Comparison

Journaling & Emotion Tracker vs Valence

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

Head to head
About

Journaling & Emotion Tracker

This app helps you understand and manage your emotions through guided self-reflection, emotion tracking, and stress-relief techniques. It offers daily prompts, mindfulness practices, and goal setting to boost your mood, build resilience, and improve mental well-being.

Highlights
  • Emotion tracking
  • Daily self-reflection prompts
  • Mindfulness practices
  • Well-being goal setting
  • Gratitude journaling
  • Stress-relief techniques
Features
Read full description

While you can’t always control what happens in life, you have the power to control how you respond. By learning to navigate emotions and tackle challenges in healthier ways, you can regain control and create a better life. Sphera is your personal mental health companion, designed to help you understand and manage your emotions with ease. Whether you're looking to boost your mood, build emotional resilience, or practice mindfulness, Sphera offers guided self-reflection, emotion tracking, and stress-relief techniques tailored to your needs. Key Features: - Emotion Tracking: Monitor your emotional patterns over time and gain insights into your feelings. - Daily Prompts: Thoughtful questions to guide your self-reflection, boost self-awareness, and promote personal growth. - Mindfulness Practices: Simple exercises to reduce stress, enhance emotional clarity, and improve mental well-being. - Set Well Being Goals: track your daily wellbeing habits. - Gratitude Journal: Cultivate a positive mindset with daily reflections. - Stress-Relief Techniques: Quick, effective methods to help you relax and regain balance. - Emotional Intelligence: Exercises designed to improve your understanding of emotions and how to respond effectively. Sphera creates a supportive space for self-discovery, empowering you to enhance emotional intelligence, build resilience, and take control of your emotional health.

About

Valence

Features
Read full description

Take control of your mental health journey with Valence, a beautifully designed, privacy-first mood tracker. Whether you are managing anxiety, practicing CBT, or tracking daily emotions, Valence offers a safe, frictionless space to reflect. Zero ads. Zero tracking. 100% private. EFFORTLESS TRACKING One-Tap Logging: Record moods instantly from the home screen. Intensity Slider: Track feelings on a 1-10 scale (or toggle off for simplicity). Detailed Entries: Add personal notes, backdate entries, and edit your history. Smart Search: Instantly find past logs by mood name or note content. 100% CUSTOMIZABLE Your Moods: Build custom categories using 20+ preset colors and 100+ beautiful icons. Tailored Experience: Reorder, archive, and adapt the app to your exact therapy needs. MEANINGFUL INSIGHTS Pixel Grid: Visualize your year at a glance with a beautiful calendar heatmap. Time-of-Day Analysis: Spot emotional patterns across your morning, afternoon, and evening. Daily Composition: Understand your days through stacked bar charts. Flexible Filters: Dive deep into your data across week, month, or year views. SMART REMINDERS Custom Schedules: Set personalized daily check-ins. Smart Suppression: Reminders auto-cancel if you've already logged a mood in the last 90 minutes. ULTIMATE PRIVACY Local-First: Your data stays on your device. We collect absolutely nothing. Data Portability: Export to CSV, import data, or securely wipe your history anytime. Zero Distractions: No ads, no analytics. PREMIUM (LIFETIME UNLOCK) Apple Watch App: Log moods and browse categories directly from your wrist. iCloud Sync: Securely back up and seamlessly sync across your devices. Interactive Notifications: Log moods from your lock screen without opening the app. Unlimited Exports and Imports: Download your entire history to share with your therapist or doctor.

Screenshots

Journaling & Emotion Tracker4 screens
Valence4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Valence at every 5 days against Journaling & Emotion Tracker's every 3 weeks. Valence also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement 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. Journaling & Emotion Tracker sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Valence sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Journaling & Emotion Tracker ships an update every 3 weeks, Valence every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Journaling & Emotion Tracker versus Valence: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJournaling & Emotion TrackerValence
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (70 ratings) — better
Positive reviews96.8% of reviews
Number of ratings70 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size171 MB12 MB
Age rating+174+
Developer4A Labs, IncFun Facts

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Journaling & Emotion Tracker

Subscriptions5
  • 1 month Premium7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • 1 month Premium$9.991 Month
  • 6 months Premium (discount)$29.996 Months
Show 2 more
  • 12 months Premium$34.991 Year
  • 6 months Premium$44.996 Months
2 purchases

Valence

One-time2
  • Valence Lifetime - promo$39.99
  • Valence Lifetime$79.99

Questions

Is Journaling & Emotion Tracker free?
Journaling & Emotion Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Valence free?
Valence is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Journaling & Emotion Tracker or Valence have ads?
Neither Journaling & Emotion Tracker nor Valence shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Journaling & Emotion Tracker or Valence?
Journaling & Emotion Tracker ships an update every 3 weeks, and Valence every 5 days. Most recently, Journaling & Emotion Tracker was updated on September 19, 2026 and Valence on September 22, 2026.

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