Comparison

Journal Today vs Five Years

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

Head to head
About

Journal Today

Easily record your thoughts, memories, and moods in a private digital journal. Organize entries with tags and photos, and keep your private thoughts secure with passcode and Face ID protection. Sync across all your devices for seamless access.

Highlights
  • Timeline of entries
  • Calendar view
  • Add photos to entries
  • Categorize with tags
  • Track moods
  • iCloud sync
  • Passcode/Face ID lock
Features
Read full description

Journal Today is easy to use, minimalistic and very functional journal app. You can write your journal anytime with anything that in your mind. Let Journal Today record your happiness and make your everyday meaningful. Main features: - Timeline of your entries - Calendar to show all your memories - Photos to make your journal more vivid - Tags to categories entries - Moods to remember your days - iCloud automatic sync to all your devices - Passcode lock as well as Face ID to keep entries private - Dark Mode, Share, Reminder and much much more are coming Journal Today is FREE to use with unlimited entries. Additional features are available with Pro membership. Journal Today offers $1.99/month or $18.49/year auto-renewing subscription. Payment will be charged to App Store account at confirmation of purchase. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. you can manage your subscription by going to your account settings on the App Store. Privacy Policy: https://journaltoday.app/privacy Terms of Service: https://journaltoday.app/terms Creator: Yuan Fu, designed by Faraz Ahmed (farazleo)

About

Five Years

Features
Read full description

Five Years is a private, on-device journal built around one simple habit: write a little every day, then revisit that same date across the years. Open the app. Capture today in a sentence or a few paragraphs. Next year—and the years after—you'll see what you wrote on this exact date. Over time, each day becomes a quiet five-year record of your life. HOW IT WORKS • Write about your day—one line or more, your choice • Return on the same date next year and read past-you • Compare today with one, two, three, four, or five years ago • Build a personal memory loop without an audience or a feed PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Local-first: entries stay on your iPhone • No account, no cloud required, works offline • Lock with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode (Premium) • Export your journal anytime as a backup (Premium) • Optional AI Reflections powered by Apple Intelligence—processed on-device; your words are not sent to a server for reflection BUILT FOR THE LONG RUN • Calm, distraction-free writing • Daily reminders to keep the habit • Visual calendar and search to find memories fast • Designed for gratitude, reflection, and everyday life—not engagement tricks FREE TO DOWNLOAD • Start journaling today at no cost • Unlock Five Years Premium once ($4.99 USD, price may vary by region)—a one-time purchase, not a subscription • Premium unlocks past years on Today, biometric lock, export/import, and the full long-term experience Five Years is for people who want a thoughtful journal that respects privacy and gets more meaningful the longer you use it. Write today. Read it next year.

Screenshots

Journal Today4 screens
Five Years4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Journal Today at 16.0 against Five Years's 26.0. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 Today sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Five Years sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Journal Today ships an update every 2 weeks, Five Years fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Journal Today versus Five Years: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJournal TodayFive Years
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (73 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews63.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings73 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB2 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperYuan FuEduardo Costa

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Journal Today

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$18.491 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime$19.99
1 purchases

Five Years

One-time1
  • Five Years Premium$4.99

Questions

Is Journal Today free?
Journal Today is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Five Years free?
Five Years is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Journal Today or Five Years have ads?
Neither Journal Today nor Five Years shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Journal Today or Five Years?
Journal Today ships an update every 2 weeks, and Five Years fortnightly. Most recently, Journal Today was updated on November 3, 2026 and Five Years on October 31, 2026.

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