# Sunrise Journal vs Mindful Hour

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Sunrise Journal | Mindful Hour |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $4.99 |
| Rating | [5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunrise-journal/id6473837013/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mindful-hour-mood-tracker/id6502845366/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | **Free** | Paid |
| Size | 5 MB | 23 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Yon Montoto](https://appshunter.io/developer/1461254488) | [Melissa Bain](https://appshunter.io/developer/379474102) |

## What reviewers say

### Sunrise Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunrise-journal/id6473837013)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Mindful Hour

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mindful-hour-mood-tracker/id6502845366)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $2.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*