Journey vs Skrive

Journey is a journaling app for recording entries with photos, videos, audio, GIFs, and music. It supports offline access, search and filters, and end-to-end encryption for journal data. Privacy options include a passcode and device biometrics. You can collaborate in shared journals or share selected entries through links that open in a browser. Prompts, templates, and more than 60 guided coach programs cover reflection, self-improvement, healthy living, and planning; Odyssey AI can answer questions about life patterns, moods, and progress toward goals. Journey connects with Google Places, Apple Maps, Apple Health, Zapier, email, and WhatsApp. Free use is available indefinitely. Annual membership is $4.17 per month, billed annually, and includes 10GB of cloud storage, 5,000 entries, and up to 20 media files per entry. Membership works across Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, web, Chrome OS, and Linux. After cancellation, access lasts until the next payment is due; cancelled subscriptions are not refunded.

Skrive is a daily journal built around one plain-text entry per day. Users can browse entries by date and search the full text of their journal history. The free app does not limit how much users can write, and entries are saved locally first, so writing and reading can continue offline or when the cloud service is unavailable. Skrive is available for macOS, iOS, and Android, and entries can be exported as JSON or plain text. Before transmission, entries are encrypted on the device with AES-256 using a key controlled by the user. The maker says encrypted backups are stored on servers in the EU. Skrive Pro adds encrypted cloud backup and sync across devices; it is listed at $3.99 a month. The encryption passphrase cannot be recovered if lost, and entries may become inaccessible after signing out, changing devices, or reinstalling the app. The maker is based in Oslo, Norway. The product has a free plan and a 14-day trial.