Active Log vs Joe Journal
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Active Log
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【Make Every Minute Count. Turn Your Time Into Progress.】 With ActiveLog, your effort is automatically tracked just by using a timer. Are you still switching between a timer and a tracking app? With Active Log, you can measure, log, and review your daily activities in one seamless flow! Visualize your progress in fitness, studying, reading, or Pomodoro sessions, and see your hard work pay off. Key Features ① 4 Timer Modes for Any Task Choose the perfect timer to match your daily routine: ・Stopwatch: Perfect for walks or open-ended tasks when you just want to start without a time limit. ・Timer: A classic countdown for studying, reading, cooking, and more. ・Interval Timer: Repeat active and rest intervals. Great for stretching, meditation, or quick breaks. ・Custom Timer: Fully customizable for HIIT (e.g., 20s work, 10s rest for 8 sets) or Pomodoro (e.g., 25m focus, 5m break for 4 sets). ② Instant Start Save your favorite timer durations and modes. Once set up, just tap to start. No more wasting time configuring settings every single time. ③ Automatic Logging & Insights Your progress is saved automatically the moment you stop the timer. Look back at your growth in two intuitive ways: ・Calendar View: Track your daily consistency month by month. See exactly what you did with a visual daily timeline. Watch your blank calendar fill up with your personal colors—the ultimate motivation to keep going! ・Stats & Progress: View your total lifetime hours, current streaks, and total sessions for each task on a single screen. (Unlock detailed weekly graphs and interactive 4-month heatmaps with Premium!) Plus, write down quick thoughts, mood notes, or reflections on the session screen immediately after finishing a timer. ④ Flexible Habit Goals Set weekly targets and choose your own execution pace (e.g., every day, once every 2 days) for each task. Life happens—our flexible pace setting helps you adjust your days so you never have to worry about breaking your streak! ⑤ Seamless Routines Chain multiple timers together to create your ultimate daily routine. The app automatically transitions to the next step and keeps you updated with background notifications. You can even set custom buffer/break times between timers so you never feel rushed! Smart Add-ons Quick-Start Widgets: Start your favorite timers with a single tap directly from your Home Screen. If-Then Widget: Cultivate habits scientifically! Display "If [Trigger], Then [Action]" prompts on your screen so you never forget to take action. 100% Offline Support: No internet connection required. All features work completely offline, protecting your privacy. Go Premium Upgrade to our monthly or annual subscription to unlock the full power of Activity Log: ・Remove all ads ・Set unlimited active goals ・Create unlimited custom routines ・Unlock detailed weekly graphs and heatmaps ・Change your timer completion sounds to your favorite Apple Music tracks Pricing Monthly Plan: $2.99 / month (or local equivalent) Annual Plan: $29.99 / year (Save ~17%) (Pricing may vary by region. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage your subscription or restore purchases anytime in the app settings.) Terms of Service: https://activelog-web.activelog-ios.workers.dev/#/terms
Joe Journal
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Write in Japanese. AI translates. 2 minutes a day for both journaling and English learning. "Joe Journal" automatically translates your Japanese diary entries into English, turning your daily life into personalized English learning material. 【Perfect for you if:】 ・You can't stick to journaling or English learning ・Textbook examples feel impractical ・Writing a diary in English from scratch feels too difficult ・You want to express spontaneous thoughts smoothly in English 【Main Features】 ■ Write in Japanese, AI Translates Automatically Simply write about your day or feelings in Japanese, and AI translates it into natural English. You can switch between "Casual" and "Formal" tones, and edit the translated text freely. ■ Your Personal Phrase Library Builds Automatically Save useful phrases and expressions with one tap. Build a library filled only with practical, authentic English born from your own words—not textbook examples. ■ "Joe's Idea" Auto-Extracts Key Phrases AI automatically picks out useful phrases from your translations. You'll see not just meanings, but example sentences showing how to use them in context. ■ Share Your Diary as Photo Cards All entries are neatly saved in your history with photos. You can change dates later, and combine diary entries with photos into shareable cards for social media. ■ Simple English Writing Practice Practice writing with your saved phrases. AI reviews and corrects your sentences, suggesting better expressions. Turn your daily moments into the English skills you actually need—efficiently and naturally. ___________________________ Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Joe - Privacy-Policy: https://www.joe-journal.com/policy Joe - Terms of Use: https://www.joe-journal.com/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Joe Journal at none against Active Log's shown. Joe Journal also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. Active Log sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Joe Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Active Log ships an update every 2 weeks, Joe Journal every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Active Log | Joe Journal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 39 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Yasushi Oda | Wataru Shiga |
In-app purchases
Active Log
- ActiveLog Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
- ActiveLog Premium Anual$19.991 Year
Joe Journal
- Joe Pro Monthly Plan$0.991 Month
- Joe Pro Yearly Plan$11.991 Year









