General Journal vs Cronch
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β with what reviewers say about each.
General Journal
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General Journal brings your diary, expenses, photos, and companion conversations together in one daily timeline. Capture everyday life β’ Write rich-text diary entries with moods and photos. β’ Record income and expenses manually or turn a sentence into entries with AI assistance. β’ Review suggested entries before saving them. β’ Scan receipts and Taiwan e-invoice QR codes to help with bookkeeping. β’ Find past entries with search and tags. Keep your finances in view β’ Manage accounts, transfers, credit card payments, and shared expenses. β’ Record spending in different currencies. β’ Review income, expenses, and category summaries. Make room for reflection β’ Talk with your in-app companion about your day. β’ Request a companion response to a saved entry. β’ Create and edit memory cards from selected records and conversations. β’ Personalize your experience with appearance and companion settings. Your records and your choices β’ No app account is required for core journaling and bookkeeping. β’ Core records and photos are stored on your device. β’ Optional AI features send the content and context needed for processing to an online service. β’ Receipt recognition uses on-device OCR; relevant text is sent for AI parsing. β’ Export local backups, or choose available cloud backup options. Cloud backup transfers your backup to the cloud service you select. β’ App lock helps protect access to your records. Free to use with ads. Optional purchases and subscriptions provide additional benefits; see the in-app plan details for current features and limits. Before updating or changing devices, export a current backup and keep it somewhere safe. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Cronch
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Photograph a snack and the background disappears β it becomes a sticker. Your day turns into a single receipt. Your calendar fills with stickers. No calorie counting. No subscription. β SHOOT IT. IT BECOMES A STICKER. Snap the wrapper and the background is removed automatically. Everything runs on-device. Your photos never leave your phone. Not in the mood for a photo? Pick an emoji instead. β YOUR DAY BECOMES ONE RECEIPT Everything you ate today, printed like a receipt. What, when, how many β with a total at the bottom. Save it as an image and share it. β A CALENDAR MADE OF SNACKS Each day fills with the stickers you collected. Watching the blank squares fill up is the whole point. Missed a day? You can still add it later. β IT SHOWS YOU. IT DOESN'T SCOLD YOU. Weekly and monthly recaps show when you always reach for something, and which days pile up. New snacks you met this month get their own shelf. No judgment. No advice. Just what happened. β PANTRY Shelve your regulars and log them with one tap. Three seconds, done. β PLAYGROUND (Pro) Everything you ate this month spills onto the screen. Shake it, throw it, catch it in a box. There is no goal. β NO SUBSCRIPTION. JUST ONCE. Cronch Pro is a one-time purchase. Nothing renews. Β· Unlimited pantry (15 slots on free) Β· No ads Β· Playground Β· 5 themes Β· Plus whatever themes and features come next Ads appear once a day, only when you switch the recap to daily. We use non-personalized ads, so there's no tracking prompt. β EVERYTHING STAYS ON YOUR PHONE No account. No login. No server. All records and photos live on your device only. Export a backup file any time to move them yourself.
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Verdict
General Journal and Cronch are too close to call on the numbers: across 6 compared parameters β price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases among them β neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. General Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Cronch sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
General Journal ships an update weekly, Cronch every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | General Journal | Cronch |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly β better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod β better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details β not scored | ||
| Size | 92 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Zhegang Xu | HEESOO HYUN |
In-app purchases
General Journal
- General Journal Basic$1.991 Month
- General Journal Premium$2.991 Month
Cronch
- Cronch Pro$1.99
Questions
Is General Journal free?
Is Cronch free?
Do General Journal or Cronch have ads?
Which is updated more often, General Journal or Cronch?
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