Comparison

DearWiki vs Journal

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

Head to head
About

DearWiki

Features
Read full description

DearWiki is a local-first notebook and personal wiki for notes, tasks, daily plans, research, and connected ideas. Write in portable Markdown, capture from the share sheet, find backlinks on the knowledge map, organize readable structured views, and export a complete ZIP whenever you want. Attachment OCR runs on the device. No DearWiki account is required. Optional WebDAV sync uses a server you choose.

About

Journal

Capture ideas, take notes, annotate PDFs, and plan your day in a single digital space. Organize personal journaling, study notes, tasks, and schedules with customizable digital tools that mimic a paper notebook.

Highlights
  • Handwriting, typing, drawing, and highlighting
  • PDF annotation and import
  • Customizable templates
  • Integrated calendar and reminders
  • Notebooks with hyperlinks
  • iOS 27 technology integration (Siri, Spotlight, Shortcuts)
  • Home screen widgets
Features
Read full description

Welcome to Journal: Notes, PDF & Planner - your all-in-one digital space to capture ideas, take notes, annotate PDFs, and plan your day. From personal journaling and study notes to daily tasks and weekly schedules, keep everything that matters beautifully organized in one place. Enjoy the familiar feel of a paper notebook with the flexibility of digital tools. Write by hand, type, draw, highlight, and personalize every page your way. WHY SHOULD YOU CHOOSE JOURNAL? - Keep your notes, PDFs, tasks, and schedules organized in one place - Write by hand, type, draw, and highlight to capture ideas your way - Turn PDFs into working documents with notes and annotations - Start with ready-made templates and personalize pages to suit your style - Plan your day with a built-in calendar and reminders that help you stay on track KEY FEATURES STAY ORGANIZED AT WORK, SCHOOL & IN DAILY LIFE Keep notes, plans, tasks, and schedules together so everything is easier to find and manage. Quickly capture ideas, class notes, work reminders, or daily to-dos, then organize them with themes and layouts that match the way you think and work TAKE NOTES, WRITE DOCUMENTS, DRAW & SKETCH IDEAS Turn your device into a digital notebook that feels natural to use. Write by hand, type notes, sketch ideas, brainstorm, highlight details, and create on customizable pages with pens, highlighters, text tools, and more. From quick thoughts to study notes, every page feels natural and personal IMPORT, READ & ANNOTATE PDF DOCUMENTS Bring PDFs into Journal and work with them directly. Keep your study or work materials together with your notes. When you’re done, export your work back to PDF with ease. EXPLORE READY-MADE TEMPLATES Discover ready-made templates for journaling, planning, studying, and more. Pick a style, personalize it, and start creating right away EXPLORE NOTEBOOKS WITH HYPERLINKS Use notebooks with built-in hyperlinks to quickly jump between pages and sections, making planning, journaling, and note-taking easier to navigate NOTES & PLANS WITH THE LATEST iOS 27 TECHNOLOGIES Journal integrates the latest iOS 27 technologies to connect your notes and plans with Siri, Spotlight, and Shortcuts. Use Siri to create tasks, capture notes, and start notebooks with your voice. Find supported Journal content directly through Spotlight, and add available Journal actions to your shortcuts to simplify everyday routines. From quick ideas to daily to-dos, keep what matters within easy reach. PLAN YOUR DAY WITH A DIGITAL CALENDAR Bring your plans, tasks, and schedules into one clear view. Create events, manage appointments, track deadlines, and organize daily activities with the built-in calendar. KEEP WHAT MATTERS CLOSE WITH WIDGETS Bring Journal to your Home Screen with convenient widgets and quickly access important content whenever you need it SYNC, BACK UP, SEND & SHARE Keep your journals, notes, and plans backed up and synced across devices. Easily send and share notes and documents SET SMART REMINDERS Stay on top of deadlines, appointments, study sessions, and everyday tasks with smart reminders ADD, ORGANIZE & FLIP THROUGH PAGES Add new pages above or below your current page, organize your content, and flip through your journal with the familiar feel of a real notebook KEEP YOUR JOURNAL PRIVATE WITH PASSCODE Protect your personal journals, notes, and memories with a passcode for added privacy PERSONALIZE WITH COLORS & DARK MODE Choose your preferred primary color and switch to Dark Mode for a comfortable, personalized writing and planning experience in low light Discover a more flexible way to journal, take notes, manage tasks, and plan your day. Keep your ideas, memories, schedules, and PDF documents together in one personal digital space. Download Journal: Notes, PDF & Planner today and make everyday writing, planning, and creating feel easier and more personal. Capture your ideas, stay on top of your plans, and make every page truly yours.

Screenshots

DearWiki3 screens
Journal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: DearWiki at none against Journal's shown. Journal's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 8 days). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DearWiki ships an update every 8 days, Journal every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
DearWiki versus Journal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDearWikiJournal
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.8 (18 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—18 — better
Update frequencyEvery 8 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Ad-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.016 — better
Further details — not scored
Size2 MB112 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPedro BrannumGlobal Mobile App Limited

In-app purchases

None

DearWiki

No in-app purchases

None

Journal

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is DearWiki free?
DearWiki is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Journal free?
Journal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do DearWiki or Journal have ads?
Journal shows ads; DearWiki does not.
Which is updated more often, DearWiki or Journal?
DearWiki ships an update every 8 days, and Journal every 2 days. Most recently, DearWiki was updated on October 31, 2026 and Journal on November 10, 2026.

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