Best Simply Journaling Apps

219+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.7 avg rating
18 free apps
Updated May 2026

Finding the right simply journaling apps can be overwhelming with so many options. We've analyzed 219+ apps to bring you the best choices for 2026, from free options to premium solutions with advanced features.

Compare top Simply Journaling Apps (May 2026)

#AppPriceRatingAdsIn-App PurchasesUpdated
1Simply JournalingSimply JournalingFreeNoNoMay 2026
2My Diary - Journal with LockMy Diary - Journal with LockFree4.7★ (28K)YesYesJul 2026
3Day One: Daily Journal & DiaryDay One: Daily Journal & DiaryFree4.8★ (117K)NoYesJul 2026
4Prompted Journal - Shadow WorkPrompted Journal - Shadow WorkFree4.8★ (6.9K)NoYesJul 2026
5PenzuPenzuFree4.2★ (2.5K)NoYesJul 2026
6Clearful - Journal & DiaryClearful - Journal & DiaryFree4.8★ (3K)NoYesJul 2026
7Journey - Diary, JournalJourney - Diary, JournalFree4.6★ (5K)NoYesJul 2026
85 Minute Journal・Daily Diary5 Minute Journal・Daily DiaryFree4.8★ (17K)NoYesJul 2026

Top Picks for Simply Journaling

My Diary - Journal with Lock#2

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

Journaling Diary with password
Strong Contender
🌟 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
Day One: Daily Journal & Diary#3

Day One: Daily Journal & Diary by Bloom Built Inc

Личный дневник благодарности
Worth Considering
💪 Health & Fitness
4.8😊(117K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
#86in 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

More Simply Journaling apps to explore

4
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
5
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
6
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
💪 Health & Fitness
(3K)
free with in-app purchases
7
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
8
5 Minute Journal・Daily Diary
5 Minute Journal・Daily Diary
5 Minute Journal・Daily Diary
Gratitude・Journal・Mood Tracker
Free

This app guides users through a daily gratitude journaling practice using principles of positive psychology. It helps cultivate a more positive outlook by focusing on what's good, with features like guided prompts, reminders, and secure entry protection. The app aims to improve overall well-being and mental health through consistent practice.

Guided journaling promptsDaily gratitude entriesMood tracking
💪 Health & Fitness
(17K)
free with in-app purchases
9
DoThread - Mind journaling
DoThread - Mind journaling
DoThread - Mind journaling
Organize Your Thoughts Simply
Free
$5.99 | 100% OFF

This app offers a flexible journaling experience to track moods, habits, and life events. Organize your thoughts with custom threads, gain insights through analytics, and stay consistent with daily reminders. Your data is private and syncs across devices.

Customizable threads for notes, moods, and metricsFast capture with text, photos, and mood loggingNumber tracking with custom units
📊 Productivity
(3)
freemium
10
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
(8.8K)
free with in-app purchases
11
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
12
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
💪 Health & Fitness
(245)
free with in-app purchases
13
Moleskine 저널
Moleskine 저널
Moleskine 저널
인생을 기록하세요
Free

This app helps you capture life's moments by allowing you to add various media to written entries, adding depth to your memories. It's designed to transform your journaling routine into a daily ritual that inspires consistency and mindfulness.

Text journal entriesCustom and suggested promptsHabit tracker
💪 Health & Fitness
(2.6K)
free with in-app purchases
14
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
15
Birdy: Photo + Video Journal
Birdy: Photo + Video Journal
Birdy: Photo + Video Journal
Private Gratitude Journaling
Free

This private journal app allows you to capture moments with photos and videos, adding captions and creative edits. It offers guided prompts and topic selection to encourage reflection, gratitude, and personal growth in an ad-free environment.

Photo and video journalingGuided promptsTopic selection (gratitude, goals, venting)
🌟 Lifestyle
(8.1K)
freemium
16
Bullet Journal Companion
Bullet Journal Companion
Bullet Journal Companion
A companion for your notebook
$4.99

This app enhances your notebook journaling practice by offering digital tools for capturing tasks, events, and notes. It provides features for backing up, tagging, and searching your notebooks, along with guidance and community inspiration. The app also helps foster reflection and prepare you for monthly planning.

Digital task, event, and note loggingNotebook backup and searchBullet Journaling guide and tutorials
📊 Productivity
(1.9K)
free
17
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
18
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
19
Grid Diary - Journal, Planner
Grid Diary - Journal, Planner
Grid Diary - Journal, Planner
Guided self-care & mindfulness
Free

This app offers a guided journaling experience to foster personal development and mindfulness. It helps users build positive habits, manage stress, and enhance various aspects of their lives through customizable prompts and unique layouts.

Prompted journaling with custom questionsUnique grid and mandala layoutsDaily, weekly, monthly, and yearly planning
🌟 Lifestyle
(964)
subscription
20
Perspective, a mindful journal
Perspective, a mindful journal
Perspective, a mindful journal
Daily reflection, mood tracker
Free

This app provides a safe space for daily reflection and self-discovery. It helps you capture thoughts, moods, and interests to gain insights, make better decisions, and manage anxiety. Rediscover yourself and improve your mental well-being through guided journaling.

Daily reflection promptsMood trackingCapture thoughts and interests
💪 Health & Fitness
(1.6K)
free

FAQ about Simply Journaling

Are there free simply journaling apps for iPhone?
Yes — 18 of the top simply journaling apps we rank are free to download, including Simply Journaling and My Diary - Journal with Lock.
Simply Journaling has no ads and has no in-app purchases, according to its App Store listing as of May 2026.
We track 219+ simply journaling apps on the iOS App Store as of May 2026, ranked by rating, recency, and analysis of real user reviews.