# Honest Journal vs One

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Honest Journal at none against One's 3. One's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. One sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Honest Journal asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Honest Journal against 5.0 for One. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 2 respectively.

Honest Journal ships an update every 6 months, One every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Honest Journal | One |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/honest-journal/id6751611724/reviews) | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/one-simple-journal/id6761298802/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 2 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jose Garcia](https://appshunter.io/developer/1835047048) | [Ryan Bittorf](https://appshunter.io/developer/650449038) |

## What reviewers say

### Honest Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/honest-journal/id6751611724)

This app offers a serene space for daily reflection and gratitude journaling. It features a clean interface, gentle reminders, and a focus on privacy by storing entries locally. Track your progress with a streak counter and enjoy a clutter-free writing experience.

**Highlights:** Clean writing experience, Calendar history, Daily reminders, Private local storage, Daily prompt, Streak tracking

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### One

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/one-simple-journal/id6761298802)

This app simplifies journaling by requiring only one sentence per day. It's designed for beginners and busy individuals, offering a calm and focused space to capture daily thoughts and build a reflective habit effortlessly.

**Highlights:** One sentence daily entry, Effortless habit building, No overwhelm or distractions, Timeline of thoughts, Record of daily life, Calm and focused design

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One Sentence Journal Premium | $2.99 | per month |
| One Sentence Journal Premium | $14.99 | per year |
| One Sentence Journal Premium | $34.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Honest Journal free?

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

### Is One free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Honest Journal or One?

Honest Journal and One are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 2 ratings respectively.

### Do Honest Journal or One have ads?

Neither Honest Journal nor One shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Honest Journal or One?

Honest Journal ships an update every 6 months, and One every 2 weeks. Most recently, Honest Journal was updated on October 30, 2026 and One 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.*