# NextStep vs Tend Journal

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NextStep at none against Tend Journal's 1. Tend Journal's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Tend Journal sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $6.99 per month. NextStep asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for NextStep against 5.0 for Tend Journal. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.

NextStep ships an update fortnightly, Tend Journal every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NextStep | Tend Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nextstep-goals-tracker/id6754955377/reviews) | [5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tend-journal/id6766641870/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2** | 1 |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 4 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 17.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Huy La](https://appshunter.io/developer/1849767356) | [Daniel Davenport](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896310678) |

## What reviewers say

### NextStep

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nextstep-goals-tracker/id6754955377)

This app helps you break down large aspirations into manageable steps and track your progress visually. It offers smart organization, key metrics, and a goal health dashboard to keep you motivated. Premium features provide advanced analytics and data export.

**Highlights:** Milestone planning, Smart organization with custom categories, Visual progress charts, Key metrics tracking, Goal health dashboard, Advanced search and filtering, Data export (Premium)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Tend Journal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tend-journal/id6766641870)

This app offers a private journaling experience with on-device AI to help you reflect on your thoughts and identify patterns. It allows for free writing, mood tracking, tagging, and photo attachments, with optional advanced AI insights and cross-device sync.

**Highlights:** On-device AI reflection, Mood tracking and tagging, Photo and location attachments, Pattern identification insights, Goal setting and progress tracking, Private and secure local storage

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tend Premium | $6.99 | per month |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NextStep free?

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

### Is Tend Journal free?

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

### Which has better reviews, NextStep or Tend Journal?

NextStep and Tend Journal are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 1 ratings respectively.

### Do NextStep or Tend Journal have ads?

Neither NextStep nor Tend Journal shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, NextStep or Tend Journal?

NextStep ships an update fortnightly, and Tend Journal every 2 days. Most recently, NextStep was updated on October 16, 2026 and Tend Journal on October 5, 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.*