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One question a day, and a place to write what you really think.
The journaling app that respects your privacy
Every day, you get one thoughtful question to help you reflect. Write a sentence or fill pages, whatever feels right. Your entries stay on your device where they belong, with no accounts required and no cloud syncing unless you choose to turn it on.
In the noise of notifications, news cycles, and endless scrolling, finding quiet moments for self-reflection has become nearly impossible. Daily Spiral creates that space. A single thoughtful question each day. A blank page waiting for your answer. No distractions, no agenda. Just you and your thoughts, whenever you're ready.
We live in a world where every app wants to sync, analyze, and monetize your data. Not here. Everything you write stays on your device. No accounts to create. No servers storing your entries. No algorithms reading between the lines. Your journal remains yours, simple as that.
Life is complicated enough. Your journaling app shouldn't be. While others add mood trackers, habit charts, and social feeds, we stripped everything away. What's left is what matters: a thoughtful question and room to explore your answer. Sometimes the most powerful tools are the simplest ones.
Each pack has its own personality. Classic asks thoughtful questions, Brutally Honest doesn't sugarcoat anything, and Weird Fiction takes you to strange places. If a pack doesn't speak to you, just turn it off.
Your daily prompt is randomly selected from your enabled packs. Turn on Classic and Shadow Work? You'll get a mix of both over time. Just want Brutally Honest? That's all you'll see. Each pack contains 90 unique prompts, so even with just one pack enabled, you won't see a repeat for three months.
Filter by date, entry type, or which tone pack inspired it. Need to find that entry from three months ago when you had that realization about work? It's there waiting for you.
Start free and subscribe if it will add value.
core features
A complete journaling app, genuinely free.
This is everything most people need to build a lasting journaling habit.
per month
Everything in Classic, plus one more voice.
Most people start here when Classic isn't quite enough.
per month
Classic plus access to every tone pack.
The complete experience for serious self-reflection.
Your entries never leave your device unless you subscribe and enable iCloud backup. We don't have servers, user accounts, or any way to access your journal. We can't read your entries or share your data because we never receive it. It's as private as writing in a notebook that never leaves your room.
Classic is a complete journaling experience, free forever. Other Voices ($0.99/month) adds one more tone pack. The Full Spiral ($4.99/month) gets you all tone packs and iCloud backup.
One-time purchase apps often get abandoned when the developer can't sustain them. Subscriptions help us keep Daily Spiral alive and working smoothly for years to come. You can cancel anytime, and the free version is always there if you need it.
Tone packs are collections of prompts with distinct personalities. Classic asks thoughtful, accessible questions. Brutally Honest pushes you to face hard truths. Shadow Work explores the parts of yourself you usually avoid. Weird Fiction takes creative, unexpected angles. Each pack contains 90 unique prompts that maintain their specific voice. And yes, certain days of the year might surprise you with something special.
Yes. Free Write is available after you've answered your daily prompt or anytime from the Archive. Sometimes you just need a blank page to work through what's on your mind.
Not at all. There are no streaks or badges pushing you to maintain a perfect record. The app can send a gentle reminder at your chosen time, but it's just a nudge, not a guilt trip. Some people write every morning with their coffee, others grab their phone when they can't sleep, and plenty write once a week on Sundays. Whatever rhythm works for you is the right one.
Your entries go with it. Everything is stored locally on your device, not on our servers. If you're a Full Spiral subscriber, you can turn on iCloud backup to restore your entries later, but that's completely optional.
One question a day, and a place to write what you really think.
I'm a Product Manager who's spent years building apps at scale. But more importantly, I'm someone who's struggled with journaling apps, and I'm guessing you have too.
I've felt the anxiety of broken streaks. I've abandoned apps that turned into social networks. I've rage-quit when my private thoughts got synced to servers I don't trust. And I've downloaded countless "simple" journaling apps that somehow need 47 features and a monthly subscription higher than most streaming services.
So I built Daily Spiral differently. No growth hacks or dark patterns, just solid, thoughtful design. Your entries stay on your device, the interface stays minimal, and the prompts stay meaningful. Everything I've learned about building good products went into making this.
Daily Spiral is the journaling app I wanted but couldn't find. No data harvesting, no growth metrics to chase. Just a genuinely useful tool that respects your privacy.
If you've been burned by journaling apps before, I get it. I have too. That's exactly why Daily Spiral exists.
