8 Best Apple Journal App Alternatives for iPhone and iPad 

In more ways than one, the Apple Journal app is an intuitive mood tracker and stress buster. Using this all-new app, you can capture the details of your everyday moments and track how your life is panning out. But what if this app has failed to impress you or you find it lacking the important tools for tracking the progress? No worries! I’ve explored dozens of apps to find the best Apple Journal app alternatives for iPhone and iPad to help you choose an ideal mood tracker. Keep reading…

Best Apple Journal Alternatives for iPhone and iPad 

So, what makes these apps compelling substitutes for Apple Journal? Well, they are packed with a wide array of tools for not just mapping the mind but also having a clear insight into where you stand. On top of all, these journal apps support older versions of iOS/iPadOS as well. That means, even if you are running iOS 17/16 or 15, you can get a feature-rich journal app to get the job done for you. 

1. 5 Minute Journal 

Should you need a pretty simple and easy-to-use alternative to the “Apple Journal”, the “5 Minute Journal” can be an ideal choice. As the name itself suggests, it doesn’t demand more than just 5 minutes from you. Hence, you can map your mind or jot down your thoughts with ease. Even when you are on the go or entangled in lengthy projects, sparing a few moments for reflection shouldn’t be a big ask.

What’s more, the app also offers inspiring quotes and weekly challenges to keep you motivated so that you can stay positive. Add to that the ability to provide hassle-free tracking of mindful minutes through Apple Health and the 5 Minute Journal seems to be the go-to journal app for everyone.

5 Minute Journal Self Care

Install: Free, $4.99/month

Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch

2. Day One Journal 

“Day One Journal” has long been one of the most loved journal apps. What makes this journal app so impressive is the pretty intuitive user interface and neat text formatting with markdown. Thus, you can pen down different journals for each aspect of your life – be it the fun-filled moments with your little cutie or the brain-churning times while dealing with clients.

With fully customizable templates, voice recording, and exceptionally accurate transcription, it makes journaling a pleasing experience. Combine that with the seamless integration with the Health app for in-depth tracking as well as automatic backup and the “Day One Journal” looks well-equipped to rival Apple’s Journal app. 

Day One Journal 

Install: Free, $5.99/month

Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch

3. Moodnotes 

This one is more than just a journal app. You can use Moodnotes to write down thoughts and track your mind. Moreover, the app also helps you identify triggers that cause anxiety and take control of them.

Another feature worth taking note of is a ton of detailed self-awareness articles composed by health experts. Therefore, you can enhance your knowledge and learn ways to bust stress. Courtesy of the iCloud backup, your journals remain secure and readily available across devices.

While Moodnotes is available for free, unlocking its full potential will require you to upgrade to the premium version that starts at $9.99/month, which is a little on the expensive side of the spectrum. However, taking all the pros in mind, Moodnotes deserves to be rated as one of the best iOS 17 Journal app alternatives for iPhone.

MoodNotes

Install: Free, $9.99/month

Compatibility: iPhone, Apple Watch

4. Daylio Journal 

Daylio Journal is a fully-featured mood tracker, health, and wellness app for iOS. To me, it’s probably the most versatile alternative to Apple’s Journal app. Well, it can work as your insightful mental health coach, food log, and mood tracker.

Taking advantage of the in-depth weekly, monthly, and yearly charts, you can get the right insight into your health and take the needed steps to get the better of the stress and achieve your coveted fitness goals. Better still, Daylio Journal also lets you customize color themes and set timely reminders to ensure you never forget to note down your memories. 

Daylio Journal Daily Diary

Install: Free, $4.99/month

Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, iMessage

5. Reflectly

Reflectly is designed to let you write down your feelings and track your progress at your own pace. To ensure you never deviate from the right path, the app provides fully personalized motivational quotes. Powered by AI, the app can help you overcome negative thoughts and stay determined to accomplish what you have set out for.

Notably, the app asks personalized questions depending on the entries in order that you can reflect deeply and find out the grey areas. With daily, weekly, and monthly reports, Reflectly keeps you guided about the progress you have made and the weaknesses that need to be addressed – sooner than later.

Reflectly Journal AI Diary

Install: Free, $4.99/month

Compatibility: iPhone and iPad

6. Diarly 

Diarly is a rich digital diary app with all the important boxes ticked up. Based on your preference or goal, the app offers daily prompts so that you can map your moods with ease. Plus, it also provides a quick way to include things like weather, location, health data, calendar events, and more. If you are fond of customization, you would love to have the luxury of choosing from a variety of fonts, formatting options, and robust markdown-based editing.

Even better, Diarly also allows you to set up personalized reminders and keeps you informed through precise statistics. Wish to switch from Apple Journal to Diarly? Fret not, this app features smart importers to let you migrate without any pain. 

Diarly Private Daily Journal

Install: Free, $19.99/year

Compatibility: iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch

7. My Diary

Whether you are looking for an app to take control of mental anxiety or jot down your memories in a personal way, My Diary can live up to your expectations. Interestingly, this journal app also allows you to write photo diaries and add fun-loving drawings to make your personal diary look more striking.

To further spice up the whole affair, the app features a variety of themes and font effects. Besides, you can also add cool stickers to enhance the fun quotient. If you have the habit of writing in night or checking your old journals, the night dark theme will work as a protective shield for your eyes. To ward off unauthorized access, you can enable the diary lock to keep all of your captured moments behind a private lock. Quite handy, isn’t it?

My Diary Journal with Lock

Install: Free, $2.99/month

Compatibility: iPhone and iPad

8. DailyBean

If all you need is a dead simple diary app for recording your lives or notable moments, you can’t go wrong with the DailyBean. To get going, you can choose your mood for a specific day and sum it up using a bunch of colorful icons. Plus, you also have the flexibility to add an image and a line of notes.

One of the biggest highlights of this app is the monthly calendar that shows your mood flow which makes it easier to figure out the progress you have made. Just like other journal apps in this roundup, DailyBean allows you to analyze your mood on a weekly or monthly basis. Taking everything into account, it deserves to be selected as one of the best Apple Journal alternatives for iOS and iPadOS. 

DailyBean simplest journal

Install: Free, $3.99/month

Compatibility: iPhone and iPad

Your Favourite? 

There you go! So, these are the top rivals of Apple’s all-new Journal app. I guess mood tracking will no longer be a challenge for you. But before you start penning down your moments, be sure to let me know about your favorite journal app and the things you like the most about it. 

Posted by
Rajesh Mishra

Editor-in-Chief: Rajesh Mishra is a Shakespearean poet at heart who turned a tech nerd while having a secret rendezvous with iPhone 4. When that rendezvous turned obsession, he let go of his hard-core political journalism in favour of the lifelong love-affair with technology. In a career spanning one and a half decades, Mr. Mishra has crafted over 8K articles and produced more than 3K videos for YouTube. When he is not at his desk, you may find him either engrossed in a Deathmatch or chasing Wordsworth!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *