# Heartspring Journal vs ApexForge

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ApexForge at none against Heartspring Journal's 3. ApexForge also leads on ads (none vs shown). Heartspring Journal's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (18.6 vs 26.2). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Heartspring Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. ApexForge asks for nothing beyond the download.

Heartspring Journal ships an update every 9 days, ApexForge every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Heartspring Journal | ApexForge |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (6.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heartspring-journal/id6596777024/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **6.5K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 35.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Size | 113 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | **18.6** | 26.2 |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Overlap Studios, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1679793378) | [Thomas Brock](https://appshunter.io/developer/1840496041) |

## What reviewers say

### Heartspring Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heartspring-journal/id6596777024)

This app helps you understand your emotions by analyzing your written or recorded journal entries. It identifies hidden feelings and organizes your thoughts by topic and emotion, fostering self-awareness and emotional intelligence.

**Highlights:** Emotion analysis from text and video, Personalized reflection prompts, Searchable emotional history, Topic and emotion-based organization, Video journaling, Home screen widget

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Member | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly Member | $49.99 | per year |
| Yearly Member | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Helpful for mental health
- 👍 Useful for journaling
- 👍 Detailed reports on mood and day
- 🔒 Secure with Face ID

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and crashes frequently
- 🐛 Recording issues and lost entries
- 🔒 Requires Face ID, no password option
- 💰 Premium required for multiple entries per day

**Reported bugs**

- Recordings not saving
- Freezing and crashing issues
- Dictation not working properly
- Inconsistent date/time tracking

**Requested features**

- Ability to edit and trim recordings
- Option to choose own mood/feelings
- Unlimited word count per entry
- Ability to add entries for previous days
- Export text from diary entries


### ApexForge

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/apexforge/id6759844786)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Heartspring Journal free?

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

### Is ApexForge free?

ApexForge is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Heartspring Journal or ApexForge have ads?

Heartspring Journal shows ads; ApexForge does not.

### Which is updated more often, Heartspring Journal or ApexForge?

Heartspring Journal ships an update every 9 days, and ApexForge every 2 months. Most recently, Heartspring Journal was updated on October 30, 2026 and ApexForge on October 12, 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.*