Comparison

Digital Planner for iPad vs Simple Journaling

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

Head to head
About

Digital Planner for iPad

Streamline your life and boost productivity with this versatile digital planner. Manage tasks, events, and goals with reminders, calendar sync, and PDF annotation. Optimized for Apple Pencil for a smooth writing experience.

Highlights
  • Task management
  • Event scheduling
  • Reminder notifications
  • Calendar synchronization
  • PDF annotation
  • Apple Pencil optimized
Features
Read full description

Digital Planner is designed first and foremost for iPad, combining the familiar experience of a classic paper planner with the flexibility of digital planning. Plan your days, weeks, and months, write naturally with Apple Pencil, organize your schedule, and keep your tasks, events, goals, and notes in one place. Digital Planner is also available on iPhone and Mac, so you can keep your planning accessible across your Apple devices. Use iPhone for quick access to your planner, calendar, tasks, and events on the go, or open Digital Planner on your Mac when you're working at your computer. Keep your planning synchronized across devices and easily check or update your schedule wherever you are. PLAN YOUR WAY Stay organized with flexible planning views for everything from detailed daily schedules to long-term goals: • Hourly Planner • Daily Planner • Weekly Planner • Monthly Planner • Yearly Planner • Daily goals, notes, and summaries • Checklists and tasks • Birthday calendar • Customizable planning templates WRITE NATURALLY WITH APPLE PENCIL Turn your iPad into a digital notebook and planner. Write, draw, highlight, add typed text, and organize content naturally. Convert handwriting to text or use speech-to-text when typing isn't convenient. CALENDARS & REMINDERS Bring planning and scheduling together: • Sync with Apple Calendar • Sync with Google Calendar • Create and edit Google Calendar events directly in the app • Connect and work with Outlook Calendar • Work with Apple Reminders • Add and manage events • Share your calendar with others NOTES, PDFs & MORE Use Digital Planner for planning, writing, studying, and organizing: • Create notes • Add stickers and images • Select and move content with the Lasso tool • Import and annotate PDF files • Track books with a reading list • Back up and restore your data MADE FOR EVERYDAY PLANNING Whether you're a student, teacher, professional, or simply enjoy the feeling of a traditional paper planner, Digital Planner gives you the freedom to organize your life your way. Enjoy the space and flexibility of planning on iPad with Apple Pencil, quickly check your schedule from iPhone when you're on the go, and access your planning from Mac while working at your computer. Have an idea or suggestion? Contact our support team and let us know what you'd like to see next. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION The app contains the following subscription options: 1-month membership from $6.99. 3-month membership from $12.99. 1-year membership from $29.99 after a 7-day free trial. Prices above are in U.S. dollars (USD) and apply to customers in the United States. Prices in other countries may vary and are displayed in the applicable local currency. Local App Store pricing may differ from a direct conversion based on current exchange rates. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless auto-renewal is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours before the end of the current period. Subscriptions and auto-renewal can be managed in your Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://www.digitalplanner.biz/privacy-policy/ Terms of Use: https://www.digitalplanner.biz/terms-of-use/ EULA: https://www.digitalplanner.biz/eula/

About

Simple Journaling

This app offers a clean, distraction-free space for daily reflection and gratitude tracking. It helps users understand themselves better by visualizing emotional patterns and providing insights into writing habits. Features include mood tracking, search, and weekly goals.

Highlights
  • Distraction-free journaling
  • Daily gratitude tracking
  • Mood tracking and trend visualization
  • Journal search with mood filters
  • Weekly goals and streak tracking
  • Insights and analytics dashboard
  • AI-powered reflection prompts (Premium)
Features
Read full description

Reflect is a simple, intentional journaling app designed to help you slow down, think clearly, and understand yourself better. Write freely, track your gratitude, and see your emotional patterns over time — all in a clean, distraction-free environment designed to feel as calm as the habit itself. WHAT'S NEW IN VERSION 2: • Mood tracking — tag every entry with how you're feeling • 7-day mood trend graph on your dashboard • Add notes to past entries without editing the original • Search your entire journal history, filtered by mood • Weekly journaling goals with a live progress ring • Insights screen: streaks, mood distribution, writing patterns • All-new dark design built for focus and clarity • Guided first-launch walkthrough for new users • Entries now stored with SwiftData — no more lost journals CORE FEATURES: • Clean, distraction-free journaling • Daily gratitude tracking • AI-powered reflection prompts (Premium) • Photo journaling (Premium) • Beautiful calendar view • Mood trend visualization • Entry search with mood filters • Weekly goals and streak tracking • Insights and analytics dashboard Reflect isn't about writing perfectly — it's about showing up. Start small. Think clearly. Grow intentionally. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Digital Planner for iPad4 screens
Simple Journaling4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Simple Journaling at 5.0 against Digital Planner for iPad's 4.3. Simple Journaling also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription). Digital Planner for iPad's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (2.1K vs 1). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Digital Planner for iPad sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Simple Journaling sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Simple Journaling holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Digital Planner for iPad has 2.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Digital Planner for iPad ships an update every 6 days, Simple Journaling every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Digital Planner for iPad versus Simple Journaling: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDigital Planner for iPadSimple Journaling
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (2.1K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews44.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.1K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size222 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlina ShpakJayden Dirksen

Bugs and requests

Digital Planner for iPad

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Lasso tool issues with cut and paste
  • Disappearing text when writing over stickers
  • Inconsistent calendar sync
  • Eraser leaving jumbled pieces
  • Inability to rearrange pages

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to delete individual pages
  • Improved eraser functionality
  • Sync with Outlook calendar
  • Monthly and yearly view improvements
  • Widgets for quick access

Simple Journaling

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Digital Planner for iPad

Subscriptions3
  • Digital Planner (Monthly)$6.991 Month
  • Digital Planner (Three month)$12.993 Months
  • Digital Planner (Annual)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
1 purchases

Simple Journaling

Subscriptions1
  • Premium$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Digital Planner for iPad free?
Digital Planner for iPad is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Simple Journaling free?
Simple Journaling is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Digital Planner for iPad or Simple Journaling?
Simple Journaling is rated higher. Digital Planner for iPad averages 4.3 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Simple Journaling averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Digital Planner for iPad or Simple Journaling have ads?
Neither Digital Planner for iPad nor Simple Journaling shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Digital Planner for iPad or Simple Journaling?
Digital Planner for iPad ships an update every 6 days, and Simple Journaling every 2 months. Most recently, Digital Planner for iPad was updated on October 13, 2026 and Simple Journaling on October 7, 2026.

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