Comparison

Shadow Work Journal vs MARCUS

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

Head to head
About

Shadow Work Journal

This guided journaling app helps you explore your inner world with AI-powered dialogues, mood tracking, and a learning library. It offers a private space for self-discovery, emotional clarity, and mental wellness through structured reflection.

Highlights
  • Guided journal prompts
  • AI-powered shadow self dialogue
  • Mood and emotion tracking
  • Learning library on mental health
  • Symbol and archetype exploration
  • Weekly reflections and insights
  • Secure and private on-device storage
Features
Read full description

Discover Yourself Through Shadow Work ShadowWork is a guided journaling app designed to help you explore your inner world, uncover hidden patterns, and gently integrate the parts of yourself you’ve kept in the dark. Whether you’re journaling for anxiety and depression help, looking for ADHD emotional support, or simply seeking more clarity and self-growth, this app offers a supportive and structured space for meaningful reflection. What You’ll Experience • Guided Journal Prompts Carefully crafted questions that support therapy, mood tracking, and emotional clarity, helping you work through stress, anxiety, and unconscious beliefs. • Chat with Your Shadow Self An AI-powered reflective dialogue that mirrors your inner voice—offering insight, not advice. • Mood & Emotion Tracking Log your feelings, spot trends, and build awareness over time—helpful for those managing depression, ADHD, or emotional ups and downs. • Learning Library Dive into articles and tools on shadow work, mental health, CBT, and DBT journaling for deeper self-understanding. • Symbol & Archetype Explorer Reflect on inner patterns through symbols, archetypes, and themed journaling exercises. • Weekly Reflections & Insights Receive personalized insights that bring together your journal entries, moods, and emotional patterns. • Secure & Private Your entries are stored on your device only. No account required—you control your data. With Shadow Work Journal you can journal for healing, self-discovery, emotional clarity, and mental wellness—all in one safe, private space. Privacy Policy: https://paytaktech.com/Apps/ShadowWork/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

MARCUS

Features
Read full description

MARCUS is a daily Stoic practice app built on a simple premise: philosophy is something you do, not something you read. Most philosophy apps give you a quote and call it a day. MARCUS gives you a complete daily practice rooted in 2,000 years of Stoic tradition — morning intentions, structured lessons, guided exercises, and evening reflections that turn ancient wisdom into a living habit. FOUR PILLARS OF DAILY PRACTICE Today — Your Daily Anchor Each morning begins with a carefully chosen thought from Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, or Seneca. Not a decorative quote — a lens for examining your day. Set your morning intention in under two minutes and return each evening for a virtue check-in. Learn — Depth, Not Soundbites 61 structured lessons covering seven pillars of Stoic philosophy: Control, Acceptance, Virtue, Mortality, Calmness, Obstacles, and Time. Each lesson pairs primary source excerpts with modern commentary and a practical exercise. Includes a dedicated "Stoicism at Work" journey applying Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, and Seneca to difficult colleagues, hard emails, and the pressure to let a job become your whole identity. Reflect — Your Private Journal Guided journaling with rotating Stoic prompts. Every entry is stored locally on your device and never leaves it. Review your reflections over time and watch your practice deepen. Practice — Active Exercises 23 text-guided Stoic exercises grounded in classical practices: negative visualisation, the view from above, evening self-examination, and more — plus a set of 60-90 second "Quick Resets" for the moment you actually need them, not just morning and evening. DESIGNED FOR PRIVACY Your journal entries, reflections, and practice history never leave your device. No accounts, no cloud sync, no analytics, no tracking. MARCUS is free. No paywall, no trial, no ads.

Screenshots

Shadow Work Journal4 screens
MARCUS4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MARCUS at none against Shadow Work Journal's 3. MARCUS also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). On price, ads, device support 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. Shadow Work Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. MARCUS asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shadow Work Journal ships an update monthly, MARCUS fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Shadow Work Journal versus MARCUS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadow Work JournalMARCUS
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (108 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings108 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.217.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size50 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperERSAH ATMACAOwen McLoughlin

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Shadow Work Journal

Subscriptions3
  • Shadow Work Journal Monthly$9.991 Month
  • Shadow Work Annual Discounted$24.991 Year
  • Shadow Work Annual$39.991 Year
None

MARCUS

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shadow Work Journal free?
Shadow Work Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MARCUS free?
MARCUS is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Shadow Work Journal or MARCUS have ads?
Neither Shadow Work Journal nor MARCUS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shadow Work Journal or MARCUS?
Shadow Work Journal ships an update monthly, and MARCUS fortnightly. Most recently, Shadow Work Journal was updated on September 21, 2026 and MARCUS on September 16, 2026.

Other comparisons