Best Free Journal Apps

228+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.7 avg rating
20 free apps
Updated June 2026

With an average user rating of 4.7★, the free journal apps category is one of the App Store's strongest. Browse all 228+ apps we track, sorted so the most loved ones surface first.

Top Picks for Free Journal Apps

Journal#1

Journal by Apple Inc.

Reflect on life’s moments
Editor's Choice
💪 Health & Fitness
4.8😊(231K ratings)
Free
Journal screenshot 1
Journal screenshot 2
Journal screenshot 3
Journal screenshot 4
Journal screenshot 5
Journal screenshot 6

Capture and reflect on life's moments with rich media like photos, videos, and audio. Intelligent suggestions and prompts help you start writing, while multiple journals and goal tracking support a consistent practice. Sync across devices for seamless access.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Journaling made easy
  • 🔒 Private and secure
  • 👍 Organized and intuitive
  • 👍 Helpful suggestions and prompts

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Cursor jumps around while typing
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and freezes
  • 🔍 Lack of search and filtering options
DailyBean - simplest journal#2

DailyBean - simplest journal by BlueSignum Corp.

The simplest way to log a day
Strong Contender
🌟 Lifestyle
4.8😊(70K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
DailyBean - simplest journal screenshot 1
DailyBean - simplest journal screenshot 2
DailyBean - simplest journal screenshot 3
DailyBean - simplest journal screenshot 4
DailyBean - simplest journal screenshot 5
DailyBean - simplest journal screenshot 6

This app provides a simple and enjoyable way to log daily experiences and moods. Customize your journal with themes and icons, and gain insights into your patterns with analysis reports. Easily integrate health data and special moments.

What We Love

  • 💻 Great app for journaling and mood tracking
  • 🎨 Cute and visually appealing design
  • 🕰️ Easy to use and quick to record daily entries
  • 📊 Helpful data insights and analytics

Room to Improve

  • 💰 Premium subscription required for full features
  • 🗓️ Limited data history without premium
  • 🚫 Inability to customize/add new categories

More Free Journal Apps apps to explore

4
Pages: Create Documents
Pages: Create Documents
Pages: Create Documents
Documents that stand apart
Free

Create visually appealing documents with a wide range of templates and editing tools. Enhance your work with multimedia, track changes, and collaborate seamlessly. Offers advanced features for writing, design, and presentation.

Apple-designed templatesAdd images, video, audioTrack changes and comments
📊 Productivity
(542K)
free
5
Prompted Journal - Shadow Work
Prompted Journal - Shadow Work
Prompted Journal - Shadow Work
Private journaling for therapy
Free

This app provides a guided journaling experience with over 190 prompts and "Dive Deeper" questions to encourage self-reflection and personal growth. It helps users establish a consistent self-care routine through daily reminders and offers privacy with no data storage required.

190+ journal prompts"Dive Deeper" questionsDaily reminders
🌟 Lifestyle
(6.9K)
free with in-app purchases
6
Notebook - Diary & Journal App
Notebook - Diary & Journal App
Notebook - Diary & Journal App
A diary that flips like a book
Free

This app offers a natural journaling experience by organizing daily notes on a single page, allowing you to flip through your entries like a physical book. It prioritizes simplicity, security with passcode locks, and seamless iCloud synchronization for easy access across devices.

Realistic page-turning effectOne page per day organizationiCloud sync and backup
📊 Productivity
(14K)
free with in-app purchases
7
My Diary - Journal with Lock
My Diary - Journal with Lock
My Diary - Journal with Lock
Journaling Diary with password
Free

This app offers a secure and personalized digital journal for recording daily thoughts, memories, and emotions. Enhance entries with photos, themes, and mood tracking. It's designed to support mental well-being by providing a private space for self-reflection and emotional processing.

Password-protected diaryAdd photos and drawingsCustomizable themes and backgrounds
🌟 Lifestyle
(28K)
free with in-app purchases
8
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary
Private Gratitude Journaling
Free

Record your life with a private digital journal. Securely save text, photos, audio, and video. Features include reminders, prompts, and automatic data import to help you stay consistent and reminisce.

Unlimited text entriesRich text formattingPhoto and video support
💪 Health & Fitness
(117K)
freemium
9
Untold - Voice Journal
Untold - Voice Journal
Untold - Voice Journal
Secure, Personalized Journal
Free

This app provides a secure and private space for users to record their thoughts and experiences through voice. It utilizes AI-powered speech-to-text and generates personalized content based on journal entries, offering a unique way to reflect and understand oneself.

Encrypted voice journalingSpeech-to-text AIPersonalized content generation
💪 Health & Fitness
(2K)
free
10
Quick Journal: just write
Quick Journal: just write
Quick Journal: just write
Simple, easy and customizable
Free

This app offers a straightforward journaling experience with extensive customization options. Personalize themes, fonts, icons, and layouts to create your ideal digital notebook. Widgets and draft saving features enhance usability for daily reflection.

Customizable themes and fontsApp icon and layout personalizationHome screen widgets
🌟 Lifestyle
(20)
free
11
Mininote - Cute note and diary
Mininote - Cute note and diary
Mininote - Cute note and diary
Daily Notes and Journalings
Free

This app serves as a portable electronic notebook and mood tracking diary, allowing users to record daily thoughts and emotions. It offers powerful note editing, custom emoticons, and a calendar view for mood overviews. Security features like password protection and iCloud backup are included.

Mood diary recordingCustom emoticon drawingPowerful note editing
🌟 Lifestyle
(20K)
freemium
12
Daylio Journal - Mood Tracker
Daylio Journal - Mood Tracker
Daylio Journal - Mood Tracker
Private Diary, Health, Habits
Free

This app helps you track your moods and activities to understand your well-being. It offers a private micro-diary experience without requiring extensive typing, allowing you to identify happiness triggers and build positive habits.

Mood tracking with icons and emojisActivity loggingPrivate journaling without typing
🌟 Lifestyle
(60K)
free with in-app purchases
13
Gratitude: Self-Care Journal
Gratitude: Self-Care Journal
Gratitude: Self-Care Journal
Affirmations and Vision Board
Free

This self-care app helps improve mental health with a private gratitude journal, positive affirmations, and vision boards. It offers daily motivation, prompts, and the ability to record voice entries and add photos to your journal.

Gratitude journal with photo and voice entryHundreds of positive affirmationsCreate multiple vision boards
💪 Health & Fitness
(45K)
free with in-app purchases
14
Daily Journal: Diary with Lock
Daily Journal: Diary with Lock
Daily Journal: Diary with Lock
Your Private Secret Journaling
Free

This app serves as a private digital journal to record daily experiences, emotions, and memories. Secure your entries with password, fingerprint, or face ID, and enhance them with photos. Track your moods and use built-in reminders to cultivate a consistent journaling habit.

Password, fingerprint, and face ID securityAdd photos to journal entriesMood and emotion tracking
🌟 Lifestyle
(5.3K)
free with in-app purchases
15
GraceNotes – Gratitude Journal
GraceNotes – Gratitude Journal
GraceNotes – Gratitude Journal
Reflect • Record • Grace
Free

This app provides a peaceful space for daily reflection and gratitude journaling. It offers guided prompts, a place to record thoughts, and the ability to create visual cards with verses. Customizable widgets offer gentle reminders to stay present throughout the day.

Daily reflection promptsGratitude journalingVisual Light Cards
📚 Education
(4.2K)
ad-supported
16
Journal - Diary & Planner
Journal - Diary & Planner
Journal - Diary & Planner
Cute diary with stickers
Free

This app allows users to create a personal diary with a variety of cute stickers and backgrounds. It offers automatic saving of drafts, password protection for privacy, and the ability to insert photos. The app is also optimized for iPad use.

Customizable stickers and backgroundsAutomatic draft savingPassword protection for privacy
🌟 Lifestyle
(1.5K)
free with in-app purchases
17
ThingsBook
ThingsBook
ThingsBook
Write. Collect. Remember life.
Free

Capture your life's moments through long-form writing and organized collections. This platform allows you to create a lasting personal archive of your thoughts, memories, and interests, with options to share privately or publicly.

Long-form writingStructured collectionsPersonal archive
🌐 Social Networking
(448)
free with in-app purchases
18
FeatherNotes: Journal & Diary
FeatherNotes: Journal & Diary
FeatherNotes: Journal & Diary
by REHANA SHEKH
Free
📊 Productivity
(0)
19
Journalli
Journalli
Journalli
A Simple Journalling App
Free

A straightforward journaling application designed for ease of use. It features autosave functionality and voice-to-text input, allowing users to focus on writing without distractions. The clean interface supports quick searching of past entries.

Autosave entriesVoice-to-text inputSearch past entries
📊 Productivity
(1)
free
20
Notepad: Easy Notes & Memos
Notepad: Easy Notes & Memos
Notepad: Easy Notes & Memos
Simple Notebook & Writing Pad
Free

Capture thoughts, create to-do lists, and organize ideas with a versatile digital notebook. Supports handwriting, text notes, and secure cloud syncing. Personalize your experience with custom themes and icons.

Create to-do lists with checkboxesUnlimited text notesHandwritten notes with Apple Pencil
📊 Productivity
(27K)
free with in-app purchases