Comparison

Toki vs Journaling Buddy

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

Head to head
About

Toki

Features
Read full description

Toki is a calm, private journal built for the way you actually live — quick days, long days, days you want to remember, and days you just need to get through. No account. No social feed. Nothing that makes your writing feel like content. YOUR WORDS STAY WITH YOU Every entry lives on your device, encrypted with your OS keychain. Nothing is uploaded unless you explicitly export it. Take your entire journal as a plain file at any time. WRITE YOUR WAY • A fresh writing prompt every day to get you started • Free-write or answer the prompt, your choice • Voice input to make it easy to log an entry • Mood picker with 10 moods • Tags and inline #hashtag support • Full-text search across every entry • Calendar view of every day you wrote • On-this-day memory surface for older entries LOOK BACK WITH CLARITY • Daily writing streak with a one-day grace window — no shame, no guilt copy • 30 badges across consistency, depth, rhythm, and exploration • Month in Review: word counts, mood patterns, top tags, writing heatmap • Year in Review: see how your full year unfolded • Stats screen with hours-of-day writing patterns CALM BY DESIGN • No banners, no upsell popups, no engagement tricks • Reminders with quiet, considerate copy • 10 themes including 5 paper-texture finishes • PIN and biometric lock with timeout settings to keep your journal private TOKI PREMIUM (optional in-app purchase) Premium adds richer reflection tools when you're ready: • All 9 anchor types — attach photos, locations, songs, books, movies, people, meals, activities, and weather to any entry • AI Companion — thoughtful reflection on what you wrote, with a live preview of exactly what redacted text will be sent before you confirm. Powered by your own API key or Toki's built-in secure route. • 5 additional themes: Midnight, Parchment, Ocean, Dusk, Forest • Advanced search by tag, mood, and anchor type • Full monthly review history for every past month • Full yearly review for every past year PRIVACY DETAILS • Encrypted MMKV storage keyed to your OS keychain • PIN hashed with PBKDF2-SHA256 + random salt • AI Companion redacts emails, phone numbers, and location before any network request • No advertising identifiers, no ATT prompt, no cross-app tracking • PostHog anonymised diagnostics only — journal content is never included in analytics Toki is free to download. Premium features are available via optional in-app purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. "Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/"

About

Journaling Buddy

Features
Read full description

Journaling Buddy is a private journaling companion designed to help you reflect, recognize patterns, and understand yourself over time. Write, record, scan, or import your journal entries. Journaling Buddy uses AI to organize your reflections into summaries, emotions, themes, and personal insights. Higher Self uses your own journals and answers to help you explore what went well, what you may be avoiding, and what matters most to you. Features: • Write, voice, scan, and import journal entries • AI-generated summaries, emotions, themes, and insights • Higher Self reflections based on your own journals • Journaling streaks and personalized reminders • Face ID app lock • Data export and account deletion A subscription is required to access the app after the free trial. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Toki4 screens
Journaling Buddy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Journaling Buddy at every 2 weeks against Toki's every 3 weeks. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS

CostPrice Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Ads Ā· Monetization

Both are free to download. Toki sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Journaling Buddy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Toki ships an update every 3 weeks, Journaling Buddy every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference Ā· 5 level
Toki versus Journaling Buddy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTokiJournaling Buddy
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size58 MB77 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVinay BommaEztoico Tecnologia LTDA

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Toki

Subscriptions2
  • Toki Premium Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Toki Premium Yearly7 Days trial$17.991 Year
One-time1
  • Toki Premium$34.99
2 purchases

Journaling Buddy

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Premium3 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Yearly Premium3 Days trial$69.991 Year

Questions

Is Toki free?
Toki is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Journaling Buddy free?
Journaling Buddy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Toki or Journaling Buddy have ads?
Neither Toki nor Journaling Buddy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Toki or Journaling Buddy?
Toki ships an update every 3 weeks, and Journaling Buddy every 2 weeks. Most recently, Toki was updated on October 5, 2026 and Journaling Buddy on October 21, 2026.

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