device. RoomTrace has no required login, no RoomTrace cloud, no ads, no tracking, and no app cookies. Data leaves the app only when you export or share it yourself, or when you use optional system services such as location for address prefilling. Important: Scanning requires a LiDAR-capable iPhone or iPad. Results depend on the room, lighting, and scan conditions. RoomTrace is intended for planning and documentation, not certified surveying.

Screenshots

Journal Mate4 screens
RoomTrace3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RoomTrace at none against Journal Mate's 2. RoomTrace also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). Journal Mate's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, 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

Both are free to download. Journal Mate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. RoomTrace asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Journal Mate ships an update every 2 weeks, RoomTrace every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Journal Mate versus RoomTrace: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJournal MateRoomTrace
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.018.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size189 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVitalii BahmetLars Oertel

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Journal Mate

Subscriptions2
  • Journal Mate Pro Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Journal Mate Pro Yearly$24.991 Year
None

RoomTrace

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Journal Mate free?
Journal Mate is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RoomTrace free?
RoomTrace is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Journal Mate or RoomTrace have ads?
Neither Journal Mate nor RoomTrace shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Journal Mate or RoomTrace?
Journal Mate ships an update every 2 weeks, and RoomTrace every 2 months. Most recently, Journal Mate was updated on November 3, 2026 and RoomTrace on October 25, 2026.

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