MoodHaven Journal vs tinythoughts

MoodHaven Journal is a free, open-source journaling app with guided prompts and end-to-end encryption. It runs on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and the web; its browser PWA needs no installation or account. Native desktop apps are available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and Wear OS supports voice captures and memos. Entries use AES-256-GCM encryption with PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 and 600,000 iterations. Keys are derived in memory and cleared when the app is locked, and passwords are not stored or transmitted. The app requires no account or email, and data is not uploaded or shared unless the user exports it. Devices can sync over a local network using encrypted transport without a cloud relay. Entries can be exported as encrypted .moodhaven backups or plaintext files. Wear OS voice memos are transcribed locally with Whisper.cpp. AI analyzes metadata such as mood scores and patterns; journal text stays on the device. The app includes 15 predefined activities and supports up to 50 custom activities.

tinythoughts is a sentence-a-day journal for short daily writing. Users create text entries, choose a reminder time, and receive a different writing prompt for every day of the year. Entries can include photos or GIFs, tags for category filtering, and automatically determined mood labels. Mood views separate positive and negative entries and show trends over time. The free plan permits five image uploads a month; premium adds daily image uploads and an image gallery. Users can download their data as CSV. tinythoughts says entries use end-to-end encryption so only the user can read them. The service is available on the web, Android, and iOS, while push notifications are available in Chrome and Firefox only. The free plan includes daily text entries and notifications. Premium costs $3 a month, is free for the first 14 days, and can be canceled any time. The privacy policy mentions data collection, cookies, Firebase hosting, and protection measures that cannot guarantee security.