A journal app for students
The best journal apps for students are Apple Journal if you want free and already installed, Daylio if you want a ten-second check-in, and Natus if you want the journal to actually tell you something about yourself. The student reality the reviews keep proving: subscriptions are the dealbreaker. If an app charges monthly for a place to write, it was not priced for you.
What people say in their own reviews
Verbatim from public 1 and 2 star App Store reviews of other apps in this category, not Natus.
Bad app1 star review on Zinnia
Because have to pay and thats not work for the students that have to plans and. More just bad
But whyyyy?2 star review on Day One
So I haven't journaled in a really long time and decided I would open up this app to start back only to be met with a screen asking for $50 or a yearly subscription. I had a free subscription and I am no longer able to access my earlier entries.
Hate it1 star review on Ahead
Don't get this app, they don't warn you when trial is close to then they overdrafted my account now I will starve.
Always loses the entries1 star review on Apple Journal
Twice this app has lost all of my entries!! And lots of people have this problem! Use notes app or a real paper journal. It's so upsetting.
The options
Apple Journal
Best for: free, already on your iPhone
Zero cost, zero setup, already installed. The catch from its own reviews: entries sometimes disappear between phones. Use it for daily notes, not as the only copy of anything that matters.
Daylio
Best for: the fastest possible check-in
Tap a mood, write a line, done between lectures. The free tier is usable and the paid tier is cheap by journal-app standards.
Natus(this is us)
Best for: figuring out who you are while everything is changing
Student years are when the identity questions are loudest. Natus builds a First Reading from your name and birth details, keeps a private journal, and every Sunday reads your week back. Free tier: reading, Preview, private journal, and first Sunday letter.
Diarium
Best for: one payment, then done
If you want a real journal without a subscription, Diarium is a one-time purchase that syncs everywhere. The anti-subscription pick.
The student rule: never a subscription for a place to write
The angriest reviews in this whole category come from people who got billed while broke: trials converting without warning, $50 screens blocking years of old entries, charges hitting an empty account. If an app gates your own words behind a monthly fee, walk.
If you want free and zero effort
Apple Journal is already on your phone and costs nothing. One warning from its own reviews: entries have disappeared between devices, so keep anything important duplicated. Daylio adds a mood check-in if you want a tiny bit of structure.
If you want it to mean something
University is the years of who am I, what am I doing, why do I keep doing it. Natus is built for that job specifically: a First Reading of how you operate, a journal for the week as it happens, and every Sunday the week read back so the pattern becomes visible.
Common questions
- What is the best free journal app for students?
- Apple Journal costs nothing and is already installed. Natus's free tier gives you the First Reading, Preview, private journal, and first Sunday letter. Daylio's free tier covers the daily check-in. All three beat a trial that bills you the week of finals.
- How do I avoid subscription traps on journal apps?
- Only subscribe through your Apple ID, and cancel from Settings, not inside the app. Reviews across this whole category describe in-app cancellation that goes nowhere. If an app needs a card before showing you anything, that is the tell.
- Is journaling actually worth it at uni?
- The reviews suggest the people who keep it up are the ones who get something back. A journal that reads your week and names what keeps coming up is easier to keep returning to than a blank page.