Anchor vs Apple Journal
Anchor
anchorheart.app
Apple Journal
apple.comSide by side
| Figure | Anchor | Apple Journal |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Journaling Software | 8.0 (#26) | 8.3 (#11) |
| Spec score · Journaling apps | 7.2 (#33) | 8.3 (#13) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Available platforms | web | Apple’s App Store listing names iPhone and iPad, and Apple Support documents Journal for Mac; entries can sync among these devices with iCloud. |
| Privacy controls | Journal entries are private by default, and the user chooses whether the AI coach can read them. | Suggestions are processed on device, and users choose which suggested moments to share with journaling apps. |
| Purpose | Anchor is a private daily companion for addiction recovery, betrayal-trauma healing, and rebuilding trust between partners. | Journal helps people reflect on everyday moments and special events through journaling. |
Plans
In their own words
Apple Journal
Apple Journal is a free journaling app for recording everyday moments and special events. Entries can combine text, photos, videos, audio, places, drawings, and a logged state of mind. On-device intelligence groups outings, workouts, photos, and media into suggestions, while reflection prompts and scheduled notifications support regular writing. You can create multiple journals, search and sort entries, browse a calendar, and view entries by location. Writing tools include formatting, inline attachments, drawings, and audio recording with transcription; Apple says transcription in English excludes Singapore and India locales. State-of-mind entries can be saved to Health, and writing time can become Mindful Minutes. Suggestions are processed on device, with sharing controlled by the user. Device passcodes encrypt entries; iCloud entries receive end-to-end encryption with default two-factor authentication and a passcode. iCloud sync covers iPhone, iPad, and Mac, but Journal entries are not included in iCloud backups.