# Daily Journal vs MindAware

The clearest difference is monetization model: Daily Journal at freemium against MindAware's subscription. Daily Journal also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 75%) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). MindAware's advantage is ratings volume (92 vs 4) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Daily Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and MindAware sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Daily Journal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MindAware has 92 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Daily Journal's written reviews are positive against 75% of MindAware's.

Daily Journal ships an update fortnightly, MindAware weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Daily Journal | MindAware |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-journal-shadow-work/id6520106479/reviews)** | [4.7 (92 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mindaware-understand-emotions/id6747918592/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 4 | **92** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 75.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Freemium** | Subscription |
| Size | 54 MB | 80 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Birdbath LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1604497132) | [MindAware Group LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1884157724) |

## What reviewers say

### Daily Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/daily-journal-shadow-work/id6520106479)

This app guides users through emotional exploration and self-reflection with a focus on creative writing. It offers scheduled notifications to encourage consistent journaling and a simple interface for exploring past, present, and future thoughts.

**Highlights:** Emotional exploration, Self-reflection prompts, Creative writing exercises, Scheduled journaling notifications, Intuitive interface

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Zafa Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Zafa Annual | $19.99 | per year |


### MindAware

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mindaware-understand-emotions/id6747918592)

Explore your inner world with personalized audio analyses and a trauma test to uncover core wounds. Track your mood daily and journal to understand your emotional triggers. This app is designed for deep self-understanding and personal transformation.

**Highlights:** Personalized audio analyses, Trauma test for childhood wounds, Daily mood tracking, Journaling for emotional understanding, Guided self-discovery tools

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mindcast Weekly Premium | $6.99 | per 7 days |
| Mindcast Weekly Premium | $9.99 | per 7 days |
| Mindcast Weekly Premium | $12.99 | per 7 days |
| Mindcast Monthly Premium | $14.99 | per month |
| Mindcast Weekly Premium | $14.99 | per 7 days |
| Mindcast Yearly Premium | $29.99 | per year |
| Mindcast Yearly Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| Mindcast Yearly Premium | $59.99 | per year |
| Mindcast Yearly Premium | $89.99 | per year |
| Mindcast Yearly Premium | $89.99 | per year |
| Mindcast Lifetime Premium | $59.99 | one-time |
| Mindcast Lifetime Premium | $69.99 | one-time |
| Mindcast Lifetime Premium | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Daily Journal free?

Daily Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is MindAware free?

MindAware is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Daily Journal or MindAware?

Daily Journal is rated higher. Daily Journal averages 5.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while MindAware averages 4.7 from 92 ratings.

### Do Daily Journal or MindAware have ads?

Neither Daily Journal nor MindAware shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Daily Journal or MindAware?

Daily Journal ships an update fortnightly, and MindAware weekly. Most recently, Daily Journal was updated on October 1, 2026 and MindAware on October 24, 2026.

---

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