Comparison

BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker vs Self Reflection Journal

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

Head to head
About

BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker

This private diary app helps you understand your emotions, untangle your thoughts, and build healthy habits for mental wellness. It offers mood logging, a feelings wheel, thought records, gratitude journaling, habit tracking, and guided meditation.

Highlights
  • Mood logging with a feelings wheel
  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy thought records
  • Gratitude journaling
  • Habit tracking with reminders
  • Guided meditation timer
  • Progress insights and PDF export
  • App Lock with biometric security
Features
Read full description

Your space. Your thoughts. Your wellness, your way. BrightLog is the private diary for your mental wellness and self-care. It helps you understand how you feel, untangle your thoughts and look after yourself, one day at a time. Log your mood in a tap, put a name to your feelings, hold on to the good moments and build healthy habits. Find calm with meditation, and see hard thoughts in a new light with a thought record from cognitive behavioral therapy. And above all, your privacy comes first. We never see what you write: your information never leaves your device. YOUR PRIVACY, YOUR RULES Your thoughts stay safely on your device. • No account needed. Open BrightLog and start writing. • It’s your call. Backup happens only if you sign in and you enable it, and goes only to your own iCloud. Your journal, moods, gratitude and habits come back on a new device. • Your diary, under lock and key. Turn on App Lock with Face ID, Touch ID or your device’s screen lock. Your words are yours. Always. HOW ARE YOU FEELING TODAY? Sometimes a few seconds is all it takes to pause and check in with yourself. That is self-care too. Log your mood in a tap: Awesome, Good, Not sure, Bad or Terrible. FIND THE WORDS FOR WHAT YOU FEEL The feelings wheel gives you 82 words, starting from seven core emotions. Naming a feeling is the first step to understanding it. WHEN THOUGHTS WEIGH HEAVY, SHIFT YOUR PERSPECTIVE With a thought record from cognitive behavioral therapy, you note what happened and what went through your mind. You weigh the facts for and against, and find a more balanced view. One thought at a time. YOUR DIARY, YOUR STORY Write freely, or simply speak and watch your words appear. Add photos, videos, voice notes and documents. With a photo, you see right away where it was taken. LEARN TO SAVOR THE LITTLE THINGS Collect the good things in your Gratitude Pot: a sentence, a photo, a video. Each day, BrightLog brings one back to you. Because even on the hardest days, there’s room for something good. BUILD HABITS THAT DO YOU GOOD You don’t have to change everything overnight. Pick a goal, get inspired by ten Goal ideas or create your own, with daily reminders, even for taking your medication. Take a break: no day counts as missed. When you reach a goal, BrightLog celebrates with you, and you can share it as a picture. SEE HOW FAR YOU’VE COME A ring for every goal and twelve weeks side by side: notice your progress and find fresh motivation. LITTLE ACTS OF SELF-CARE Gentle nudges through your day: a glass of water, a quick stretch, a kind word to yourself. Tap Done and let that moment count. FIND YOUR CALM WITH MEDITATION A meditation timer from 5 to 30 minutes, soothing sounds or silence, and simple prompts for your breath and body. GET TO KNOW YOUR PATTERNS Monthly and yearly insights show your journey in five views: Story, Heatmap, Trend, Wheel and Mood. A clearer picture of your mental wellness. Export it as a PDF. WALK INTO THERAPY WITH A CLEARER HEAD It isn’t always easy to remember everything you wanted to say in a session. Choose the dates, and BrightLog gathers your moods, diary entries, notes and goals into one tidy summary, ready to share as a PDF. You arrive knowing what you want to talk about, and your therapist gets the bigger picture. In the Experts tab, you’ll find psychologists and counselors near you. ALWAYS WITHIN REACH From your Home Screen, log your mood and see today’s habits at a glance. EVERY MILESTONE DESERVES TO BE CELEBRATED 30 badges for journaling, mood, gratitude and habits: every step forward counts. NOT SURE WHERE TO START? Tap the ? on any tab for a short, friendly guide. YOUR SPACE, EVERY DAY Dark mode and 20 languages, on iPhone and iPad. A calmer, healthier lifestyle and better mental wellness, one small step at a time. BrightLog is your diary. Your thoughts stay yours. We never see what you write.

About

Self Reflection Journal

Features
Read full description

Self Reflection Journal is a private space for understanding your feelings, thoughts, relationships, and emotional patterns. Some days you know exactly what you feel. Other days everything is mixed: a message you want to send, a conversation you keep replaying, a feeling you cannot name, or a thought that keeps coming back. Self Reflection Journal helps you slow down and write with more clarity. Instead of starting with a blank page, you can use gentle reflection prompts, emotional check-ins, and guided writing practices to understand what is happening inside you. What you can do Check in with yourself Track your emotional state through three simple axes: mood, energy, and connection. Move the sliders and notice what changes from day to day. Write private journal entries Save thoughts, feelings, conversations, relationship reflections, difficult moments, and honest notes you do not need to send to anyone. Use guided reflection prompts When you do not know what to write, open a thoughtful question and start from there. Prompts are designed for self-reflection, emotional clarity, boundaries, relationships, letting go, and inner support. Notice emotional patterns See simple insights based on your entries, including frequent emotions, writing patterns, and emotional trends over time. Protect your journal Use PIN, Face ID, or device biometrics to keep your private space more secure. Write your way Use text or voice input when it feels easier to speak than type. Choose your visual style Pick a soft theme that matches your mood: warm, gentle, calm, or darker and more private. Premium features Self Reflection Journal Premium unlocks: unlimited journal entries; full library of reflection prompts; relationship journal; breakup journal; extended insights; PDF export; PIN / Face ID protection; no ads. A gentle note Self Reflection Journal is a personal journaling and self-reflection app. It is not a medical, psychological, or psychotherapy service. It does not diagnose, treat, or replace professional support. Use it as a private space to pause, write, understand yourself better, and return to your own voice. Terms of Use: https://maksastera.com/apps/psychological-diary/terms-of-use.html Privacy Policy: https://maksastera.com/apps/psychological-diary/privacy-policy.html

Screenshots

BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker4 screens
Self Reflection Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker at none against Self Reflection Journal's 3. BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). Self Reflection Journal's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.4). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

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. Self Reflection Journal sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker ships an update weekly, Self Reflection Journal every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker versus Self Reflection Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBrightLog Journal Mood TrackerSelf Reflection Journal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.413.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size121 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCristian MiliaMaksym Andriienko

In-app purchases

None

BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Self Reflection Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Premium month$2.991 Month
  • Premium Year$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$22.99

Questions

Is BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker free?
BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Self Reflection Journal free?
Self Reflection Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker or Self Reflection Journal have ads?
Self Reflection Journal shows ads; BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker does not.
Which is updated more often, BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker or Self Reflection Journal?
BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker ships an update weekly, and Self Reflection Journal every 5 weeks. Most recently, BrightLog Journal Mood Tracker was updated on November 5, 2026 and Self Reflection Journal on October 28, 2026.

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