The Best One-Sentence Journal Apps for 2023

Do you want to get started journaling as a tiny habit? These one-sentence journal apps make it easy to start small.

A one-sentence journal is exactly what it sounds like: You keep a journal by writing just write one sentence about your day. It's great if you want to start a journaling habit but are intimidated by the thought of filling up multiple pages each day.

Lots of people choose to start with a notebook and pen, but there are some useful apps for those who prefer a digital journal.

OneSentenceJournal.com (onesentencejournal.com)

I started OneSentenceJournal.com to scratch my own itch for a simple way to keep track of daily memories. I wanted something that was accessible anywhere, so I made it a web app that would work great on both phones and desktop.

All of your data is completely secure and private. The app automatically surfaces memories from previous months and years. It's perfect for tracking your fitness goals, practicing gratitude, or simply remembering important family memories.

Price: Free! Adding photos to your journal is just $3.99/month.

Bottom line: While some other tools are limited to mobile devices, OneSentenceJournal.com works perfectly on all of your devices--phones, tablets, and computers.

Happier (the-happiness-project.com/pages/happier-app)

Although people have kept one-sentence journals before her, it was Gretchen Rubin who deserves credit for popularizing the idea on her blog. Now she has included a one-sentence journal in her Happier app (iOS and Android).

Price: $7.99/month or $79.99/year

Bottom line: The Happier app is the most expensive option, but it's ideal for those who want to implement multiple ideas from Gretchen Rubin, not just one-sentence journaling.

Punkt (punktapp.me)

The name's not about pranks (that's Ashton Kutcher's "Punk'd") but the German equivalent of finishing a statement with a dramatic "Period."

Punkt is an app (iOS only) that's designed for one-sentence journaling. It also lets you include photos and track daily moods. All data is stored in your private iCloud.

Price: It's free to download, but Premium features are about $2/month (or about $17/yearly)

Bottom line: Punkt is a beautiful app as long as you're content to stay within the iOS ecosystem.

tinythoughts (tinythoughts.me)

tinythoughts is a one-sentence journal allowing both text and photo entries (with a Premium subscription). It also features a unique prompt for each day of the year (e.g. "When did you feel appreciated today?"). While you don't have to follow the prompt, it may provide you some inspiration.

Price: A basic version allows saving text only. Premium includes a daily photo upload for $3/month.

Bottom line: tinythoughts is a full-featured app for all platforms (web, iOS, and Android).

Everyday Words (everydaywords.io)

Everyday Words is a simple one-sentence journal that includes a streak tracker and a GitHub-style activity chart.

Price: The basic version is free. A premium version is $10/year, but it isn't clear on their site what is included with that.

Bottom line: It doesn't have the photo journaling features of the other sites, but the activity chart is a great visualization.

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