Compare journal apps
Which journaling app fits the way you want to reflect?
There is no single best journal app. Some help you capture long memories, some make mood logging quick, and some guide a daily check-in. Hourly Journal is made for noticing the shape of your day one hour at a time.
Choose Hourly Journal if you want to…
- Notice what happened while the day is still fresh, with a gentle hourly prompt.
- Combine a short note with moods and tags instead of writing a long diary entry every day.
- Look back at day, week and month patterns in how your time felt and where it went.
- Start with a free, low-pressure journaling habit.
Not the right fit if you want to…
- Build a photo- and video-heavy life archive — see how Day One compares.
- Write long-form entries as your main practice — see how Journey compares.
- Be led through a guided, prompt-driven conversation — see how Reflectly compares.
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Compare by journaling style
Four apps people most often weigh up against us. Each page covers what both apps are for, the same eleven-criterion table, and who we think should pick which.
The five apps, side by side
Four things that rarely change. Pricing is not here on purpose — it moves too often for a summary table; each comparison states it next to the date we checked.
| Criterion | Hourly Journal | Daylio | Day One | Journey | Reflectly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journaling style | One entry per hour, or split it into 15-minute slots — a few words, a tag, a mood | Mood scale plus activity icons, with an optional note | Long-form diary entries with photos, video and audio | Free-form diary with rich text, media, map and calendar views | AI-prompted daily reflection in a card-based flow |
| Best for | Noticing the shape of a day, one hour at a time, without writing pages. | The fastest possible mood check-in, and years of mood statistics. | Long-form writing with photos and video, on almost every platform. | A full-featured diary everywhere, including Linux and self-hosted storage. | Being gently guided by prompts, as a warm daily ritual. |
| Prompts & reminders | Hourly, or in 15-minute slots, between your wake and sleep times — scheduled on-device, free, no upgrade needed | Reminders are listed among their features | Journaling reminders on every plan, including free Basic | Not confirmed on their own pages. Check current Journey details (opens in a new tab) | Not confirmed on their own pages. Check current Reflectly details (opens in a new tab) |
| Platform access | iOS · Android · Web | iOS · Android | iOS · iPadOS · watchOS · macOS · Windows · Android · Web | Android · iOS · macOS · Windows · Linux · Chrome OS · Web | iOS · Android |
Want to try the hourly approach first?
Try Hourly Journal free on the web. No need to decide on Premium before you build the habit.