CBT Diary vs Thought Journal
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CBT Diary
This app helps you understand your mind using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy principles. It guides you to identify negative thought patterns, challenge unhelpful beliefs, and develop healthier perspectives in a private space. Export logs to share with your therapist for more productive sessions.
- Structured thought records
- Therapy log export
- Complete on-device privacy
- Daily reflection reminders
- Intuitive design
- Identify negative thought patterns
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CBT Diary: track thoughts, build clarity Transform how you understand your mind with CBT Diary, a thoughtful tool based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy principles. Identify negative thought patterns, challenge unhelpful beliefs, and develop healthier perspectives -- all in a private, judgment-free space. Key Features: Structured Thought Records: capture situations, automatic thoughts, emotions, and balanced responses using proven CBT techniques. Therapy Support: Export detailed logs to share with your therapist for more focused, productive sessions. Complete Privacy: All data stays on your device—nothing is uploaded or shared without your permission Reminders: Gentle daily prompts to build a sustainable reflection practice Clean, Intuitive Design: Simple interface that gets out of your way Whether you're working with a therapist or practicing self-reflection, CBT Diary helps you recognize patterns, challenge distortions, and build mental resilience.
Thought Journal
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Thought Journal is a structured journaling app for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Thought Journal goes back to the basics of CBT journaling, with no extra frills. By writing down a challenging situation that we've faced, along with our thoughts and feelings, we can examine any cognitive distortions or "unhelpful thinking styles" that we may be engaging in. By identifying these unhelpful thinking styles, we can begin to challenge and change them, and ultimately improve our well-being. Get started without jumping through hoops • No account creation; no personal data is collected from you • No paywalls; all features are available without paying a penny • No one can read what you write except you; your journal entries stay on your device only, with the option to back them up to your iCloud account • Permanently delete your all entries at any time Privacy policy: https://www.clarencechan.dev/assets/thought-journal-privacy.txt
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Thought Journal at every 2 weeks against CBT Diary's every 5 months. Thought Journal also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 26.0). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
CBT Diary ships an update every 5 months, Thought Journal every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CBT Diary | Thought Journal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Victor Kravchenko | Ka Chon Chan |
In-app purchases
CBT Diary
No in-app purchases
Thought Journal
No in-app purchases









