Journaling & Emotion Tracker vs Valence
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Emotion tracking
- Daily self-reflection prompts
- Mindfulness practices
- Well-being goal setting
- Gratitude journaling
- Stress-relief techniques
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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.
Valence
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
| Parameter | Journaling & Emotion Tracker | Valence |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (70 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 96.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 70 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 171 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | +17 | 4+ |
| Developer | 4A Labs, Inc | Fun Facts |
In-app purchases
Journaling & Emotion Tracker
- 1 month Premium7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- 1 month Premium$9.991 Month
- 6 months Premium (discount)$29.996 Months
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- 12 months Premium$34.991 Year
- 6 months Premium$44.996 Months
Valence
- Valence Lifetime - promo$39.99
- Valence Lifetime$79.99
Questions
Is Journaling & Emotion Tracker free?
Is Valence free?
Do Journaling & Emotion Tracker or Valence have ads?
Which is updated more often, Journaling & Emotion Tracker or Valence?
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