Comparison

Goodnight Journal vs Grid Diary

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

Head to head
About

Goodnight Journal

This app provides a private space for unlimited journaling, with options to share thoughts publicly and connect with a global community of writers. It also offers features to improve mental well-being through prompts, affirmations, and calming sounds.

Highlights
  • Unlimited private journaling
  • Public sharing option
  • Global writer community
  • Daily journal prompts
  • Mental health features
  • Dark mode
  • Cross-platform availability
Features
Read full description

Write unlimited private journals for free! Whether you want to share your thoughts with the world, or simply need a place to vent for yourself, Goodnight Journal is the perfect space to articulate your feelings. A community for journal writers! Writing out your thoughts and feelings gets better with like-minded people around you. Goodnight Journal connects journal writers like you together so you can share your thoughts and your life stories with others. Improve your mental health! Goodnight Journal also offers free features for your mental health along with online journaling. Goodnight Journal features: - Write in private or public - Autosave all your journals - Write free unlimited secure private journals - Daily journal reminder - Journal prompt - Journal books with a custom cover image - #1 online journal community with writers from all over the world - Monthly journal challenge to stay motivated - Backup journals - Darkmode - Also available on desktop, laptop, and tablet - Breathing techniques for keeping calm and relaxed - Shift your mind from stress and anxiety - Affirmation and positive quotes to shape your day - Calm relaxing music and nature sounds to enjoy - Sleeping tips and tricks - and more!

About

Grid Diary

This app offers a guided journaling experience to foster personal development and mindfulness. It helps users build positive habits, manage stress, and enhance various aspects of their lives through customizable prompts and unique layouts.

Highlights
  • Prompted journaling with custom questions
  • Unique grid and mandala layouts
  • Daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly planning
  • Supports various journaling methods
  • Mindfulness and self-care focus
  • Stress and anxiety alleviation techniques
Features
Read full description

Introducing Grid Diary: More than just a journaling app, it's your comprehensive personal development system. Embark on a personal growth journey that covers all aspects: • Embrace mindfulness & self-love • Establish morning & evening routines • Enhance personal health & wellbeing • Develop self-care habits • Alleviate stress and anxiety through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy • Acquire new skills • Boost productivity • Strengthen relationships • Ignite creativity ...and so much more. At Grid Diary, we understand that personal development is a holistic endeavor, not a singular pursuit. Grid Diary empowers you to create a diary system that goes beyond simple daily entries. By utilizing features such as custom prompts, tags, and categories, you can build a personalized framework for cultivating happiness and developing positive habits such as proactivity, optimism, and gratitude. Use Grid Diary to unlock the true power of keeping a diary and start your journey towards a happier, healthier you. # Feature Highlights • Prompted Journaling: Guided Self-Reflections Avoid writer's block with our question library or customize your own prompts for deeper self-reflection. • Unique Grid Format: Elegant and Comprehensive Organize all that matters to you on a single page with our customizable grid layout, fostering a holistic personal development system. • Mandala Layout: Journal like a Mind Map Our 9-grid Mandala-inspired layout, featuring a fixed center, emulates the artful representation of life's organization and connection to the cosmos. Journaling becomes intuitive and mirrors the way our minds work. • Day/Week/Month/Year Dimensions: Create Your Own Rituals Establish rituals that anchor you in time, crafting a framework for planning, acting, and reviewing on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. • Compatibility with Various Journaling Methods Whether you prefer morning diaries, success diaries, manifestation journals, or bullet journals, Grid Diary's flexibility accommodates your preferred approach. Discover the transformative power of Grid Diary and unlock your full potential today! # Don't Just Take Our Word for It "New Apps We Love" - Apple "If you've wanted to journal but don't know where to start, meet Grid Diary. Swappable prompts in a lovely, flexible grid format invite you to record and reflect on life's happenings - from noting your habits and goals to sharing affirmation and gratitude." - Google "Grid Diary is a good option for journal writers pressed for time or inspiration." - The New York Times --- As a dedicated three-person team, we believe that privacy is paramount for a journaling app. With no venture capital or advertisers backing Grid Diary, our long-term development relies solely on our members' paid subscriptions. We never sell your data to third parties for profit. # Note about Health App integration: After you have authorized access to health data, you can insert information such as steps or activity energy into your diary. Additionally, you can save your journaling time as mediation minutes to Health app. Grid Diary won't use your health data for other purposes. Privacy Policy https://griddiaryapp.com/support/privacy Terms of Service https://griddiaryapp.com/support/terms

Screenshots

Goodnight Journal4 screens
Grid Diary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Goodnight Journal at none against Grid Diary's 4. Goodnight Journal also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 48%) and iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.0). Grid Diary's advantage is rating (4.6 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads 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. Grid Diary sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Goodnight Journal asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Grid Diary holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Grid Diary has 963 ratings behind it against 19, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Goodnight Journal's written reviews are positive against 48% of Grid Diary's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Goodnight Journal ships an update every 2 months, Grid Diary every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Goodnight Journal versus Grid Diary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterGoodnight JournalGrid Diary
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (19 ratings)4.6 (963 ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.6% of reviews — better48.3% of reviews
Number of ratings19963 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS16.4 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB80 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperAllspectives LLCSumi Interactive

Customer experience

Goodnight Journal

All ratings19 ratings
Positive73.7%
Neutral10.5%
Negative15.8%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral7.1%
Negative14.3%

Grid Diary

All ratings963 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral3.3%
Negative6.0%
Written reviews497 reviews
Positive48.3%
Neutral9.3%
Negative42.5%

Bugs and requests

Goodnight Journal

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Grid Diary

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Entries disappearing or not syncing properly
  • Password reset functionality not working
  • Subscription issues and inability to access premium features
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add Apple Pencil support
  • Improve sync reliability across devices
  • Provide more customization options for layouts and fonts
  • Integrate with other productivity apps and calendars
  • Implement a one-time purchase option
Show 1 more
  • Allow randomized daily prompts

In-app purchases

None

Goodnight Journal

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Grid Diary

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Monthly3 Months trial$4.991 Month
  • Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Annual6 Months trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Goodnight Journal free?
Goodnight Journal is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Grid Diary free?
Grid Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Goodnight Journal or Grid Diary?
Grid Diary is rated higher. Goodnight Journal averages 4.2 out of 5 from 19 ratings, while Grid Diary averages 4.6 from 963 ratings.
Do Goodnight Journal or Grid Diary have ads?
Neither Goodnight Journal nor Grid Diary shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Goodnight Journal or Grid Diary?
Goodnight Journal ships an update every 2 months, and Grid Diary every 2 weeks. Most recently, Goodnight Journal was updated on November 6, 2026 and Grid Diary on November 6, 2026.

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