When Apple announced the Apple Journal app in 2023, I was pretty excited. As an old-school physical journal aficionado, I’ve tried loads of journaling apps going back to the early days of smartphones and I have my favorites. However, more apps that bring new ideas and features to the mix are always welcome. To be fair, I didn’t expect to swap out my preferred app. But swap out I did. Two years later, Apple Journal is still on my iPhone 16 Pro Max and has become an important, though somewhat infrequent part of my use thanks to its deep Apple-ecosystem cross-platform access.
Apple Journal leans on wellness, the other leans on going all-in on AI.
Now that Google has joined the conversation, things are different. Android and Pixel phones are my preference. Arriving alongside the Pixel 10, the Pixel Journal app is clearly meant as a competition to Apple Journal and brings similar ideas. You can write short daily reflections, attach media and revisit your thoughts with some insights. Sounds straightforward enough? Yet, the apps have a few fundamental differences in approach. Compared to Apple Journal’s stripped-down, wellness-focused positioning, Pixel Journal tosses AI in the mix in a bid to push you towards active insights. But does it actually make a difference in what matters most? Let’s find out.