Comparison

A5 Journal vs Anchor

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

Head to head
About

A5 Journal

Features
Read full description

A5 JOURNAL Your Records. Your Proof. Your Story. Your life deserves more than another notes app. A5 Journal combines the warmth of traditional journaling with powerful digital documentation tools. Build your own beautiful library, create notebooks, and capture everything from everyday memories to important professional records. YOUR HISTORY, PRESERVED Every entry is timestamped and permanently recorded. Once saved, it cannot be edited or rewritten, helping you preserve an authentic history of what happened and when. EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE Create notebooks for personal journaling, work documentation, project tracking, incident reports, memories, and more. FEATURES YOU'LL LOVE • Beautiful digital libraries and notebooks • Permanent, timestamped entries • Photos and supporting attachments • Customizable forms and reports • Offline mobile journaling with automatic synchronization • Shared journals for families and teams • A5 Mailroom for sharing letters and records • Search, starred entries, and reminders • Export your records whenever you need them • Memberships for individuals, families, and businesses BUILT FOR LIFE AND WORK Whether you're preserving memories, tracking personal goals, documenting workplace events, or collaborating with your team, A5 Journal keeps your records organized and accessible. Start building your library today. A5 Journal — Your Records. Your Proof. Your Story. Important Notice: A5 Journal is a documentation and organizational tool, not a legal service. Records are not guaranteed to be legally admissible. A 7-day free trial is available for eligible individual subscriptions. An active subscription is required after the trial. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Anchor

This app helps you solidify intentions into visual symbols that serve as daily reminders. Engage in focused tracing sessions to reinforce your goals and track consistency with a unique 'Thread Strength' metric, rather than fragile streaks. It's designed for individuals committed to execution and sustained focus.

Highlights
  • Forge unique geometric anchors from personal intentions
  • Reinforce anchors through focused tracing sessions
  • Track consistency with 'Thread Strength'
  • Set anchors as wallpapers for visual cues
  • Keep personal intentions private
Features
Read full description

Turn your goals into personal visual anchors, then strengthen your focus through guided daily practice. Anchor is a visual goal-setting system that gives important intentions a distinct visual form. Write what you are working toward, transform your words into a personalized geometric anchor, and return to it through focused sessions designed to keep your goal present. YOUR GOALS, GIVEN A VISUAL FORM Goals often begin clearly, then disappear beneath distractions, responsibilities, and unfinished plans. Anchor turns each intention into a memorable visual symbol created from your own words. Instead of leaving your goal buried in a notes app or checklist, you gain a personal visual cue you can recognize and return to. GUIDED PRACTICE FOR DAILY FOCUS Choose the experience that fits your time and intention: • Focus for quick daily reinforcement • Deep Prime for longer, immersive practice • Visualize for mentally rehearsing your desired outcome • Release when an intention is complete Each session creates a dedicated moment to reconnect with what you are building, changing, or becoming. CONSISTENCY WITHOUT STREAK PRESSURE Anchor replaces fragile streaks with Thread Strength. Complete sessions, review your activity, and see how consistently you return to your practice. Missing one day does not erase your progress. Your thread can weaken, strengthen, and rebuild over time. CREATE ANCHORS FOR WHAT MATTERS Use Anchor for: • Career and business goals • Fitness and athletic performance • Focus and discipline • Confidence and personal growth • Creativity and learning • Important milestones • Long-term intentions MAKE EACH ANCHOR YOUR OWN Explore distinctive visual styles and choose the design that best represents the character of your goal. Keep active anchors organized inside your Sanctuary, revisit them whenever you need direction, and release completed intentions when their work is done. HOW ANCHOR WORKS 1. Write a clear intention. 2. Transform it into a personal visual anchor. 3. Choose a style that feels right. 4. Return through guided focus and visualization sessions. 5. Track your consistency through Thread Strength. Anchor is not a task manager, checklist, or traditional meditation app. It is a visual system for keeping meaningful goals present through intention, attention, and consistent practice. Give your intention a form. Create your first visual anchor today. Some features require Anchor Pro. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

A5 Journal4 screens
Anchor4 screens

Verdict

The call

A5 Journal and Anchor are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters — price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. A5 Journal sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Anchor sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
A5 Journal versus Anchor: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterA5 JournalAnchor
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size95 MB132 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThinkFULL Holdings Inc.Deontrez Williams

In-app purchases

10 purchases

A5 Journal

Subscriptions10
  • A5 Journal Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • A5 Journal Members - Monthly7 Days trial4 variants$2.991 Month
  • A5 Journal Family Plan$10.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • A5 Journal Business Plan Monthly$25.991 Month
  • A5 Journal Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • A5 Journal Members - Yearly7 Days trial4 variants$29.991 Year
  • A5 Journal Business+ Plan Monthly$49.991 Month
  • A5 Journal Family Plan Yearly$109.991 Year
  • A5 Journal Business Plan Yearly$259.991 Year
  • A5 Journal Business+ Plan Yearly$499.991 Year
3 purchases

Anchor

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly7 Days trial$7.991 Month
  • Pro Annual7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Anchor Pro Lifetime$179.99

Questions

Is A5 Journal free?
A5 Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Anchor free?
Anchor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do A5 Journal or Anchor have ads?
Neither A5 Journal nor Anchor shows ads.
Which is updated more often, A5 Journal or Anchor?
A5 Journal ships an update weekly, and Anchor weekly. Most recently, A5 Journal was updated on October 24, 2026 and Anchor on October 10, 2026.

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