Comparison

Retrospect vs dusk

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

Head to head
About

Retrospect

This app offers a private and straightforward method for recording your thoughts, locations, and moods. It allows for daily reflection and helps you make informed future decisions by reviewing your life experiences from various perspectives. Your data is securely stored on your device and backed up to iCloud.

Highlights
  • Private journaling
  • Mood tracking
  • Location logging
  • On-device storage
  • iCloud backup
  • No account required
Read full description

A private and easy way to save your memories. Retrospect lets you journal your thoughts, locations, and moods throughout the day, all without needing an account. Plus, your data is always kept completely private and only visible to you. Whether you want to remember a special trip or just a great day, Retrospect is the perfect way to do it. And because it helps you reflect on your life from different points of view, you can make more educated decisions about your future. Retrospect stays out of your way so you can focus on your own content. Try today and start saving your memories, your future self will thank you! ‣ Easily track your mood throughout the day, including energy level and emotions. ‣ Log the locations you've visited in your entries. Interact with map waypoints, or easily create your own custom locations. ‣ Journal once per day, or multiple times depending on your habits. ‣ No account needed! All data is stored on device and securely backed up to your iCloud account. ** Many new features coming soon!

About

dusk

This app prompts you with a single question each evening for a moment of daily reflection. Your short answers are saved privately on your device, creating a personal record over time without pressure or streaks. It focuses on mindful observation rather than traditional journaling.

Highlights
  • Daily single question prompt
  • Short answer entries
  • Private on-device storage
  • No streaks or guilt
  • Markdown export
  • No account required
Features
Read full description

Dusk asks you one question every day. You write a short answer — a sentence, a few words, whatever feels right. That's it. No blank pages. No prompts to write more. No streaks that make you feel guilty for missing a day. Just one question, one moment of reflection, saved on your device. Over weeks and months, your entries become a quiet record of who you were — what you noticed, what surprised you, what you were thinking about. Not a diary. Not a productivity tool. Just a small daily practice of paying attention. How Dusk works: • Open the app. Read today's question. • Write your answer. Save it. • Come back tomorrow for a new question. Your entries stay on your device. Dusk never sees what you write. You can export everything as a clean Markdown file anytime — your words, your data, your choice. No account required. No sign-up. Just open and start.

Screenshots

Retrospect4 screens
dusk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Retrospect at 100% against dusk's 0%. Retrospect also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0). dusk's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 21 months) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Retrospect holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 2 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Retrospect's written reviews are positive against 0% of dusk's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Retrospect ships an update every 21 months, dusk every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Retrospect versus dusk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRetrospectdusk
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better3.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings4 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 21 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS18.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLowell PenceMatthew Kearney

Customer experience

Retrospect

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

dusk

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Retrospect

No in-app purchases

None

dusk

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Retrospect free?
Retrospect is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is dusk free?
dusk is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Retrospect or dusk?
Retrospect is rated higher. Retrospect averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while dusk averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Retrospect or dusk have ads?
Neither Retrospect nor dusk shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Retrospect or dusk?
Retrospect ships an update every 21 months, and dusk every 4 days. Most recently, Retrospect was updated on November 3, 2026 and dusk on November 5, 2026.

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