Comparison

Essence Journal vs MicroHabit

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

Head to head
About

Essence Journal

A private and ad-free digital journal for capturing your feelings and daily essence. Log moods with rich detail, track self-care, and revisit your entries through an elegant calendar archive.

Highlights
  • Free writing with prompts
  • Nuanced mood logging
  • Daily essence visualization
  • Self-care and appointment tracking
  • Elegant calendar archive
  • Private by design
Features
Read full description

Essence Journal is a calm, grown-up place to capture how you actually feel — without the clutter, ads, or teen-app noise. Open it on a lunch break or in five quiet minutes: write freely, log a feeling in a word instead of an emoji, and watch the day's "essence" take shape on a living ink field. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Write freely, or with a gentle daily prompt, a gratitude page, or a guided deep-reflection page. • Log nuanced moods from a rich palette — or add your own words — with triggers and notes. • See your day's essence: a computed score and tone drawn from every feeling you log. • Tend the small things — water, self-care rituals, hobbies, and upcoming appointments. • Revisit everything in an elegant calendar archive that tints each day by mood, with week-over-week trends and plain-English patterns. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your journal is yours. The core writing experience, your privacy, and your data are never paywalled. LIFETIME OWNERSHIP Essence Journal is a one-time purchase — no subscription, no renewals. Pay once and it is yours to keep, forever. Privacy Policy: https://preview.apppublishing.ai/legal/essence-journal/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://preview.apppublishing.ai/legal/essence-journal/terms

About

MicroHabit

Focus on up to three daily goals with a simple, color-coded interface. Mark habits complete with a single tap and visualize your progress with streaks and a calendar. Optional reminders and flexible scheduling help build consistency.

Highlights
  • Track up to three color-coded daily goals
  • Mark goals complete with one tap
  • View streaks and completion calendar
  • Flexible scheduling options
  • Gentle, optional daily reminders
  • Habit Strength indicator
Features
Read full description

MicroHabit Tracker is the antidote to overwhelming habit apps. Instead of endless lists and data overload, you focus on up to three bold, color-coded daily goals — and celebrate each one with a single calm tap. WHY MICROHABIT Most habit apps bury you in options and charts. MicroHabit keeps it simple: pick a few small habits that matter, mark them done, and watch your consistency grow. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Track up to three color-coded daily goals — free, forever • Mark a goal done with one satisfying tap • See your streaks and a visual completion calendar • Flexible schedules: daily, specific weekdays, or times per week • Add an if-then anchor to help habits stick • Gentle daily reminders, right on your device and always optional • Habit Strength shows how automatic each habit is becoming MICROHABIT PRO (optional subscription) Go further when you're ready: • Unlimited goals beyond the core three • Long-range Habit Strength trends and pattern insights • Power-day and time-of-day analysis • Days-to-strong forecasts for every goal Pricing: $4.99/month or $39.99/year, with a 7-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation. Your subscription auto-renews unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period; manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Start small. Stay consistent. Build habits that actually stick. Privacy Policy: https://preview.apppublishing.ai/legal/microhabit/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://preview.apppublishing.ai/legal/microhabit/terms

Screenshots

Essence Journal4 screens
MicroHabit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: MicroHabit at freemium against Essence Journal's paid. On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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. Essence Journal sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and MicroHabit sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Essence Journal against 5.0 for MicroHabit. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 4 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Essence Journal versus MicroHabit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEssence JournalMicroHabit
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings34 — better
Update frequency—Every 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerheather sherryGHOSTWRITERS & ETC. LLC

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Essence Journal

One-time1
  • Lifetime Ownership$9.99
2 purchases

MicroHabit

Subscriptions2
  • MicroHabit Pro Monthly7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • MicroHabit Pro Annual7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is Essence Journal free?
Essence Journal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MicroHabit free?
MicroHabit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Essence Journal or MicroHabit?
Essence Journal and MicroHabit are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 4 ratings respectively.
Do Essence Journal or MicroHabit have ads?
Neither Essence Journal nor MicroHabit shows ads.

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