Comparison

Shadow Work Journal vs Reflenn

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

Head to head
About

Shadow Work Journal

Features
Read full description

Meet the parts of yourself you've kept in the dark. Penumbra is a private, beautifully simple shadow work journal that helps you understand your triggers, heal old wounds, and come home to who you really are — one honest prompt at a time. Shadow work is the practice of exploring the hidden parts of yourself: the fears, patterns, and emotions you learned to push away. Bringing them into the light is how real, lasting change begins. Penumbra makes that work approachable, gentle, and yours alone. — GUIDED JOURNEYS — 19 themed paths with 200+ deep, therapist-style prompts: Meet Your Shadow, Inner Child, Self-Sabotage, Fear & Anxiety, Anger, Relationships, Self-Worth, Forgiveness, Boundaries, Grief, Shame, Mother & Father Wounds, Money Stories, Work & Purpose, Perfectionism, Jealousy, Attachment, Identity, and more. — GUIDED TOOLS — • Guided Session — process a charged moment, step by step • Core Belief Explorer — trace a limiting belief to its root • Parts Work — meet a part of yourself with curiosity (IFS-inspired) • Multi-day Courses — Meet Your Inner Critic, Reparenting, Self-Compassion — TRACK & SEE PATTERNS — • Daily check-in: mood, energy and anxiety in 10 seconds • Trigger tracker: capture what set you off and why • Shadow archetypes: notice the Inner Critic, People-Pleaser and more • Private insights, weekly review, emotional timeline & trends — all on-device, no AI — REFLECT YOUR WAY — • A fresh daily prompt and a streak to keep you coming back • Write or record a voice note; tag mood, emotions and archetypes • Dream journal and daily grounding affirmations — YOURS ALONE — Everything stays on your device. Lock your journal behind Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode. No accounts, no cloud, no one watching. — GENTLE & SAFE — Grounding exercises and crisis resources are one tap away. A soft, modern interface for dark and light mode, with a reminder you can set to any time. Meet your shadow. Reclaim your light. — PENUMBRA PRO — Unlock every guided journey and course, full insights, Face ID app lock, daily reminders, voice notes and export. Try Pro free for 3 days. • Yearly subscription with a 3-day free trial • Weekly subscription Subscriptions automatically renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when you purchase a subscription. Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/allegrodigital/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://sites.google.com/view/allegrodigital/terms-of-use Penumbra is a self-reflection tool and is not a substitute for professional therapy or medical care. If you are in crisis, please reach out to a qualified professional or a local helpline.

About

Reflenn

This app helps you identify recurring patterns in your life by analyzing your own descriptions through depth psychology lenses. It offers a free teaser reading and a one-time unlock for a full analysis, workbook, and check-ins. It focuses on uncovering underlying structures rather than assigning labels.

Highlights
  • Pattern identification through personal descriptions
  • Depth psychology analysis (archetypes, myth)
  • Free teaser reading
  • One-time unlock for full analysis
  • Personalized workbook exercises
  • Check-ins for pattern recognition
  • Multilingual support
Features
Read full description

There is something you seem to do, and you want to know what it is. Not what is wrong with everyone else. The part that is yours. Reflenn is not a journal and not a quiz. You describe what actually happened, in your own words — a relationship, a conflict at work, a family dynamic — and Reflenn reads it back to you: what you might be doing in it, protecting, avoiding, expecting or recreating. WHAT YOU GET Free: a teaser read. The part where you recognise yourself. Free: Pattern Trainer. Short cases where you read someone else's repetition and check your answer against what the text actually supports. No account needed. One-off payment, no subscription: - The full read — what you seem to be doing, traced through your own words, and where it comes from - A workbook with 2-3 exercises built from the situation you described HOW IT WORKS 1. Describe what happened. In your words, not in clinical terms. 2. Reflenn reads it through a bank of depth-psychology lenses: archetypes, myth and story, the wound, agency, meaning, decision-making. 3. The teaser is free. If it lands, you unlock the full read once. WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT It does not flatter you, and it does not type you. Most self-discovery apps hand you a category and a list of traits. Reflenn starts from what you actually wrote, quotes it back to you, and offers what it reads as a hypothesis you can check — including a plain "if this is not you, then more likely this instead". You decide whether it fits. The same thing often turns up in different areas of life. Reflenn shows you what you seem to be doing across them and how to check whether that reading holds up. WHAT IT IS NOT Reflenn is not therapy, not diagnosis and not crisis support. Sensitive and crisis-related inputs are filtered rather than answered. If you are in crisis, contact a local emergency service or a mental health professional. PRIVACY Start anonymously. No email and no account required for your first read. Register later only if you want your reads on more than one device. Available in 11 languages.

Screenshots

Shadow Work Journal4 screens
Reflenn4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Shadow Work Journal at 16.0 against Reflenn's 26.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Shadow Work Journal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Reflenn sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Shadow Work Journal versus Reflenn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShadow Work JournalReflenn
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequency—Every 4 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB6 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperAllegro DigitalOleksandr Chyzh

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Shadow Work Journal

Subscriptions2
  • Penumbra Pro$4.997 Days
  • Penumbra Pro3 Days trial$29.991 Year
2 purchases

Reflenn

One-time2
  • Full read$9.99
  • Unlock Full Report & Workbook$19.99

Questions

Is Shadow Work Journal free?
Shadow Work Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Reflenn free?
Reflenn is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Shadow Work Journal or Reflenn have ads?
Neither Shadow Work Journal nor Reflenn shows ads.

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