As we look to the year ahead, you may be interested in creating new habits and setting goals. Journaling is a popular practice that helps you reflect on your life while also keeping track of your goals. If you’re looking for a journal and prefer to keep a digital journal rather than a physical journal, you can choose from numerous journal apps available on iPhone and Android.
Whether you want to save specific memories from your daily life or reflect on your day with a few phrases before bed, there are many apps designed to help you keep track of your thoughts and experiences. We’ve put together a list of some of the best to help you pick one that’s right for you.
Table of Contents
Day one
Image Credits: Day one
Day one is a personal journaling app somewhat similar to a free-form digital journal. The app includes daily prompts to keep you on track with your goals and includes customizable templates to save you time journaling. Each entry automatically tracks the time, date, weather, moon phase, and more. Day One lets you pull in content from other apps, such as Photos and Safari.
Part of the app is designed to help users reminisce about the past. For example, there is a function “On this day” that allows you to revisit memories from the past. What makes the app unique is the ability to add tags to entries, which can make it easier to find specific entries from the past. Day One also has a map view that shows you all the places you’ve come from.
The app caters to people who want an open-ended diary, rather than a structured format. Day One is free to use, but also offers a $3 monthly subscription that unlocks premium features. The app is available at iOS and Android.
5 minute diary
Image Credits: 5 minute diary
The 5 Minute Journal app offers a guided gratitude journal format. Each morning and evening you will receive specific prompts to reflect on your day and your goals. The purpose of the app is to encourage you to think about your life twice a day in just five minutes. In the morning you may be asked to write down what you are thankful for, and in the evening you may be asked to write about some good things that happened that day.
You can set daily notifications to track your journaling habit. There is also an option to receive daily inspirational quotes that you can share on your social media accounts. In addition, you can add a photo to your posts to have a visual aspect in tracking everyday moments.
The app is suitable for people who want to start with mindfulness using a structured format. The 5 Minute Journal is free to use, but also offers a $4.99 monthly subscription with additional features. The app is available at iOS and Android.
Daglio
Image Credits: Daglio
Daglio is an easy-to-use journaling app that helps you quickly track your daily mood and activities. The app is perfect for people who want to keep their diary short and sweet and don’t really want to write anything. If you want to expand an item, you can add notes. You can choose the things you want to track, such as your social activities, hobbies, sleep, health, chores, food and more.
The app also allows you to create daily, weekly or monthly goals to motivate you. You can choose from preset goals, such as drinking more water or meditating, or you can create custom goals. You can also build habits and collect achievements along the way. In addition, you can back up and restore your entries to your Google Drive.
Daylio caters to people who want an alternative to traditional journaling apps. The app is free to use but also offers a $2.99 monthly subscription that unlocks premium features. Daylio is available on iOS and Android.
instant
Image Credits: Keepsake
instant is a multi-purpose diary that can be used for many different things. You can use it as a personal life diary or a work day diary. There are several templates to choose from if you want to track specific things like health, food, or travel. You can add photos and location tags to your journal entries to keep a detailed record of your daily life.
What makes Momento unique is the ability to connect the app to your social networks to automatically import your activities, photos and videos. The app also lets you relive your memories by browsing by day, month or year. There’s also a “This Day” feature that lets you look back at exactly what you were doing one year ago.
Momento is a good journaling option for people who want to record everything about their daily lives. The app is free to use but also has a $2.49 monthly subscription that gives you access to more features. The app is available at iOS only.
DailyBean
Image Credits: DailyBean
DailyBean is a simple app that lets you record your daily life in a way that almost feels like a game with just a few taps. You can choose what to track, such as your emotions, social activities, the weather, your meals, your romantic life, and more. To add an item, start by tracking how you felt about your day using one of five mood beans. You can then add additional details about your emotions. For example, you can write down whether you felt refreshed or depressed that day.
You can also track how much sleep you got that day and there’s an option to add up to three photos to your daily entry. If you want to go beyond the simple way of keeping track of your day, you can add notes to your entries. The app’s calendar view also gives you an overview of how you’ve been feeling lately.
DailyBean is suitable for people who don’t want to spend too much time keeping a diary and want something simple. The app costs $1.99 per month after a 7-day free trial. DailyBean is available at iOS and Android.
