Best Journaling Apps To Write And Reflect In 2023 [Updated]

Each day marks the beginning of a new chapter. Are you keeping track of your life? If not, it’s an excellent time to start keeping a journal. We will discuss some of the most compelling reasons to keep a journal and look at the 8 best journal apps of 2022.

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What are the benefits of having a journal?

Journaling helps you capture your ideas and experiences to determine your future goals and objectives. Even recording mundane events might aid in identifying significant mistakes or poor judgments. This activity will help you clarify your action plan or detox your aspirations.

It makes it easier for you to tackle your challenges. Writing in a diary helps clarify difficulties in your thoughts. It allows you to concentrate on finding a solution, much like talking to a friend about worries helps alleviate tension and brings comfort. Life changes quickly, and although certain vital events are remembered, many more are forgotten. Writing a diary helps to keep track of your life and your circumstances.

Why is digital journaling better than traditional journaling?

Recall the last time you went to your favorite café for a drink, dessert, or a delectable snack. Do you remember the intoxicating aroma of coffee? The soothing music coming from the speakers? Was everyone glued to their phones or laptops? Were they carrying a pen and paper?

But hang for a second. They would have been easy to recall if anyone had a pen and paper. Harnessing technology is just more accessible and more convenient for various reasons. But, when it comes to the advantages of journaling, which is the most effective medium:

With many years of development and growth behind it, it’s no surprise that traditional journaling has become a form of art. It has grown from merely writing down our thoughts and ideas to keeping a record of them in a fantastic system that aids in therapy, productivity, creativity, and a tool to find our way to goals and establish a healthier lifestyle.

With the advent of digital journaling, you no longer have to worry about running out of paper or ink, and you might just journal anytime and anywhere you desire. Keeping track of thoughts and ideas has never been easier as there’s no more striving to remember what you were meant to write about once you have your physical diary with you.

For instance, if you want to create an online course. Then you need to write down your daily progress and other important stuff in a single place, which will help you determine the progress level. After that, you can choose the best platform to create a course like Graphy, making course creation and selling easier. But still, you will need to track your daily progress and day-to-day responsibilities. A journal will help you in the same.

Also read: Why Graphy is the best online course platform

What makes a great journal app?

A traditional notebook and pen are more than enough for journaling, but apps provide more options. They provide a broader perspective of what you’ve achieved and where you might wish to go next. They also allow you to upload photos from your phone or posts from your social media feeds to enhance your journaling experience. Include reminders and the option to search your diary entries, and digital journaling becomes nearly irresistible.

The top journaling apps have a few characteristics in common, and we used these parameters to create a list of 8 best journal apps of 2022-

Easy entry: If adding a journal entry requires more than a handful of clicks or taps, you’re unlikely to do so.

Engaging user interface: A friendly interface helps you focus on your ideas and makes journaling a pleasurable experience.

Reminders: The most challenging aspect of journaling is remembering to do it. Automatic reminders make it easier to stick to your routine.

Exporting: If the app is no longer being developed or you wish to switch to another journaling platform, you should be able to export your entries in a format that other applications can read, such as PDF or RTF.

Syncing: Syncing will keep your journal updated regardless of your device.

Affordability: We rejected certain apps due to their exorbitant cost. Journaling should not be prohibitively expensive.

Password protection, Markdown support, the option to upload multiple photos, location and weather tags, and journaling prompts are more things to consider for a digital journal.

Also read: How to integrate third party tools on your course platform in 2022

8 best journal apps of 2022

You know it is essential to keep a journal and track your day. Also, you get more privacy, freedom, and flexibility with digital journals compared to traditional physical journals. Here is a list and detailed analysis of the 8 best journal apps of 2022.

Day One

Day One has been one of the most highly recommended journaling applications since its inception in 2011, earning many Editors Choice awards in the App Store.

It’s easy to understand why. The software has many features—almost everything you might want or need in a digital journal. On the Mac, you can write journal entries with a single click from the menu bar, use templates to simplify writing, and automatically include metadata such as location, weather, motion activity, playing music, and step count.

There are optional prompts if you don’t know what to write about. You may also use hashtags to tag entries, add photographs and videos, password-protect your diary, and format entries in Markdown. All of this is contained within a beautiful, inconspicuous design. It features a single primary blue hue, grey menus, and icons—no flashy toolbars here.

The flexibility to set numerous reminders is possibly Day One’s most attractive feature. Most other diary apps will only give you one reminder every day. However, using Day One, you can be encouraged to write at the beginning of the day, at lunchtime, and after the day to keep track of your actions and ideas; there include most essential journaling functions, but synchronization, unlimited images, handwritten and voice entries, and numerous journals need a Day One Premium subscription.

Day One Pricing: A free version is accessible, with premium features costing $2.92 per month when invoiced annually.

Also read: 6 online research tools every online learner should know about in 2022

Grid Diary

Grid Diary is the “easiest method to start keeping a diary” in the list of the eight best journal apps of 2022. Instead of a blank slate, this journal software provides a grid of boxes to which you may add unique headings.

This provides you with a thorough and bird’s-eye picture of what’s going on in your life, day by day. You may use the built-in calendar to evaluate entries, or the Titles view to review all entries for a particular grid. You can also add attachments and sync between numerous devices using the paid version. Instead of wondering what to write about each day, use Grid Diary to record short remarks that will assist you in reflecting on your days.

It also includes setting a password to keep your entries secret and exporting your diary in numerous formats.

Grid Diary Pricing: Free version; subscription version starting at $2.99/month for synchronization, unlimited journals, and PDF output.

Also read: The top 10 strategies for learning new skills

Daylio

Long-form writing has always been the highlight of journaling, but not everyone is skilled with words. Daylio is the perfect journaling software for you if you want to communicate visually.

In Daylio, a diary entry captures your emotions and actions for the day. The best part is that there is no typing (unless you want to add supplementary notes). Instead, choose your mood by clicking on one of the five happy face icons. You may also select icons that symbolize what you did that day (for example, working, studying, gaming, etc.). Both the mood and activity settings may be adjusted. While each item takes a few seconds to complete, the details add together to build a vivid view of your day.

Daylio also has basic journaling capabilities such as

Reminders
Exporting entries
Goal setting
Monthly mood chart and daily mood

It may also reveal trends in the Often together area, revealing how you typically feel while engaging in various activities (for example, when your spirit is “good,” you usually read and spend time listening to music).

Daylio does not provide a typical journaling experience, but the free plan is an incredible tool to document your emotions in just a few seconds every day.

Daylio pricing: A free version is available; a premium version begins at $2.99 per month and includes extra icons, reminders, and color themes.

Also read: E-learning Vs traditional learning: Which one is better?

Gratitude journal affirmations

Life does not provide you with everything you desire. In such a scenario, maintaining a gratitude notebook might help you feel grateful for what you already have in life. The UI is simple, and the features are few. A vibrant notebook prompts you to express what you are grateful for today. You can shuffle the questions about different aspects of your life and write an answer to each.

You may also upload a photo to the journal, alter the background color, and change the publishing date. Affirmations and Daily Zen are two websites that promote gratitude journaling.

Gratitude Journal Affirmations pricing: A free plan is available, and a premium plan starts at $4.99/month.

Also read: Blended learning: How your school can combine online and offline learning

Gold

Have you ever heard of a line-a-day journal? Gold is precisely that, yet it’s a bit different. Gold is intended for busy people who wish to enhance their mental health but only have a few minutes to write daily. The best part? You may bring your memories to life by importing a photo after recording your one line a day. Users adore the nostalgic “on this day” feature, perfect for recognizing how far you’ve progressed with your yearly objectives.

Gold pricing: Free plan is available.

Daily Bean

DailyBean is a simple, enjoyable app that allows you to record your 365 activities with the click of a sticker. Users may tap cute tiny beans to log the day’s events, food, weather, and social engagements. It’s the ideal app for individuals looking for something simple to do in the evenings that nearly seems like a game. In addition, users enjoy the chart function, which shows how your mood has changed over time and allows you to look back at different stages of your life.

Daily Bean pricing: 7-day free trial, then £1.49 per month, £7.49 per year, or £17.99 for life.

Reflectly

Reflectly, a previous winner of both the Apple Editors’ Choice and App of the Day awards, allows users to vent their thoughts and feelings in the traditional journaling app fashion. Still, it also uses cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and action-oriented therapy to help users gain perspective on their lives and improve their moods. Furthermore, the more regularly you use the app, the more tailored motivating cues you will receive, which may be beneficial for tracking new year and long-term goals.

Reflectly pricing: $9.99 per month or $59.99 per year

Longwalks

Longwalks, half journal prompt generator and half social networking application, provides something different from the standard journaling software. Members fill out a question daily to help them connect and reflect, which they may share with friends and fellow Longwalks users. The app is created so that using it becomes a self-care habit and gives a safe space to vent and share self-praise, fears, and aspirations.

Longwalks pricing: Free plan is available.

If you’re still unclear about which journal app is perfect for you, the truth is – it depends on your interests. It all comes down to selecting an app that includes the majority, if not all, of the functionality you desire. Before purchasing a license or a subscription, you can always test out applications with free options. You won’t feel like you’ve squandered your money if you later discover you’re not entirely satisfied with the software.

Also read: What is a learning management system

Create and sell online courses with Graphy

If you are good at something and you want to monetize your skills, then Graphy is the platform for you. Graphy makes it easier to create and sell online courses. You get features like live classes, assignments, tests, and push notifications, and the best part is you can start for free. Later you can upgrade your plan as per the requirements.