Best Journaling App Free Guided

229+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.6 avg rating
19 free apps
Updated July 2026

Looking for free journaling app free guided? 19 of our 229+ tracked titles are free to download — no subscription, no trial. The rest are premium picks worth paying for.

Compare top Journaling App Free Guided (July 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1Prompted Journal - Shadow WorkPrompted Journal - Shadow WorkFree4.8★ (6.9K)NoYesJul 2026
2stoic. journal & mental healthstoic. journal & mental healthFree4.8★ (35K)NoYesJul 2026
3Clearful - Journal & DiaryClearful - Journal & DiaryFree4.8★ (3K)NoYesJul 2026
4Day One: Daily Journal & DiaryDay One: Daily Journal & DiaryFree4.8★ (117K)NoYesJul 2026
5My Diary - Journal with LockMy Diary - Journal with LockFree4.7★ (28K)YesYesJul 2026
6PenzuPenzuFree4.2★ (2.5K)YesYesJul 2026
7Diary With PasswordDiary With PasswordFree4.7★ (26K)NoYesJul 2026
8正念应用程序正念应用程序Free4.7★ (7.5K)NoYesJul 2026

Top Picks for Journaling App Free Guided

Prompted Journal - Shadow Work#1

Prompted Journal - Shadow Work by Oatmeal Apps

Private journaling for therapy
Editor's Choice
🌟 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

  • 💖 Great for self-reflection
  • 🔒 No ads or data collection
  • 👍 Simple and user-friendly interface
  • 🤗 Helpful and thought-provoking prompts

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Issues with editing/deleting past entries
  • 🔍 Lack of search/filter functionality
  • 📱 Compatibility issues on larger screens
stoic. journal & mental health#2

stoic. journal & mental health by Stoic app inc.

AI journaling, Gratitude diary
Strong Contender
💪 Health & Fitness
4.8😊(35K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
stoic. journal & mental health screenshot 1
stoic. journal & mental health screenshot 2
stoic. journal & mental health screenshot 3
stoic. journal & mental health screenshot 4
stoic. journal & mental health screenshot 5
stoic. journal & mental health screenshot 6

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.

What We Love

  • 👍 Helpful for mental health and well-being
  • 🚀 Efficient and easy to use
  • 💡 Guided journaling and reflection
  • 🧘‍♀️ Useful breathing and meditation exercises

Room to Improve

  • 🔒 Concerns about data privacy and security
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
Clearful - Journal & Diary#3

Clearful - Journal & Diary by Clearful Journal Inc.

Journaling for Personal Growth
Worth Considering
💪 Health & Fitness
4.8😊(3K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Clearful - Journal & Diary screenshot 1
Clearful - Journal & Diary screenshot 2
Clearful - Journal & Diary screenshot 3
Clearful - Journal & Diary screenshot 4
Clearful - Journal & Diary screenshot 5
Clearful - Journal & Diary screenshot 6

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.

What We Love

  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 📝 Helpful writing prompts
  • 🔒 Secure and private
  • 🗓️ Useful for daily journaling

Room to Improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔓 Lack of offline access
  • 🖼️ Limited free features (e.g. no image uploads)

More Journaling App Free Guided apps to explore

4
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary
Личный дневник благодарности
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
5
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
6
Penzu
Penzu
Penzu
Secure Diary & Private Journal
Free

This app provides a secure and private space for journaling, note-taking, and storing personal thoughts. It offers robust security features like password and PIN locks, encryption, and cloud syncing across devices. Users can also add photos and tags to their entries, making it a comprehensive digital diary.

Unlimited journalingCloud sync for freePassword and PIN locks
📊 Productivity
(2.5K)
free with in-app purchases
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
(26K)
free with in-app purchases
8
正念应用程序
正念应用程序
正念应用程序
适合所有人的冥想
Free

Access over 500 guided meditations, sleep stories, and courses from global experts. Customize silent or guided sessions with various background sounds and durations. Track your progress and integrate with Apple Health and Apple Watch.

500+ guided meditations and coursesSleep stories for relaxationCustomizable silent or guided sessions
💪 Health & Fitness
(7.5K)
free with in-app purchases
9
Ink: Daily Journaling Prompts
Ink: Daily Journaling Prompts
Ink: Daily Journaling Prompts
Your Private Diary & Timer
Free

This app encourages a pen-and-paper journaling habit with a minimalist, offline companion. It provides daily prompts, timers for sessions, mood tracking, and photo additions. All notes are saved locally for privacy.

Offline journaling companionDaily journaling ideas & promptsMulti-prompt journaling journeys
🌟 Lifestyle
(8)
freemium
10
Journal X: My Diary with Lock
Journal X: My Diary with Lock
Journal X: My Diary with Lock
Personal Locked Journaling
Free

This app allows you to create a private digital journal with passcode protection. Add photos, stickers, and organize entries into multiple journals. Sync across devices and receive reminders to encourage daily writing.

Daily photo entriesPasscode lockMultiple photo uploads per entry
🌟 Lifestyle
(1.8K)
free with in-app purchases
11
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
💪 Health & Fitness
(360)
subscription
12
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
💪 Health & Fitness
(62)
freemium
13
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
14
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
15
DayNote • Guided Journaling
DayNote • Guided Journaling
DayNote • 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
💪 Health & Fitness
(9)
freemium
16
My Daily Diary ‎
My Daily Diary ‎
My Daily Diary ‎
Private Journal with lock
Free

This app offers a private and flexible journaling experience. Track your mood, dreams, or experiences with customizable entries. Secure your thoughts with a built-in lock system for ultimate privacy.

Private journalingMood trackingCustomizable entries
🌟 Lifestyle
(1.1K)
free with in-app purchases
17
Grateful: A Gratitude Journal
Grateful: A Gratitude Journal
Grateful: A Gratitude Journal
Focus on what truly matters
Free

This app helps you cultivate a more positive outlook by making gratitude easy and fun. It offers daily prompts, allows you to add photos, and lets you easily browse past entries. Your journal remains completely private, stored only on your device.

Daily gratitude promptsAdd photos to entriesBrowse entries by time or prompt
🌟 Lifestyle
(3K)
freemium
18
Hobonichi Techo App
Hobonichi Techo App
Hobonichi Techo App
Journal by carrying your phone
Free

This app automatically compiles your phone's data, like photos and locations, into a daily journal. You can add notes, tags, and select daily "covers" to create a personalized life book. Memories can be printed to decorate physical planners.

Automatic daily record compilationSelect daily "Today's Cover"Memo pad with tags
🌟 Lifestyle
(46)
freemium
19
Reflectly - Journal & AI Diary
Reflectly - Journal & AI Diary
Reflectly - Journal & AI Diary
Self-Care Mood Tracker & CBT
Free

This AI-powered journaling app helps you track your mood, process thoughts, and improve mental well-being. It offers personalized prompts and insights based on your entries to encourage self-care and mindfulness.

AI-powered journalingMood tracking and analysisPersonalized prompts and insights
💪 Health & Fitness
(82K)
free with in-app purchases
20
Chronicle - A Personal Journal / Writing Diary
Chronicle - A Personal Journal / Writing Diary
Chronicle - A Personal Journal / Writing Diary
by Steven Romej
$2.99

This app provides a digital space for personal reflection and writing, offering features like multi-photo integration and robust search. It aims to improve well-being and productivity through journaling, with secure storage and export options.

Distraction-free writingMultiple photos per entry with text wrappingReliable storage and autosave
🌟 Lifestyle
(866)
free with in-app purchases

FAQ about Journaling App Free Guided

What is the best journaling app free guided for iPhone?
Prompted Journal - Shadow Work tops our journaling app free guided ranking as of July 2026, with a 4.8-star average from 6.9K App Store ratings, and it's free to download.
Prompted Journal - Shadow Work has no ads and offers in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of July 2026.
We track 229+ journaling app free guided on the iOS App Store as of July 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.
Prompted Journal is a daily journaling app designed to foster self-reflection and personal growth. It offers a library of over 190 journal prompts, accompanied by 'Dive Deeper' questions, to guide users through a self-care routine and encourage self-discovery.
Key features include a comprehensive library of journal prompts, 'Dive Deeper' questions for enhanced reflection, daily reminders to maintain a consistent habit, PDF export for saving entries, and the ability to create custom prompts. The app also prioritizes privacy by not storing any user data.