Which AI journaling apps are actually free
Three different things get called free, and only one of them still works in month two.
The short answer
Almost every AI journaling app describes itself as free, and almost none of them mean the same thing by it. Before comparing prices, it is worth knowing which of the three you are being offered.
A free core
The main thing the app does is free, with no time limit and no card. Paid tiers add something on top rather than switching the main thing back on.
A free trial
Everything works, for a while. Then it stops. This is a paid app, and the honest question to ask is what it costs after the trial.
A free tier with limits
It keeps working, but capped: so many entries, so many AI replies. Whether that is usable depends entirely on where the cap sits, which is why an app that does not publish its cap is hard to judge.
What we checked
Every figure below was read off the company's own site, with the date it was read. Nothing here comes from a roundup or a review blog.
Dayora
Free coreNo entry limit, no trial timer, no credit card. A reply to every entry, shaped by what you wrote, plus voice journaling, mood tracking, Reflect conversations, Your Circle and full export.
Dayora Plus is an optional upgrade. Nothing in the free core has moved behind it.
Checked on this site on 23 August 2026.
Mindsera
FreeYes. Curious is listed as free. The advanced AI tools sit in the Genius feature list; check the official plan page for current boundaries.
Its official site lists Genius at 14.99 USD per month, or 129 USD billed annually, displayed as 10.75 USD per month. Curious is the free basic plan. These are the prices checked for this page.
Checked at the source on 13 September 2026.
Rosebud
Free plan retirement announced for 30 September 2026Rosebud’s help centre gives 30 September 2026 as the retirement date for its ongoing free plan, and says existing writing remains available to export. Check the notice and your account rather than assuming a trial is a permanent free plan.
The published USD price for Bloom is $12.99/month or $107.99/year, about $8.99/month when paid annually. Check the current checkout and your account for taxes, store differences and offers.
Checked at the source on 26 September 2026.
Why other apps are not listed here
Because we could not read their prices off their own sites. Several well-known journaling apps either block automated access to their pricing pages or do not publish their free-tier limits at all, and the review sites that fill that gap contradict each other. On one app checked for this page, two sources gave two different monthly prices and two different annual prices. At least one of them is wrong, and from outside there is no way to tell which.
Repeating an unverified figure would make this page longer and less useful. If you want a number for an app that is not above, take it from that company's own pricing page and note the date, because that is the only version that is worth anything.
How to check any of them yourself
- Open the company's own pricing page. Not a roundup, not an app store listing, which is often out of date.
- Look for what the free tier is capped at. If the cap is not stated, treat that as the answer rather than as a detail you will find later.
- Check whether a card is required to start. A free tier that asks for a card at signup is a trial wearing a different word.
- Check what happens to your writing if you stop paying: readable, exportable, or locked.
- Note the date you checked. Every price on the internet is a claim about a moment.