Comparison

Sunrise Journal vs Mindful Hour

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

Head to head
About

Sunrise Journal

A simple and private digital journal for capturing thoughts and life events. Personalize your experience with themes and icons. Your entries are securely stored on your device and synced via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Simple journaling interface
  • Secure on-device storage
  • iCloud syncing
  • Customizable themes
  • Personalizable icons
Features
Read full description

Meet Sunrise Journal, your new favorite spot for jotting down thoughts and life's big moments. We keep it simple here — no complex setups, just open and pour out your heart. It's like your trusty notepad, always ready and waiting. And don't sweat about privacy; your words are stored safely on your device and synced to your private iCloud account. Feel like changing things up? Personalize your journal with themes and icons that suit your mood. As we grow, you'll see new features, but for now, enjoy the simplicity. Ready to start? Your Sunrise is just a tap away.

About

Mindful Hour

This app helps you track your emotions throughout the day with quick check-ins and gentle reflection prompts. Discover patterns in your moods and gain insights into your inner world using traditional planetary hours.

Highlights
  • Quick emotional check-ins
  • Log feelings with notes
  • Discover emotional patterns
  • Utilize planetary hours for reflection
  • Gentle insights and reflections
  • Customizable reminders and notifications
  • Privacy-focused design
Features
Read full description

Mindful Hour Awareness in every hour. Mindful Hour is a mindful mood tracker that helps you understand your emotional rhythm through simple check-ins, personal journaling, planetary hours, and thoughtful insights. Notice how you feel, discover meaningful patterns, and explore your day with greater awareness, curiosity, and compassion. FEATURES • One-tap mood check-ins • Personal journaling and reflections • Emotional trends and personalized insights • AI-assisted journal reflections on supported devices • Location-based planetary hours • Daily planetary hour planning • Past and future date exploration • Gentle reminders and mantra audio • Lock Screen widget • Private iCloud sync • Adaptive experiences across iPhone and iPad CHECK IN WITH YOURSELF Capture how you feel with a single tap. Add an optional journal note to explore the thoughts, experiences, or emotions behind the moment. Every check-in becomes an opportunity to pause and reconnect with yourself. DISCOVER YOUR EMOTIONAL PATTERNS Explore how your moods change throughout the day and over time. Personalized insights help you recognize emotional tendencies, moments of balance, and shifts in your energy without judgment or rigid interpretations. EXPLORE THE RHYTHM OF PLANETARY HOURS Mindful Hour draws inspiration from the traditional seven planetary hours: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. Each hour is calculated using your location and local sunrise and sunset, offering a unique framework for mindfulness and self-awareness. PLAN WITH GREATER INTENTION Explore planetary hours for today, revisit past dates, or look ahead to future moments. The Planning experience helps you discover the planetary rhythm surrounding your activities, appointments, and meaningful events. PERSONALIZED REFLECTIONS Turn everyday observations into opportunities for deeper self-awareness. Mindful Hour brings together your mood check-ins, journal entries, and planetary hour context to offer thoughtful reflections, gentle nudges, and opportunities to explore recurring themes. On supported devices, Apple Intelligence enables additional journal understanding and personalized reflections, helping you discover connections in your own words while keeping the experience grounded in your observations. FIND MOMENTS OF CALM Listen to planetary mantras, receive optional reminders, and stay connected to the current planetary hour through thoughtful notifications and Lock Screen updates. DESIGNED FOR YOUR DAY Enjoy a calm, intuitive experience across iPhone and iPad, with adaptive layouts designed to make reflection feel natural on different screen sizes. PRIVACY WITH PURPOSE Your personal reflections belong to you. Mindful Hour uses private iCloud storage associated with your Apple account, keeping your experience personal. Mindful Hour is intended for personal reflection and general wellness. It is not a replacement for professional medical, mental health, legal, or financial advice. A GREATER PURPOSE 50% of profits from Mindful Hour support the Tripura Foundation, helping bring light and education to communities in need. MINDFUL HOUR SUBSCRIPTION TERMS Start your Mindful Hour subscription with a free 7-day trial. Once the trial ends, you'll be charged $2.99 per month. Your subscription automatically renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime through Settings > Apple Account > Subscriptions. Your Apple Account will be charged when the purchase is confirmed. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula Privacy Policy: https://www.melissadbain.com/mindful-hour-privacy-policy/

Screenshots

Sunrise Journal4 screens
Mindful Hour4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sunrise Journal at Free against Mindful Hour's $4.99. Sunrise Journal also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence 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

Sunrise Journal is free to download; Mindful Hour costs $4.99 up front. Mindful Hour sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $2.99 per month. Sunrise Journal asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Sunrise Journal against 5.0 for Mindful Hour. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sunrise Journal ships an update every 5 days, Mindful Hour every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Sunrise Journal versus Mindful Hour: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSunrise JournalMindful Hour
PriceFree — better$4.99
Rating5.0 (5 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings5 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 9 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB23 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperYon MontotoMelissa Bain

Customer experience

Sunrise Journal

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Mindful Hour

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Sunrise Journal

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Mindful Hour

Subscriptions1
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$2.991 Month

Questions

Is Sunrise Journal free?
Sunrise Journal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mindful Hour free?
Mindful Hour costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Sunrise Journal or Mindful Hour?
Sunrise Journal and Mindful Hour are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5 and 2 ratings respectively.
Do Sunrise Journal or Mindful Hour have ads?
Mindful Hour shows ads; Sunrise Journal does not.
Which is updated more often, Sunrise Journal or Mindful Hour?
Sunrise Journal ships an update every 5 days, and Mindful Hour every 9 days. Most recently, Sunrise Journal was updated on October 22, 2026 and Mindful Hour on October 24, 2026.

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