Plume
Is the Journal App Free?
What You Actually Pay For
Yes. Apple’s Journal app is free. It is built into iPhone, and since the 26 releases it runs on iPad and Mac too. No subscription, no ads. The more useful question is what “free” costs you with each journal app, and what happens to your words if you ever want to leave.
What each journal app costs
| App | Price | What free gets you | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Journal | Free | The whole app. No tiers, no ads. | iPhone, iPad and Mac (iPad and Mac from the 26 releases) |
| Day One | Free Basic, Silver $49.99/yr, Gold $74.99/yr | Unlimited entries and journals, one photo per entry, export. No sync across devices. | Apple, Android, web |
| Obsidian | Free for personal use | Plain Markdown files on your disk. You build the journal yourself. | Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android |
| jrnl | Free, open source | A command-line journal in plain text files. | Any computer with a terminal |
| Plume | Paid, 21 writing days free | The full app while you try it. After that, read-only: nothing is locked away. | iPhone, iPad and Mac |
Day One prices are US list prices from dayoneapp.com as of September 2026. They vary by region and change over time.
What Apple's free Journal app gives you
Apple Journal is a good first journal. It is already on your iPhone, it costs nothing, and it asks nothing of you. There is no account to create beyond the Apple Account you already have.
It suggests moments to write about, lets you keep several journals, and can be locked behind Face ID, Touch ID or your passcode. Entries synced through iCloud are end-to-end encrypted, according to Apple. You can also export and print your entries, so the words are not stuck there. Since the 26 releases it runs on iPad and Mac as well.
Where it stops is on purpose. It is simple, it lives only on Apple devices, and it does not try to be much more than a quiet place to write. For many people, that is exactly enough. If you want to compare it with a dedicated journal app, we wrote a side-by-side with Plume.
What does free cost you?
Free is a price like any other. Somebody pays for the servers and the people who build the app. It is worth knowing who. None of this makes a free app bad. It just helps you pick with open eyes.
Ads
Some free diary apps show ads. That means an ad network runs inside the app where you write your most private thoughts. If you want a journal app without ads, check the listing and the App Store privacy label before you start.
Data
An app that asks for an account holds at least your email next to your journal. Look at the privacy label on the App Store page. "Data Not Collected" and "Data Linked to You" tell very different stories.
Limits
Freemium tiers are designed to feel tight. Day One Basic, for example, keeps one photo per entry and does not sync between your phone and your Mac. Fine for trying. Harder for years.
Lock-in
The real cost shows up when you want to leave. Before you commit, find the export button. Plain text, Markdown or JSON means your words can move. Apple Journal and Day One both export.
A journal app without a subscription
If the monthly charge is what bothers you, you have two honest routes. The first is free: Apple Journal for zero setup, or Obsidian and jrnl if you like plain files and don't mind building your own routine.
The second is to pay once. A few journal apps sell a lifetime purchase, which is often cheaper over the years a journal actually lasts. We compared them in journal apps you can buy once and in Day One alternatives without a subscription.
Where Plume fits, honestly
Plume is not free. We would rather say that plainly than bury it. You get 21 writing days to try everything. They count the days you actually write, not calendar days. Skip a week and your trial waits for you.
When the trial ends, Plume goes read-only. You can still read, search, sync and export every entry. Only new writing pauses. Your words are never held hostage.
There are no ads, no account and no analytics. Entries stay on your device, and optional iCloud sync is encrypted with a key derived from your own passphrase. One purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac. Current prices are on the App Store page. How the privacy works.
Which one should you pick?
"I just want to start writing tonight"
Open Apple Journal. It is already there, and it is free.
"I want to pay nothing and own plain files"
Obsidian or jrnl. Expect an evening of setup.
"I want a dedicated journal, without renting it forever"
Look at pay-once apps. Plume is one of them, on iPhone, iPad and Mac. See the lifetime roundup.
"I need Android or the web"
Day One covers the most platforms. The free tier works on one device. Sync needs a paid plan.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Journal app on iPhone free?
Yes. Apple's Journal app is free and built into iPhone. Since the 26 releases it is also on iPad and Mac. There are no tiers, subscriptions or ads.
Is there a free journal app with no subscription?
Yes. Apple Journal is free with no subscription. Obsidian is free for personal use and jrnl is free and open source, though both take some setup. Day One has a free Basic tier, but syncing between devices needs a paid plan.
Is there a journal app without ads?
Apple Journal, Day One and Plume do not show ads. For any other free diary app, check the App Store listing and its privacy label before you start writing.
Is Day One free?
Day One has a free Basic plan with unlimited entries and journals, one photo per entry and export, but no sync across devices. Silver is $49.99 a year and Gold is $74.99 a year in the US as of September 2026.
What happens when Plume's free trial ends?
Plume gives you 21 writing days, counted only on days you write. After that the app goes read-only: you can still read, search, sync and export everything. Only new writing pauses until you buy.
Pay for the journal,
not with it.
21 writing days free. Then read-only, never locked out. No account, no ads.