Best Free Journal Apps

250+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.7 avg rating
20 free apps
Updated August 2026

With an average user rating of 4.7★, the free journal apps category is one of the App Store's strongest. Browse all 250+ apps we track, sorted so the most loved ones surface first.

Compare top Free Journal Apps (August 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1JournalJournalFree4.8★ (231K)NoNoSep 2026
2Day One: Daily Journal & DiaryDay One: Daily Journal & DiaryFree4.8★ (118K)NoYesSep 2026
3My Diary - Journal with LockMy Diary - Journal with LockFree4.7★ (28K)YesYesSep 2026
4Notebook - Diary & Journal AppNotebook - Diary & Journal AppFree4.7★ (14K)YesYesSep 2026
5Diary With PasswordDiary With PasswordFree4.7★ (27K)NoYesSep 2026
6Journey - Diary, JournalJourney - Diary, JournalFree4.6★ (5.1K)NoYesAug 2026
7DailyBean - simplest journalDailyBean - simplest journalFree4.8★ (70K)YesYesSep 2026
8EcmaboxEcmaboxFreeNoYesAug 2026

Top Picks for Free Journal Apps

Journal#1

Journal by Apple

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
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary#2

Day One: Daily Journal & Diary by Bloom Built Inc

Private Gratitude Journaling
Strong Contender
💪 Health & Fitness
4.8😊(118K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
#75in Health & Fitness
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 1
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 2
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 3
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 4
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 5
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 6

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.

What We Love

  • 💻 Excellent journaling app
  • 🗓️ Ability to create multiple journals
  • 🎨 Customizable journal templates
  • 🔍 Powerful search and filtering

Room to Improve

  • 🔒 Subscription model for premium features
  • 🗓️ Issues with syncing and data loss
  • 🖌️ Limited customization options
My Diary - Journal with Lock#3

My Diary - Journal with Lock by BetterApp Tech Co., Limited

Journaling Diary with password
Worth Considering
🌟 Lifestyle
4.7😊(28K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
My Diary - Journal with Lock screenshot 1
My Diary - Journal with Lock screenshot 2
My Diary - Journal with Lock screenshot 3
My Diary - Journal with Lock screenshot 4
My Diary - Journal with Lock screenshot 5
My Diary - Journal with Lock screenshot 6

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.

What We Love

  • 🔒 Secure with password, fingerprint, and security question options
  • 📝 Easy to write and express thoughts
  • 🎨 Customizable with themes, stickers, and photos
  • 🗓️ Helpful for tracking moods and daily activities

Room to Improve

  • 💰 Many features locked behind premium paywall
  • 🔍 Limited free theme and sticker options
  • 🐛 Issues with formatting, text editing, and photo placement

More Free Journal Apps apps to explore

4
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
5
Diary With Password
Diary With Password
Diary With Password
No Ads Journal Diary Notebook
Free

This app provides a private digital space to record daily thoughts, emotions, and life events. It offers robust security features like password and biometric locks, alongside tools for organizing, searching, and exporting your entries. Enjoy a customizable and ad-free journaling experience.

Password and biometric securityDaily entry loggingFull text search
📊 Productivity
(27K)
free with in-app purchases
6
Journey - Diary, Journal
Journey - Diary, Journal
Journey - Diary, Journal
Daily Motivation & Journal
Free

This app helps you capture memories, express yourself through writing, and track your emotions. It offers tools for creating rich journal entries, collaborative journaling, and secure storage. Enhance your experience with templates, plugins, and reminders for a more mindful and organized life.

Capture memories with photos, videos, and audioRich text editor with formatting optionsMood tracking and emotional fluctuation analysis
🌟 Lifestyle
(5.1K)
freemium
7
DailyBean - simplest journal
DailyBean - simplest journal
DailyBean - simplest journal
Mood tracker, daily log, diary
Free

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.

Record in secondsFully customizable icons and blocksDecorate with themes
🌟 Lifestyle
(70K)
free with in-app purchases
8
Ecmabox
Ecmabox
Ecmabox
Letters to your
Free
🔧 Utilities
(0)
9
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
10
TheLog: Journal & Diary
TheLog: Journal & Diary
TheLog: Journal & Diary
Pay once. No subscription.
Free
🌟 Lifestyle
(0)
11
Softly: Private Journal
Softly: Private Journal
Softly: Private Journal
A reflective private journal
Free

A private journaling app focused on reflection and emotional well-being. It offers multiple writing styles, a visual emotional calendar, and word pattern analysis. All data is stored locally for complete privacy.

Multiple writing stylesVisual emotional calendarWord constellation analysis
🌟 Lifestyle
(3)
free
12
Bloga
Bloga
Bloga
by Khanh Bao
Free
🔧 Utilities
(0)
13
Best Journal - Diary, Notebook
Best Journal - Diary, Notebook
Best Journal - Diary, Notebook
journal for better life
Free

This app allows users to record their lives through a digital diary, notebook, and memo function. It offers a wide range of templates, stickers, and fonts to personalize entries, along with free typesetting and drawing tools. Privacy is a key focus, with all data stored locally and under user control.

Digital diary and notebookExquisite templatesMassive materials (wallpapers, stickers, tapes)
🔧 Utilities
(29)
ad-supported
14
Council: Private Journal
Council: Private Journal
Council: Private Journal
Reflect with inner voices
Free
🌟 Lifestyle
(0)
15
Pages: Create Documents
Pages: Create Documents
Pages: Create Documents
Write, layout, and design
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
(551K)
free
16
Cotidie – AI Journal & Diary
Cotidie – AI Journal & Diary
Cotidie – AI Journal & Diary
Mood & Habit Tracker Self-Care
Free
💪 Health & Fitness
(0)
17
Thoughtful: Journal Better
Thoughtful: Journal Better
Thoughtful: Journal Better
Ponder, write, and reflect
Free

A private digital journal designed for reflection and thought organization. It offers a clean interface and simple tools to capture and revisit your experiences, with all data securely backed up via iCloud.

Private journaling spaceThought capture and organizationEffortless reflection tools
💪 Health & Fitness
(3)
free
18
Tiny Journal - One Line a Day
Tiny Journal - One Line a Day
Tiny Journal - One Line a Day
by LEWIS J MARHIN
Free
📊 Productivity
(0)
19
Self Reflection Journal
Self Reflection Journal
Self Reflection Journal
Private mood & thought journal
Free
🌟 Lifestyle
(0)
20
SnapWrite: Journal & PDF
SnapWrite: Journal & PDF
SnapWrite: Journal & PDF
Sticky Note Calendar Notebook
Free
🌟 Lifestyle
(0)

FAQ about Free Journal Apps

What are the best free journal apps for iPhone?
Journal tops our free journal apps ranking as of August 2026, with a 4.8-star average from 231K App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Journal has no ads and has no in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of August 2026.
We track 250+ free journal apps on the iOS App Store as of August 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.
This app allows you to capture and reflect on your daily moments and special events. You can write entries, add photos, videos, audio recordings, and even your state of mind. It provides journaling suggestions and prompts to help you get started and maintain a consistent practice.
Key features include intelligent journaling suggestions based on your iPhone usage, the ability to illustrate entries with rich media, handwriting and sketching capabilities, organization into multiple journals, habit tracking with streaks and insights, and secure syncing across iPhone, iPad, and Mac via iCloud.