Journaling is often a powerful way to record your observations, understand your strengths, and measure your progress over time. With the help of digital journal apps, it’s easier than ever to create and completely customize your digital bullet journaling (or bujo) experience.
There are endless journaling apps and diary app options out there for whatever you need. But with so many choices, how do you know which one’s right for you?
With this guide, we’re bringing you the best of the best when it comes to moving on from a paper journal to a digital journaling app.
Let’s find the perfect digital bullet journaling app for your needs. 🖊️
What Should You Look for in a Digital Journaling App?
It’s easy to start a journal in any note-taking app—all you need is a blank page. However, journaling apps offer functionality, ease of use, tracking over time, and customizability.
As you compare the best journaling apps, consider:
- Style: Does the style of the app appeal to me?
- Ease of use: Does the software have an easy-to-use interface to maintain a daily journal or other content across multiple devices?
- Features: Does this digital journal app have all the free or premium features I need?
- Pricing: Is there a free version and does it have everything I need?
- Customization: Can I personalize my journal’s design? Can I use colors, GIFs, or stickers to make the experience more fun?
- Compatibility: Is it a Mac app or compatible with an Android device? Can you use its iOS app across mobile devices (iPhone or iPad)? Is it only available in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store? Is there also a web or desktop version?
- Privacy: Does the app offer Touch ID or password protection?
Everyone is looking for something different in their digital journal app. You might want a streamlined interface with no distractions. Other users prefer customization options, colors, digital stickers, and sticky notes.
Whichever approach you favor, there’s a journaling app for you.
The 10 Best Digital Journal Apps to Use in 2024
Ready to enhance your digital journaling experience? Here’s our list of the best apps available today.
Each gives you somewhere safe and secure to write your daily notes, so look for the features that meet your journaling needs.
1. ClickUp
Best for Collaborative Journaling
ClickUp is an incredibly useful tool for productivity, project management, and recording project documentation. And it’s also an ideal home for your digital journal. With features that make creating documents and tracking progress easier, it’s a natural fit as a digital planner app.
Use ClickUp Docs features like rich text formatting, image embeds, nested pages, and bookmarks to build a digital planning system that complements the way you write and allows you to capture every moment of your day.
Use ClickUp AI in Docs as a writing assistant to generate or summarize notes in your digital journal. Beyond writing, ClickUp AI can be used to instantly create action items and subtasks based on the context of your tasks and docs.
Organize individual journal logs, use tags to categorize them, and build a library of daily or weekly entires over time. Decide whether to share your entries or keep private journals, with per-page privacy and sharing options.
Avoid distractions while you journal by turning on the built-in Focus Mode, or use the time tracker to monitor how long you journal for as a time management technique.
For when you want to add a quick note or create a to-do list or checklist alongside your journal, use ClickUp Notes. Your Notes are easy to access from anywhere, so you’ll never lose a sticky note or notebook entry again.
Notepad entries easily convert into trackable tasks with due dates in moments—ideal for when you want to track goal progress, motivate yourself to take action, or manage your priorities.
ClickUp is not only ideal for personal journals but also for work purposes. You can use it as your process documentation software to keep a record of SOPs and how-to guides.
At home, in the office, or on the go, you can do it with ClickUp. 🙌
ClickUp best features
- Create a daily or weekly journal in ClickUp Docs
- Customize your journal entries with rich media and text formatting
- Organize your thoughts with headers, bookmarks, and tags
- Search through tags to find previous journal entries
- Add to your journal on the go with the ClickUp mobile app
- Incorporate other features like ClickUp Goals and ClickUp Tasks to turn your digital journal into a fully featured productivity system
ClickUp limitations
- With so many features and customization options, some users may take a while to completely personalize their journal the way they want it
- ClickUp is a great choice for users who want to customize how they journal, but this might not be an ideal match for someone who wants a ready-made journaling experience
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- ClickUp Brain: Available on all paid plans for $5/Workspace member/month
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (8,700+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,800+ reviews)
2. Day One
Best for Daily Reflections
Day One describes itself as “the #1 journaling app.” The app prides itself on its award-winning modern and minimalist design. Users are encouraged to journal every day and use the app as a retrospective tool that you can revisit to reflect on previous days. ✏️
Day One best features
- Add photos, drawings, audio, and video to journal entries
- Create multiple journals within the app for different areas of your life
- Focus on security with passcodes, biometric security, and end-to-end encryption
- Automatically backed up with the opportunity to easily export data at any time
Day One limitations
- The app is designed for daily journaling, so users who want goal or habit tracking will need to look elsewhere
- Day One is primarily an iOS and Android app, so the web version is still in beta
Day One pricing
- Free
- Premium: $2.92/month
Day One ratings and reviews
- G2: N/A
- Capterra: N/A
3. Diaro
Best for Privacy and Security
Diaro is a simple digital journal app that promotes a journaling habit, thanks to its user-friendly interface. Users can add journal entries, organize notes, search through previous entries, and build a library of pages over time. 📚
Diaro best features
- Organize journal or diary entries with folders and tags
- Add images and locations to diary entries
- Compatible with 30+ languages
- Sync between the Diaro iOS or Android app and the web version with Dropbox
Diaro limitations
- Text formatting isn’t available in Diaro, so you can’t use bold, italics, or underline to personalize or add emphasis to your notes
- Users report that you can’t have more than one journal within the app
Diaro pricing
- Free
- Diaro Pro: From $8.99/month
Diaro ratings and reviews
- G2: N/A
- Capterra: N/A
4. Reflectly
Best for Mood Tracking
Reflectly describes itself as “the world’s first intelligent journal,” due to its focus on mindfulness, mental health, and mood tracking. Users get access to daily journal prompts, progress tracking, motivation quotes, and daily challenges.
And if you plan to introduce a digital journaling app in the workplace, Reflectly for Work is coming soon. 💭
Reflectly best features
- Answer daily questions about your mood and well-being
- Get inspired to write with daily journal prompts
- Read and reflect on previous journal entries
- Track your mood and habits over time
Reflectly limitations
- The app is heavily focused on mindfulness, so may not be the best option for a traditional digital journaling app
- Reflectly is only available in the App Store and the Google Play store, with no web or desktop version
Reflectly pricing
- Free
- Reflectly Premium: From $9.99/month
Reflectly ratings and reviews
- G2: N/A
- Capterra: N/A
5. Five Minute Journal
Best for Quick Journaling
The Five Minute Journal app offers a digital version of the popular printed journal. The idea is to spend just five minutes journaling and recording your thoughts for the day.
The app makes these bite-sized entries easy with guided journaling prompts, daily reminders, inspiring quotes, and weekly challenges to keep you motivated. 🎉
Five Minute Journal best features
- Use the guided process to simplify the journaling experience
- Navigate with timeline or calendar view
- Track your progress and patterns
- Five Minute Journal is a private journaling app with a secure passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID
Five Minute Journal limitations
- The Five Minute Journal app doesn’t have a web or desktop version, so users will need to use an iOS or Android device to journal
- While there is a free version, users need a paid plan to add images or video to daily journal prompts
Five Minute Journal pricing
- Free
- Premium: From $9.99/month
Five Minute Journal ratings and reviews
- G2: N/A
- Capterra: N/A
6. Notion
Best for Customizable Journal Templates
Notion is a digital workspace and planner app with multiple journal and habit tracker templates available, making it easy to build a custom journal. Whether you’re collecting thoughts and feelings or important ideas, this great journal app uses a simple text-based system so you can build something more comprehensive with databases to track the progress of your entries or tasks over time. 📈
Notion best features
- Start from a blank page or use a bullet journal template to set up your journal
- Customize the way you journal with colors, images, headers, databases, and feature embeds
- Organize photos, videos, and other reminders from your daily life and vacations
- Create multiple journals within one workspace
- AI capabilities to help summarize your journal entries, provide prompts, and more
Notion limitations
- Notion looks and feels more like a word-processing tool than a dairy app, which may not be visually appealing for personal journalers
- Some users may find the range of features within Notion overwhelming at first
Notion pricing
- Free
- Plus: $10/month per user
- Business: $18/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Notion ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (4,700+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (1,800+ reviews)
7. Momento
Best for Social Media Integration
Momento is an iOS-only digital journal app that encourages daily journaling and automatically collects content from your social media apps. Momento uses feeds to pull content from apps like Instagram, Spotify, or Goodreads to help you paint a picture of your life in moments. 🖼️
Momento best features
- Organize all your journal entries and memories in one place
- Get a fuller view of each day with feed integrations from social networking and entertainment apps
- Choose to share specific moments with others
- Search through and reflect on previous journal entries
Momento limitations
- Momento is only on iOS, so it’s not available on Android, web, or desktop
- Enhanced security features like passcodes or Touch ID are paid extras with Momento
Momento pricing
- Free
- Premium: From $14.99/month
Momento ratings and reviews
- G2: N/A
- Capterra: N/A
8. Daylio
Best for Mood and Activity Tracking
Daylio promotes itself as a self-care digital bullet journal app, with a focus on mood, happiness, and goal tracking. Users are prompted to select their mood, describe their day, and set goals or objectives that they can measure over time. 🌻
Daylio best features
- Engage in self-care and mindfulness while you journal with a built-in mood tracker
- Visualize your mood and progress over time with engaging calendar views
- Get advanced statistics and track your goal progress over time
- Customize the experience with different color themes
Daylio limitations
- The diary app is primarily for mindfulness and self-care, so it’s not for users looking for standard digital bullet journaling apps
- Daylio is not available as a desktop or browser app, so you’ll need to use an iOS or Android device
Daylio pricing
- Free
- Premium: From $4.99/month
Daylio ratings and reviews
- G2: N/A
- Capterra: N/A
9. Diarium
Best for Multimedia Journaling
Diarium is a more traditionally-styled digital journal app. It’s cross-platform, which means it’s easy to start and continue your journal wherever you are. Embed photos, videos, and audio notes, and use rich text formatting to personalize your entries. 🙌
Diarium best features
- Write a daily or weekly journal and scroll through previous entries
- Add locations and tags to see where you’ve been on a map view
- Get notifications of what you were doing on this day in a previous year
- Customize your diary with colors, fonts, tags, and smart integrations
Diarium limitations
- Diarium feels more like a traditional journal than other contemporary, streamlined options
- There’s no built-in habit or goal tracking, so you may prefer another app for this
Diarium pricing
- Free
- Lifetime Pro: $7.99
Diarium ratings and reviews
- G2: N/A
- Capterra: N/A
10. Grid Diary
Best for Visual Journaling
Grid Diary is a modern, streamlined way to start journaling. The app uses reflective prompts and diary templates to make the process more efficient. The unique grid format inspires you to consider different aspects of your life. 📝
Grid Diary’s best features
- Get past writer’s block with a guided writing experience
- Start multiple journals within one app
- Use built-in prompts to promote gratitude, reflection, and progress
- Personalize your digital journal with stickers, in-line images, and text formatting
Grid Diary’s limitations
- Some users may prefer a more traditional journaling approach than its unique system
- There’s no web version, so you’ll need an Android or iOS device, or a Mac, to use the app
Grid Diary’s pricing
- Free
- Paid: $2.99/month
Grid Diary’s ratings and reviews
- G2: N/A
- Capterra: N/A
Get Organized with the Best Digital Journaling Apps
Digital journaling is easier than ever, and there are plenty of apps available to motivate and encourage you to record your everyday life. Whether your focus is mindfulness, writing a diary, or tracking habits, there’s an app on this list to match your goals.
Take your online journal to the next level with your own personalized digital productivity system when you try ClickUp for free.
You’ll get a distraction-free and fully featured space to record your daily thoughts and feelings, and the power to turn those thoughts into action. ✨
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