Journaling Apps: 7 Simple Journals That Make Journaling a Breeze

Journaling doesn’t have to be complicated. From tracking your emotions to just getting thoughts out of your head and onto paper, journaling apps can make it effortless. No more losing notebooks, forgetting to write, or staring at a blank page. 

We’ve reviewed seven of the best journaling apps that are simple, clean, and designed to help you build a lasting habit. Whether you are brand new to journaling or want a better digital system, there’s something here for everyone. 

Quick Comparison of The Best Journaling Apps

NotePlan - Best Overall Journaling App

NotePlan is a full productivity system wrapped in a clean, distraction-free interface. Built for Apple users, it blends your calendar, daily notes, and tasks so you can journal while staying on top of your schedule. 

It’s especially great if you like journaling in the context of planning, reflection, and goal-setting. With built in AI features, you can summarize thoughts or organize notes automatically, which makes it feel like a second brain. 

Key Features:

• Syncs via iCloud for privacy and speed
• Markdown journaling with linked tasks
• Integrated calendar and habit tracker
• Daily, weekly, and monthly views
• AI-powered note summarization

Pricing: Free trial, then $8.33/month ($99 billed annually)

What Users on Reddit Say About NotePlan

NotePlan on iPad Overview on YouTube

Day One - Best Journaling App for Simple Journaling

The Day One app remains one of the most elegant and polished journaling apps available. It focuses on creating a beautiful and immersive writing experience. You can include photos, voice recordings, weather data, location tags, and even templates for gratitude, wellness or travel. 

Whether you want a morning routine checklist, travel log, or memory book - Day One is incredibly versatile and private. It even has end-to-end encryption. 

Key Features:

• Add photos, audio, weather, and location to entries
• Clean, distraction-free writing environment
• Seamless syncing across all devices
• Templates for consistent journaling
• Encrypted and password-protected

Pricing: Free basic plan, premium at $2.92/month (billed annually)

Journey - Best Journaling App for Mood Journaling

Journey offers a journaling experience that’s both expressive and structured. It’s ideal for those who want more than text - allowing you to attach images, video, voice notes, and locations. It comes with mood tracking, journaling prompts, and coaching features that guide your practice.

The calendar and timeline views make it easy to reflect on past entries, and the app works across nearly all platforms, including the web. 

Key Features:

• Supports multimedia entries (images, audio, video)
• Built-in coaching and daily prompts
• Timeline, calendar, and map views
• Google Drive backup and sync
• Mood and emotion tracking

Pricing: $4.17/month (billed annually)

Diarium - Best Journaling App for Rich Media + Auto Logs

If you want a low-effort journaling experience that captures your day automatically, Diarium is your go-to app. It pulls in your calendar events, social media posts, and fitness data to build out your journal entries. You can easily supplement this data with voice notes, pictures, or text. 

The app’s one-time purchase option makes it one of the best value-for-money journaling apps, especially for Android and Windows users. 

Key Features:

• Automatically imports calendar, social, and fitness data
• Rich media support: voice, video, images, files
• No subscription - just a one-time payment
• Offline access and strong privacy controls
• Calendar view with filtering and tags

Pricing: Free, with a $9.99 lifetime PRO option

Reflectly - Best Journaling App For Guided Self-Care

Reflectly is built around the idea of mindfulness and emotional awareness. Every day, it asks you simple, thoughtful questions to help you process your day and your emotions. It’s not a blank page - it’s a guided conversation with yourself. 

Reflectly also gamifies your streaks and offers insights into your mental health trends over time. The soft design and easy UX make it welcoming, even for beginners. 

Key Features:

• Streak tracking and insights dashboard
• Motivational quotes and reminders
• Daily guided prompts for reflection
• A relaxing, clean visual interface
• Mood and emotion tagging
  

Pricing: Free basic plan, with premium plans starting at $4.99/month

Grid Diary - Best Journaling App for Prompt-Based Journaling

If you’re someone who prefers structure and routine, Grid Diary is a dream. It replaces the daunting blank page with a customizable set of questions. You can create templates for morning routines, evening reflections, or weekly check-ins. 

The grid-style layout helps you build consistent habits and stay focused on what matters most to you - whether that’s gratitude, productivity, or self-growth. 

Key Features:

• Cross-platform syncing and cloud backup
• Weekly/monthly reflection modes
• Customizable prompt templates
• Built-in mood and habit tracking
• Unique grid-style journal layout

Pricing: Free basic plan, with different premium plans starting at $2.99/month

Daylio - Best Journaling App for Visual Thinking

Daylio is perfect if you want to journal without writing a single word. It focused on mood tracking and daily check-ins using icons, ratings, and simple notes. Over time, Daylio shows charts and patterns to help you understand your behaviour, energy levels, and emotional triggers. 

It’s particularly helpful for people looking to improve mental health or track habits virtually. 

Key Features:

• Reminders to keep the habit going
• Extremely fast and simple to use
• Fully private with cloud backup
• Visual reports and trend charts
• Tap-to-log mood and activities

Pricing: Free with different premium plans, starting at $4.99/month

Conclusion

Journaling should feel natural - not like another task. Whether you want an all-in-one tool like NotePlan, a beautiful daily journal like Day One, or something more visual like Daylio, these apps make it easy to reflect and build awareness over time.

Pick whichever suits your style the best. Stick with it for a week or two - and let the habit grow from there.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is The Best App to Use as a Journal?

The best app to use as a general depends on your specific needs, but NotePlan is a great all-in-one solution. 

How do I Start Self-Journaling?

You can start self-journaling by simply writing anything of note whenever you want. It can be a thought that has been lingering, a task you have to remind yourself to do, or even a funny moment with a friend. 

What is the 5 Minute Journal?

The 5 minute journal idea dedicates 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening to journaling. It’s a simple way to make journaling a hobby.