Best Free Journal Apps

249+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.6 avg rating
20 free apps
Updated August 2026

Every iPhone needs a few good free journal apps. We benchmark 249+ of them on App Store rating, freshness, and pricing, then surface the standouts so you don't have to scroll the App Store yourself.

Compare top Free Journal Apps (August 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1JournalJournalFree4.8★ (231K)NoNoAug 2026
2Notebook - Diary & Journal AppNotebook - Diary & Journal AppFree4.7★ (14K)YesYesAug 2026
3My Diary - Journal with LockMy Diary - Journal with LockFree4.7★ (28K)YesYesAug 2026
4Gratitude: Self-Care JournalGratitude: Self-Care JournalFree4.9★ (45K)NoYesAug 2026
5Day One: Daily Journal & DiaryDay One: Daily Journal & DiaryFree4.8★ (118K)NoYesAug 2026
6Simple Diary, Journal, NotesSimple Diary, Journal, NotesFree4.8★ (172)YesNoAug 2026
7Diary With PasswordDiary With PasswordFree4.7★ (27K)NoYesAug 2026
8Scarloe & Sage JournalScarloe & Sage JournalFreeNoYesAug 2026

Top Picks for Free Journal

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
Notebook - Diary & Journal App#2

Notebook - Diary & Journal App by Koji Ito

A diary that flips like a book
Strong Contender
📊 Productivity
4.7😊(14K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
Notebook - Diary & Journal App screenshot 1
Notebook - Diary & Journal App screenshot 2
Notebook - Diary & Journal App screenshot 3
Notebook - Diary & Journal App screenshot 4
Notebook - Diary & Journal App screenshot 5

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.

What We Love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 🔒 Password protection
  • 💡 Convenient for journaling and note-taking
  • 🚀 Smooth and responsive

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes or glitches
  • 🚫 Unable to insert photos or attachments
  • 🚫 Limited formatting 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 to explore

4
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
5
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
(118K)
freemium
6
Simple Diary, Journal, Notes
Simple Diary, Journal, Notes
Simple Diary, Journal, Notes
Simple and cool diary app
Free

This app offers a straightforward and aesthetically pleasing way to maintain a daily journal. Designed for users seeking simplicity, it avoids complex settings for an intuitive and stress-free journaling experience.

Simple daily diary keepingEasy-to-use interfaceBeautiful and clean design
🔧 Utilities
(172)
ad-supported
7
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
8
Scarloe & Sage Journal
Scarloe & Sage Journal
Scarloe & Sage Journal
Mindfulness Diary & Planner
Free
🌟 Lifestyle
(0)
9
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
(24)
free
10
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
11
Just Journal - Journaling App
Just Journal - Journaling App
Just Journal - Journaling App
Minimalist Journal App
Free

A minimalist journaling app focused on privacy and speed. It offers a distraction-free writing experience with simple formatting and secure iCloud syncing across Apple devices. Write anywhere, even offline, with optional PIN protection for added peace of mind.

Privacy-focused designMinimalist and distraction-free layoutFast editor with simple formatting
🌟 Lifestyle
(1)
free
12
Munra: Private Diary & Journal
Munra: Private Diary & Journal
Munra: Private Diary & Journal
Daily Journal & Mood Tracker
Free
📊 Productivity
(0)
13
Digital Journal Diary
Digital Journal Diary
Digital Journal Diary
Private Journal - Photo,Video
Free

Document your life, track goals, and monitor your mood with this versatile journaling app. Enhance well-being, creativity, and productivity through daily reflection. Secure your entries with password protection and sync across devices.

Add photos, videos, and audio recordingsTrack mood, goals, and activitiesCreate to-do lists and business plans
💪 Health & Fitness
(6.5K)
free with in-app purchases
14
Soul Care Journal
Soul Care Journal
Soul Care Journal
90 Days of Reflection
Free

This app offers a guided 90-day journaling experience with thoughtful prompts for reflection and prayer. It provides a calm space to record your thoughts and cultivate your inner life, encouraging a sustainable rhythm of self-care.

Guided 90-day reflection journeyDaily prompts for journalingSpace to save personal entries
🌟 Lifestyle
(3)
free
15
Blink Journal
Blink Journal
Blink Journal
Reflect. Record. Remember.
Free
🌟 Lifestyle
(0)
16
Quill Journal
Quill Journal
Quill Journal
A Simple Journaling App
Free

A straightforward and user-friendly journaling application designed for all users. Secure your entries by signing out or switching accounts. Personalize your experience by changing the app's theme to reflect your current mood.

Intuitive journaling interfaceSecure account sign-in/outMood-based theme customization
🌟 Lifestyle
(3)
free
17
Ledger — The one-line journal
Ledger — The one-line journal
Ledger — The one-line journal
by Stu Greenham
Free
💪 Health & Fitness
(0)
18
TradeFlow: Trading Journal
TradeFlow: Trading Journal
TradeFlow: Trading Journal
#1 AI powered Trading Journal
Free

This app helps traders analyze their performance by logging trades and providing detailed insights into P&L, win rates, and setup effectiveness. It offers features for prop traders, including challenge tracking and risk monitoring, alongside AI-powered reports and an economic calendar.

Trade logging and performance dashboardProp firm challenge and risk trackingSetup Yield Matrix and Execution Quality grading
💰 Finance
(0)
freemium
19
daplit: Sticker Journal & Zine
daplit: Sticker Journal & Zine
daplit: Sticker Journal & Zine
Minimal diary & collage
Free

This app offers a minimalist approach to journaling, allowing users to collect everyday photos and turn them into stylized "stickers." It provides curated, hand-drawn stickers and organizational tools for creating personal magazines of life moments, accompanied by a quiet virtual cat companion.

Visual journaling with sticker-style collectiblesCurated, hand-drawn journaling stickersOrganize by theme and create collections
🌟 Lifestyle
(2)
free with in-app purchases
20
Aveline: AI Journal & Diary
Aveline: AI Journal & Diary
Aveline: AI Journal & Diary
Reflect with peace of mind
Free

This AI-powered journaling app provides a private space for self-reflection. It offers a gentle, thoughtful AI companion to guide your thoughts without gamified elements like streaks or badges. Focus on introspection with a calm and editorial experience.

AI-powered journalingPrivate self-reflection spaceThoughtful AI companion
💪 Health & Fitness
(1)
subscription

FAQ about Free Journal

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 249+ 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.

Related searches