Best Guided Journaling Apps

223+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.7 avg rating
20 free apps
Updated June 2026

Day One is the household name in guided journaling, but it's far from the only option. We track 223+ alternatives and competitors on iOS β€” many free, many higher-rated than you'd expect.

Top Picks for Guided Journaling

Day One: Daily Journal & Diary#1

Day One: Daily Journal & Diary by Bloom Built Inc

Private Gratitude Journaling
Editor's Choice
πŸ’ͺ Health & Fitness
4.8😊(117K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
#81in Health & Fitness
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 1
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 2
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Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 4
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary screenshot 5

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

  • πŸ’» Excellent journaling app
  • πŸ—“οΈ Ability to create multiple journals
  • 🎨 Customizable journal templates
  • πŸ” Powerful search and filtering

Room to Improve

  • πŸ”’ Subscription model for premium features
  • πŸ—“οΈ Issues with syncing and data loss
  • πŸ–ŒοΈ Limited customization options
Prompted Journal - Shadow Work#2

Prompted Journal - Shadow Work by Oatmeal Apps

Private journaling for therapy
Strong Contender
🌟 Lifestyle
4.8😊(6.9K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Prompted Journal - Shadow Work screenshot 1
Prompted Journal - Shadow Work screenshot 2
Prompted Journal - Shadow Work screenshot 3
Prompted Journal - Shadow Work screenshot 4
Prompted Journal - Shadow Work screenshot 5
Prompted Journal - Shadow Work screenshot 6

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.

What We Love

  • πŸ’– Great for self-reflection
  • πŸ”’ No ads or data collection
  • πŸ‘ Simple and user-friendly interface
  • πŸ€— Helpful and thought-provoking prompts

Room to Improve

  • πŸ› Issues with editing/deleting past entries
  • πŸ” Lack of search/filter functionality
  • πŸ“± Compatibility issues on larger screens
Gratitude: Self-Care Journal#3

Gratitude: Self-Care Journal by Hapjoy Technologies Private Limited

Affirmations and Vision Board
Worth Considering
πŸ’ͺ Health & Fitness
4.9😊(45K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Gratitude: Self-Care Journal screenshot 1
Gratitude: Self-Care Journal screenshot 2
Gratitude: Self-Care Journal screenshot 3
Gratitude: Self-Care Journal screenshot 4
Gratitude: Self-Care Journal screenshot 5
Gratitude: Self-Care Journal screenshot 6

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.

What We Love

  • πŸ’» Simple and easy to use
  • 🎨 Beautiful and customizable interface
  • πŸ” Helpful prompts and challenges
  • πŸ“š Useful affirmations and daily quotes

Room to Improve

  • πŸ’° Subscription fees for full access
  • πŸ”§ Some features not fully customizable
  • πŸ› Occasional app crashes or bugs

More Guided Journaling apps to explore

4
Waffle: Shared Journal
Waffle: Shared Journal
Waffle: Shared Journal
One Question A Day
Free

This app facilitates shared journaling for couples, families, and friends to deepen connections. Users can share daily updates, photos, and videos, and answer prompts to get to know each other better. It offers a private space to document memories and strengthen relationships.

Shared journaling for groupsPhoto and video sharingDaily prompts to foster connection
🌟 Lifestyle
(8.1K)
free with in-app purchases
5
stoic. mental health journal
stoic. mental health journal
stoic. mental health journal
AI Self Care & Daily Gratitude
Free

This app guides users through daily preparation and reflection to improve mental well-being. It offers journaling prompts, habit tracking, mood monitoring, and various mental health tools like meditation and breathing exercises. Users can also journal via voice notes or pictures.

Morning preparation & evening reflectionGuided journaling with promptsMood and habit tracking
πŸ’ͺ Health & Fitness
(35K)
freemium
6
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
7
Guided Journaling - DoEntry
Guided Journaling - DoEntry
Guided Journaling - DoEntry
Record anything in one place
Free

This app helps you reflect on your life, form habits, and reduce stress through personalized guided journaling. Analyze trends with over 60 charts, manage tags, and set goals with reminders. Secure your data with on-device encryption and cloud sync.

Personalized guided journalsHabit formation and goal settingMood and activity tracking
🌟 Lifestyle
(5)
free with in-app purchases
8
WriteUp - Guided Daily Journal
WriteUp - Guided Daily Journal
WriteUp - Guided Daily Journal
Clarity in five minutes a day
Free

This app offers guided journaling with hundreds of prompts across various themes to help you gain clarity in just five minutes a day. It provides tools for private reflection, progress tracking, and customizable writing goals, fitting easily into your daily routine.

Hundreds of themed writing promptsCustomizable prompt guidesPrivate journaling with passcode
πŸ’ͺ Health & Fitness
(9)
freemium
9
Planner & Journal - Zinnia
Planner & Journal - Zinnia
Planner & Journal - Zinnia
Notebook & Creative Diary
Free

This app offers a creative digital journaling and planning experience with a vast library of stickers, templates, and tools. It supports natural handwriting, doodling, and integrates with digital calendars for enhanced productivity and self-care tracking. New content and features are added monthly.

Customizable digital studioMonthly content additionsCalendar and habit trackers
🌟 Lifestyle
(54K)
free with in-app purchases
10
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
11
Breeze: Start Self-Discovery
Breeze: Start Self-Discovery
Breeze: Start Self-Discovery
Routine, Tests, Insights, Calm
Free

This app supports self-discovery, self-care, and mental health through personalized routines, reflective tools, and calming activities. It helps users understand their strengths, patterns, and emotional responses to foster clarity, balance, and purpose.

Self-discovery toolsPersonalized routinesMood tracking
🌟 Lifestyle
(68K)
subscription
12
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
(5K)
freemium
13
DayNote β€’ Guided Journaling
DayNote β€’ Guided Journaling
DayNote β€’ Guided Journaling
Answer Four Questions a Day
Free

This guided journaling app prompts users with four daily questions to encourage reflection on learning, achievements, positive experiences, and areas for improvement. It helps users build a personal knowledge base for growth by recording thoughts and memories over time.

Four daily reflection questionsGuided journaling promptsPersonal growth tracking
πŸ’ͺ Health & Fitness
(9)
freemium
14
Mood‏ - Guided Journaling
Mood‏ - Guided Journaling
Mood‏ - Guided Journaling
Become the best version of you
Free

This app offers guided journaling prompts to help users reflect on their day, foster gratitude, and improve concentration. It features a user-friendly interface, mood tracking over time, and a privacy lock for reflections. Daily reminders ensure consistent use.

Guided daily journaling promptsDaily mood rating and notesMood tracking over time
πŸ’ͺ Health & Fitness
(62)
freemium
15
1Day Ask: Guided Journaling
1Day Ask: Guided Journaling
1Day Ask: Guided Journaling
Daily Prompts for Self Growth
Free

This guided journaling app provides a single, thought-provoking question daily to encourage self-discovery and personal growth. It allows users to track their progress over time, offering a private and efficient way to reflect on their lives in just 60 seconds a day.

Daily guided prompts5-year journaling journey60-second reflection time
🌟 Lifestyle
(2)
free with in-app purchases
16
Clearful - Journal & Diary
Clearful - Journal & Diary
Clearful - Journal & Diary
Journaling for Personal Growth
Free

This app provides a secure and private space to explore your thoughts, emotions, and experiences through journaling. It offers tools to express yourself with text, photos, and audio, organize entries with rich formatting, and rediscover past moments. Guided journals and habit-building features support personal growth and mental well-being.

Text, photo, and audio journalingRich text formatting optionsRediscover past journal entries
πŸ’ͺ Health & Fitness
(3K)
free with in-app purchases
17
Reflect - guided daily journal
Reflect - guided daily journal
Reflect - guided daily journal
Self reflection journaling
Free

This app provides a guided journaling experience to help you capture thoughts and feelings, fostering self-awareness and a more positive outlook. It intelligently guides your reflections with structured topics and questions based on proven psychological methods.

Guided reflection topics and questionsDaily check-ins with yourselfLibrary of self-reflection topics
πŸ’ͺ Health & Fitness
(360)
subscription
18
Mindsera: Daily AI Journaling
Mindsera: Daily AI Journaling
Mindsera: Daily AI Journaling
Reflect, CBT & Self-Care Diary
Free

This smart diary enhances mental health and cognitive skills by reflecting on your thoughts, boosting emotional intelligence, and uncovering hidden patterns. It offers AI-powered insights, customizable reflections, and voice journaling for a personalized self-care experience.

AI-powered reflective journalingCBT and self-care toolsUncover hidden patterns and insights
πŸ’ͺ Health & Fitness
(230)
free with in-app purchases
19
Marble: AI Journaling Guide
Marble: AI Journaling Guide
Marble: AI Journaling Guide
Reflect, Record, and Grow
Free

This app offers a guided journaling experience with voice and text input. It helps users track mood and sleep, cultivate gratitude, and connect with a coach for personalized support and insights.

Voice and text journalingCoach connectionInsightful reflections
πŸ’ͺ Health & Fitness
(6)
free
20
Journal & Mood Tracker - Halo
Journal & Mood Tracker - Halo
Journal & Mood Tracker - Halo
Private Diary for Mindfulness
Free

This app provides a private space for daily journaling to improve mindfulness and self-discovery. It offers guided reflections, helpful prompts, and voice recording to help users understand their thoughts, emotions, and habits. Designed with input from psychologists, it utilizes proven techniques to foster a happier life.

Guided reflections by experts3-step daily check-inVoice-recorded entries
🌟 Lifestyle
(1.1K)
free with in-app purchases

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