Pixels vs Private Journal
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pixels
This app helps you track your daily mood and emotions by turning them into a visual map of color. You can record your mood with a tap, add details with subpixels and custom tags, and use it as a companion for therapy. It offers a private and minimalist experience with no ads.
- Visual mood map
- Daily pixel color entries
- Subpixel tracking for mood variations
- Custom tags and notes
- Therapy companion tool
- Minimalist and private design
Read full descriptionHide full description
Pixels turns every day into a single colored square on a yearly grid. Your mood, at a glance, for the entire year. TRACK YOUR MOOD • Pick a mood from custom categories • Add a journal note for deeper reflection • Log symptoms, habits, and how you really feel SEE THE FULL PICTURE • Watch your year fill up pixel by pixel • Spot emotional patterns across weeks and months • Detailed stats and charts for your mental health journey PRIVATE & BEAUTIFUL • No ads, no tracking • Customizable moods, colors, and reminders Join thousands of people building self-awareness, one day at a time. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Private Journal
This app helps you cultivate a more mindful life through daily journaling, mood and habit tracking, and creative sketching. It offers a private space to organize thoughts, set intentions, and review your life's journey with powerful search and media browsing tools.
- Rich text journaling with photos/videos
- Mood and habit tracking with custom templates
- Freeform drawing with Apple Pencil support
- Intentions and task management
- Location tagging and map view
- Face ID/Touch ID security
- iCloud sync
Read full descriptionHide full description
Your all-in-one journal for a more mindful life. Write freely, track your mood, build daily habits, and sketch ideas on a freeform canvas — all in one beautiful, private space. DAILY JOURNALING • Rich text editor with photos and videos • Writing prompts across 7 categories — gratitude, reflections, check-ins, and more • Multiple journals to organize your thoughts • Tags for easy discovery • Automatically tag your location so every memory has a place • Browse your life on a beautiful map view MOOD & HABIT TRACKING • Custom trackers for mood, sleep, water, exercise, study time, and more • 50+ tracker templates across 9 categories • Set daily goals, visualize streaks, and see patterns with charts • Apple Health integration — auto-sync steps, sleep, workouts, heart rate, calories, and distance CREATIVE CANVAS • Freeform drawing with full Apple Pencil support • Pen, pencil, marker, and eraser tools • Line straightening, minimap navigation, and lasso selection • Searchable handwriting — find notes even when you write by hand INTENTIONS & TASKS • Set intentions — how you want to feel, what deserves your time, your big goals • Link tasks to your intentions and track progress over time • Unfinished tasks carry over so nothing falls through the cracks SEARCH & MEDIA • Find any entry by title, content, tags, or text in photos and handwriting • Filter by journal, date, or location • Browse all media in a beautiful gallery, organized by date PRIVATE & SECURE • Face ID, Touch ID, and passcode lock • iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac • Your data stays on your devices — we never see it SWITCHING FROM DAY ONE? • Import your entire Day One library in one tap — entries, photos, tags, and metadata • Full JSON, ZIP, and Markdown export MINDSPACE PRO Unlock everything with Pro: • iCloud sync across all devices • Unlimited journals, photos & videos • Unlimited custom trackers and all templates • Apple Health integration • Custom theme colors • Canvas export • Custom prompts Start your journaling practice today. Your future self will thank you. Terms of Use: https://getmindspace.app/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://getmindspace.app/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pixels at 4.8 against Private Journal's 4.5. Pixels also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). Private Journal's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 11 days). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume 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. Pixels sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Private Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Pixels holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 43 and 20 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 97% of Pixels's written reviews are positive against 100% of Private Journal's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Pixels ships an update every 11 days, Private Journal every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pixels | Private Journal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (43 ratings) — better | 4.5 (20 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 96.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 43 — better | 20 |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 77 MB | 30 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Teo Vogel | Artefact Inc. |
Customer experience
Pixels
Private Journal
In-app purchases
Pixels
- Pixels Cloud+7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Pixels Cloud+$1.991 Month
- Pixels Cloud+7 Days trial$21.991 Year
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Pixels Cloud+$21.991 Year
- Pixels+$4.99
Private Journal
- Monthly$6.991 Month
- Quarterly$14.993 Months
- Yearly$49.991 Year









