Journal Prompts vs PencilDiary
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Journal Prompts
This interactive diary helps you cultivate mindfulness and reflect on your thoughts with a friendly companion. It offers prompts, stickers, and a book-like reading mode to make journaling a cozy experience. Your private space is secured with encryption and offline access.
- Interactive journaling with a companion
- Daily prompts and new interactions
- Stickers to beautify entries
- Tagging and filtering for reflection
- Book Mode for reading entries
- Memory Minder reminders
- Offline access and encryption
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'Bubbles' Journal' is an interactive diary for your thoughts and stories. A diary promotes sound mental health, helps cultivate mindfulness, and lets you reflect on your thoughts over time. In this journal, you'll write in the company of the friendly, curious (and always cuddly) Bubbles. Together you'll build a living, vivid diary — a place to gather the souvenirs and memories of life, just like a home. A vivid diary is a dialogue with yourself; Bubbles makes that conversation come a little easier. Feel free to write on your own entries, or let Bubbles be your guide. This app is free to try to see how the app feels. 10% of this app’s profit is donated to the German Depression Aid Foundation promoting mental health and mindfulness. Meet Bubbles: - Warm and cuddly: Your wholesome journal companion, full of conversations and questions - Curious and kind: Stay motivated with Bubbles’ fun prompts and new interactions every day - Loves to learn and grow: Your shared home will change and grow over time — as will Bubbles Cool Features: - Stickers: Add cute stickers to beautify your entries - Tags: You can search and filter topics with Tags to reflect how your thoughts have evolved over time - Book Mode: Scroll through your diary as if it were a physical book - Memory Minder: A reminder for your future self to read. Writing about your first day of school? Set a reminder for the end of the year so you can reflect on what it was like in the light of now. A Calm and Private Place: - No advertisements or personal data tracking - 100% usable offline - Lockable & encrypted - iCloud backups and easy PDF exports - Can be used with a pencil or without one - Lo-fi beats for chill vibes by an awesome artist called LAKEY INSPIRED - A customizable home that grows with you ---------- Premium Access Information A ‘Premium Access’ purchase will be applied to your iTunes account on confirmation. Subscriptions will automatically renew unless canceled within 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can cancel anytime with your iTunes account settings. For more information, see our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Terms of Use: https://bubblesjournal.app/privacypolicytermsofuse/ Privacy Policy: https://bubblesjournal.app/privacypolicytermsofuse/ End User License Agreement (Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
PencilDiary
This app provides a daily handwritten journal experience with a new page automatically generated each day, organized by date. It offers seamless light and dark mode adaptation with smart color inversion for optimal readability and a minimalist design for focused reflection.
- New page generated daily, organized by date
- Automatic light and dark mode with color inversion
- Pure handwriting input with Apple Pencil support
- Minimalist and distraction-free interface
- Ideal for personal growth and reflection
- No manual sorting or folder management
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Pencil Diary is the only handwritten journal app that gives you a new page every day, automatically organized by date. Whether you're jotting down daily reflections, tracking your moods, ADHD, every note is instantly saved and accessible by date—so you never have to manage folders or files. With seamless light and dark mode adaptation, your notes automatically invert colors to match your iPad’s theme. This ensures that your handwritten text remains readable and aesthetically consistent, no matter when or where you write. If you love writing by hand with an Apple Pencil, Pencil Diary is your perfect digital alternative to a traditional journal. KEY FEATURES: 1. New Page Every Day, Organized by Date - Automatically starts a fresh blank page every day—just like a real notebook. - No need to create or sort notes—your entries are stored by date for easy browsing. - Go back and review past notes without clutter or folders. 2. Auto Light & Dark Mode With Smart Color Inversion - When switching modes, your handwritten notes automatically adjust, ensuring perfect contrast - In light mode, notes appear on a white page in dark mode, they seamlessly invert for a comfortable nighttime writing experience 3. Pure Handwriting —No Typing, No Distractions - Write naturally with Apple Pencil —no keyboards, just a real pen-on-paper feel. - Perfect for journaling, planning, mood tracking, or creative sketching. - Supports freehand drawing, doodling, and note-taking. 4. Minimalist & Aesthetic Design - A clean, distraction-free interface to help you focus on your thoughts. - Inspired by artful agendas, aesthetic planners, and mindful journaling techniques. 5. Ideal for Personal Growth & Reflection - Use it as a gratitude journal, mood tracker, self-care planner, or time management tool. - Great for stoic journaling, mental health tracking, and personal development. - WHY CHOOSE PENCIL DIARY? Most journaling apps rely on templates, stickers, or typing. Pencil Diary is different. A fresh page every day — just open the app and start writing. No manual sorting — everything is saved by date. Automatic light & dark mode — your notes adapt perfectly. Handwriting only — for a truly paper-like experience on iPad. No clutter — just a simple, elegant space for your thoughts. If you love handwriting, daily journaling, and a clean, distraction-free experience, Pencil Diary is the perfect app for you. Start Your Journaling Journey Today!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ratings volume: Journal Prompts at 1.5K against PencilDiary's 41. PencilDiary's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs monthly) and iOS requirement (18 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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
Both are free to download. Journal Prompts sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days and PencilDiary sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Journal Prompts against 4.8 for PencilDiary. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Journal Prompts has 1.5K ratings behind it against 41, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 93% of Journal Prompts's written reviews are positive against 100% of PencilDiary's.
Journal Prompts ships an update monthly, PencilDiary every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Journal Prompts | PencilDiary |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (1.5K ratings) — better | 4.8 (41 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 93.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.5K — better | 41 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 18 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 261 MB | 214 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ali Ebrahimi Pourasad | RABBITEYE LAB LLP |
Customer experience
Journal Prompts
PencilDiary
Bugs and requests
Journal Prompts
Reported bugs
2 issues- Occasional app crashes or freezes
- Lag when interacting with certain features
Requested features
4 requests- Add more sticker and customization options
- Allow free daily journaling without paywall
- Implement a tone/mood setting for journal entries
- Expand language support beyond English
PencilDiary
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Journal Prompts
- Daily Journal - Premium (1 W.)7 Days trial$1.997 Days
- Daily Journal - Premium (1 M.)7 Days trial2 variants$2.991 Month
- Daily Journal - Premium (1 M.)7 Days trial2 variants$4.991 Month
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- Daily Journal - Premium (1 M.)7 Days trial2 variants$9.991 Month
- Daily Journal - Premium (1 Y.)7 Days trial$17.991 Year
- Daily Journal - Premium (1 Y.)7 Days trial2 variants$19.991 Year
- Daily Journal - Premium (1 M.)$19.991 Month
- Daily Journal - Premium (1 Y.)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Daily Journal - Premium (1 Y.)7 Days trial$39.991 Year
- Daily Journal - Premium (1 Y.)7 Days trial2 variants$49.991 Year
- Large Tip$4.99
- Daily Journal - Premium2 variants$59.99
- Daily Journal - Premium$99.99
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- Daily Journal - Premium$199.99
PencilDiary
- Premium$19.99
- Premium$49.99
Questions
Is Journal Prompts free?
Is PencilDiary free?
Which has better reviews, Journal Prompts or PencilDiary?
Do Journal Prompts or PencilDiary have ads?
Which is updated more often, Journal Prompts or PencilDiary?
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