Hourly Journal vs Niva.
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Hourly Journal
Track how you spend your time with a beautifully designed and simple hourly journal. Log your hours, add tags and reactions, and gain insights into your daily, weekly, or monthly activities through intuitive analytics. Improve your lifestyle by becoming more mindful of your day.
- Log hours and activities
- Add tags and emoji reactions
- Daily, weekly, monthly analytics
- Hourly reminders
- Intuitive calendar for revisiting past entries
- Free cloud sync
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See where your time goes and understand how every part of your day feels. Hourly Journal turns quick check-ins into a clear picture of your time, activities, emotions and energy. Capture meaningful moments throughout the day without writing long diary entries. JOURNAL YOUR DAY, YOUR WAY Record quick notes in 15-minute intervals, add activity tags and express how each moment felt with reactions. Keep journaling even when you’re offline and return to your entries whenever you need them. UNDERSTAND YOUR TIME AND MOOD Connect what you do with how you feel. Review your top activities and emotions across the day, week or month to discover patterns in your routines, productivity and wellbeing. BUILD A CONSISTENT JOURNALING HABIT Build streaks, earn badges and turn short reflections into a lasting habit. Hourly Journal makes it easier to pause, check in and become more intentional with your time. START WITH POWERFUL FREE FEATURES • Offline journaling • 15-minute entries • Up to 3 custom tags • Daily, weekly and monthly insights • Top tags and emotions • Streaks and badges GO DEEPER WITH PREMIUM • Set exact start and end times • Track energy and positive or negative experiences • Personalize tags with icons and sentiment markers • Create up to 3 workspaces • Protect individual workspaces with a passcode • Explore granular Deep Reports • Compare activities and discover peak hours • Customize sleep and wake patterns • Search entries using advanced filters • Export selected entries with custom filters • Enjoy the complete dark mode experience Whether you want to improve your work-life balance, understand your emotions or simply remember how your days unfolded, Hourly Journal helps you turn every hour into useful insight. Start journaling one moment at a time. PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION Hourly Journal is free to use, with optional Premium features available through: • Monthly auto-renewable subscription • Yearly auto-renewable subscription • One-time Lifetime purchase Monthly and yearly subscriptions include a 7-day free trial. Pricing is displayed in the app before you confirm your purchase. Payment will be charged to your Apple Account when the purchase is confirmed. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the current period ends. You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time through your Apple Account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://hourlyjournal.com/privacy-policy
Niva.
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Reclaim Your Focus. Reduce Screen Fatigue. Build a Healthier Digital Life. Niva is the minimalist focus app designed to help you break free from phone addiction and endless scrolling. Track your screen time, block distracting apps, and gain powerful AI insights—all without judgment, notifications, or invasive tracking. Perfect for anyone struggling with phone overuse, productivity loss, or digital burnout. WHY NIVA STANDS OUT AWARENESS, NOT GUILT Unlike harsh app blockers or anxiety-inducing timers, Niva uses gentle haptic feedback and beautiful visualizations to build self-awareness. No shame. No pressure. Just clarity. YOUR DATA STAYS YOURS 100% privacy-first. All data stored locally on your device. No cloud sync. No analytics. No tracking. No accounts required. Complete control. BEAUTIFULLY MINIMAL DESIGN Liquid glass aesthetic inspired by Apple's design language. Clean interface that reduces stress instead of adding to it. Every pixel crafted for calm. POWERFUL FEATURES SCREEN TIME ANALYTICS • Track daily and weekly phone usage automatically • Visual breakdown of app categories and patterns • Monitor device pickups and usage trends • Beautiful minimalist charts that make data digestible ONE-TAP FOCUS SESSIONS • Block distracting apps instantly with one tap • Choose 15, 25, 45, or 60-minute focus blocks • Gorgeous circular timer with progress animation • Customizable app blocking - select exactly what to restrict • Haptic feedback keeps you locked in without interruptions AI-POWERED INSIGHTS • Daily personalized reflections based on your patterns • Gentle, non-judgmental suggestions • All processing happens on-device (100% private) • Learn when you're most distracted and why FOCUS DASHBOARD • See total screen time, focus hours, and streaks at a glance • Track your progress week over week • Celebrate wins without obsessing over numbers • High whitespace design that's easy on the eyes SILENT BY DESIGN • Zero notifications, badges, or alerts • Subtle haptic nudges replace annoying pings • Check in when YOU want, not when we tell you • Respect your attention, not steal it BUILT FOR IOS • Leverages Apple's Screen Time API for accuracy • Native SwiftUI interface that feels like iOS • Smooth animations and buttery performance • Works seamlessly with iOS Focus Modes PERFECT FOR Students fighting social media distraction during study sessions Professionals who need deep work time without interruptions Parents wanting to model healthy phone habits Anyone feeling overwhelmed by constant notifications People seeking digital minimalism and intentional living Individuals recovering from phone addiction or doomscrolling HOW IT WORKS 1. OBSERVE - Automatic screen time tracking shows your real usage patterns 2. FOCUS - Start a focus session and block tempting apps instantly 3. REFLECT - AI generates personalized insights to build awareness 4. IMPROVE - Watch your focus hours grow and screen time decrease No willpower required. Just gentle nudges toward better habits. WHAT USERS ARE SAYING "Finally, a focus app that doesn't make me feel guilty." - Sarah M. "The design alone makes me want to use it every day. It's like having a calm mindfulness coach in my pocket." - James K. "Reduced my screen time by 40% in two weeks without even trying. The AI insights are scary accurate." - Alex R. PRIVACY PROMISE All data stored locally on your iPhone No accounts, no sign-ups, no emails No third-party analytics or tracking SDKs No cloud servers processing your data Delete everything with one tap anytime We can't see your data. Period. REQUIREMENTS • iOS 16.0 or later • Requires Screen Time permission (you stay in control) Download Niva today and take back control of your attention Less scrolling. More living
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Niva. at none against Hourly Journal's 3. Hourly Journal's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0.0 vs 18.5). 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
Both are free to download. Hourly Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Niva. asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Hourly Journal | Niva. |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (8 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 77.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 8 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0.0 — better | 18.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 49 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | onesimple.life | Eswar Krishnan |
In-app purchases
Hourly Journal
- Monthly Plan$0.991 Month
- Yearly Plan$9.991 Year
- Lifetime Plan$27.99
Niva.
No in-app purchases









