Burn Journal vs Elm
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Burn Journal
This app provides a private, offline space for therapeutic journaling. Express your thoughts freely and then watch them permanently disappear through a unique "burning" process, offering emotional release and closure.
- Distraction-free writing interface
- Entries permanently "burn" away
- 100% offline functionality
- No cloud storage or data collection
- Daily and monthly journaling modes
- Dark mode support
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Burn Journal: Your Safe Space to Release & Let Go Sometimes you need to write it out—without judgment, without keeping it forever. Burn Journal is a therapeutic journaling app designed to help you express your thoughts freely, then let them go completely. HOW IT WORKS • Write daily or monthly entries in a simple, distraction-free interface • Each entry is limited to help you focus on what truly matters • At the end of each week or month, watch your words scramble and "burn" away • 100% offline—your thoughts never leave your device WHY BURN JOURNAL? Release Without Attachment: Express difficult emotions knowing they won't be stored forever Completely Private: No cloud storage, no accounts, no data collection Therapeutic Ritual: The "burning" process provides closure and emotional release Daily & Monthly Modes: Choose weekly check-ins or deeper monthly reflections Dark Mode Support: Write comfortably any time of day PERFECT FOR • Processing difficult emotions • Daily gratitude or reflection practices • Working through temporary challenges • Anyone who wants to journal without the pressure of permanence YOUR PRIVACY MATTERS Burn Journal operates 100% offline. Your entries are stored locally on your device and are never uploaded to any server. When entries "burn," they're permanently deleted—no backups, no recovery, no trace. Write it. Release it. Burn it. Move forward.
Elm
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Elm is a fast, distraction-free workspace for your notes, docs, and ideas. Write and organize everything in one place — nested pages, a real block editor, and search that actually finds what you're looking for. No bloat, no fifty menus, no forced AI. NOTES & DOCS Write with a clean block editor built for speed. • Headings, checklists, code blocks, images, and multi-column layouts • Slash commands to add anything without touching a mouse • Nest pages as deep as you need — build your own personal wiki STAY ORGANIZED • Star and pin your most-used pages • Recent pages, always one tap away • Fast, full-text search across your entire workspace SHARE WHEN YOU WANT TO • Share any page with a link — view or edit access • Collaborate without giving up your whole workspace YOUR DATA, YOUR CALL • Export everything, any time — Markdown or HTML • Delete your account and all your data whenever you want FREE TO START Unlimited pages and blocks on the free plan — no credit card required. An optional paid plan with more storage is available on our website. LIGHT OR DARK Looks right at home either way. Simple, fast, and yours.
Screenshots
Verdict
Burn Journal and Elm are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Burn Journal | Elm |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 30 MB | 22 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Allwater Marine Group, LLC | Joshua Arnold |
In-app purchases
Burn Journal
No in-app purchases
Elm
No in-app purchases









