# Shadow Work Journal vs Balanced Minds

The clearest difference is rating: Balanced Minds at 5.0 against Shadow Work Journal's 4.5. Balanced Minds also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.2). Shadow Work Journal's advantage is ratings volume (113 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Shadow Work Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Balanced Minds sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Balanced Minds holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shadow Work Journal has 113 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Shadow Work Journal ships an update monthly, Balanced Minds weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shadow Work Journal | Balanced Minds |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (113 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadow-work-journal/id6746123700/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balanced-minds/id6772810728/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **113** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 50 MB | 62 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [ERSAH ATMACA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1708793991) | [7vn Designs LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6772810730) |

## What reviewers say

### Shadow Work Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shadow-work-journal/id6746123700)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Shadow Work Journal Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Shadow Work Annual Discounted | $24.99 | per year |
| Shadow Work Annual | $39.99 | per year |


### Balanced Minds

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balanced-minds/id6772810728)

This app offers a focused space for emotional awareness and personal growth. It combines guided reflection, affirmations, and structured self-awareness exercises across five core areas to help users find clarity and calm.

**Highlights:** Guided reflection prompts, Daily affirmations, Reflective articles, Structured self-awareness exercises, Progress tracking of reflections

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reflection | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shadow Work Journal free?

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

### Is Balanced Minds free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Shadow Work Journal or Balanced Minds?

Balanced Minds is rated higher. Shadow Work Journal averages 4.5 out of 5 from 113 ratings, while Balanced Minds averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Shadow Work Journal or Balanced Minds have ads?

Neither Shadow Work Journal nor Balanced Minds shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shadow Work Journal or Balanced Minds?

Shadow Work Journal ships an update monthly, and Balanced Minds weekly. Most recently, Shadow Work Journal was updated on October 25, 2026 and Balanced Minds on October 31, 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.*