Comparison

Journal & Planner vs Trace

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

Head to head
About

Journal & Planner

This all-in-one app combines a digital planner, journal, and habit tracker for iPad. Easily customize your layout with drag-and-drop widgets to create a personalized space for daily planning, study schedules, and goal tracking.

Highlights
  • All-in-one planner, journal, and habit tracker
  • Drag-and-drop customizable widgets
  • To-do lists and task management
  • Daily journal and diary writing
  • Habit trackers and goal tracking
  • Pomodoro timer
  • Pre-made templates
Features
Read full description

Tired of jumping between apps to plan, journal, and track your habits? Whatting is an all-in-one digital planner, journal, and diary app for iPad. Build your perfect daily journal, study planner, habit tracker, and to-do list — all in one place. Just "DRAG AND DROP" powerful widgets, and your ideal layout appears like magic. No more wandering like a nomad in search of the perfect planner. With Whatting, you design a diary that fits you. POWERFUL WIDGETS • To-do lists & task management • Daily journal & diary writing • Habit trackers & goal tracking • Pomodoro timer for focus & productivity • Calendars, mood trackers, and more • Drag, drop, and resize — build any layout you want MADE FOR EVERY PLANNER • Minimal & aesthetic diary for clean journaling • Study planner to boost focus and manage your schedule • Travel journal to capture trips and weekend adventures • Bullet journal style layouts, fully customizable • Daily, weekly, and monthly planning SWITCH INSTANTLY WITH TEMPLATES • Ready-to-use templates for every style and mood • Change your entire layout in seconds • One app for journaling, planning, and habit tracking WHY WHATTING? • All-in-one digital diary & planner — no more app-hopping • Fully customizable widget-based design • Beautiful, intuitive, and made for iPad • Perfect for students, creators, and anyone building a daily routine Stop searching. Start building your very own all-in-one diary with Whatting. Now is the moment to begin! *EULA https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Trace

Features
Read full description

Trace is a visual diary where your daily words slowly become your portrait. Start with a photo. Write a little each day. Reveal one more piece of the image. Over time, your entries gather into a finished portrait that you can explore, revisit, and save. Trace is made for quiet, personal journaling. It is not a social feed, and it is not built around pressure. A sentence is enough. What you can do in Trace: • Create a portrait from a photo • Write short daily entries • Reveal your portrait piece by piece • Zoom in and revisit past days • Keep multiple portraits over time • Export and import local backups • Save a completed portrait to Photos Why people use Trace: • Writing feels lighter when it is visual • Progress is something you can actually see • Your archive becomes emotional, not just chronological • Everything stays private by default Trace is local-first. No account is required. No ads. No subscription. Just your words, your portrait, and your archive.

Screenshots

Journal & Planner4 screens
Trace4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Trace at none against Journal & Planner's 4. Trace also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Journal & Planner's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 8 days). On price and device support 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. Journal & Planner sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Trace asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Journal & Planner ships an update every 2 days, Trace every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Journal & Planner versus Trace: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJournal & PlannerTrace
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (88 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews95.4% of reviews—
Number of ratings88 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 8 days
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size163 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHaneunjoong Inc.Semicolon Dev Co.,Ltd.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Journal & Planner

Subscriptions4
  • Whatting Pro (Weekly)$0.997 Days
  • Whatting Pro (Monthly)1 Month trial$4.991 Month
  • Whatting Pro (3 Months)$9.993 Months
Show 1 more
  • Whatting Pro (Yearly)$29.991 Year
None

Trace

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Journal & Planner free?
Journal & Planner is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Trace free?
Trace is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Journal & Planner or Trace have ads?
Journal & Planner shows ads; Trace does not.
Which is updated more often, Journal & Planner or Trace?
Journal & Planner ships an update every 2 days, and Trace every 8 days. Most recently, Journal & Planner was updated on October 30, 2026 and Trace on October 25, 2026.

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