Wirecutter: The Best Journaling Apps

A journal you might actually stick with.

A simple daily email asking how your day went — plus reminders of moments you'd otherwise forget.

Write by replying
Attach photos
Blasts from the past
Daily inspirations
Inbox — Daily Emails

Dabble me.

To: [email protected]

It's Friday, Jan 16. How was your day?

January 16, 2026 8:00pm

Reply to this email with your entry for January 16.

Remember this? On Wed, Jul 16, 2025 (6 months ago) you wrote...

#Lily took four wobbly steps toward me before crashing into my arms, and we both squealed like it was the moon landing. I replayed those ten seconds in my head for the rest of the day.

Tags: #Lily (1 year and 2 months since entry)

Memory photo
Describe your mother's personality in a short journal entry.

Most people don’t stop journaling because they don’t care. They stop because life gets busy.

Dabble Me is built for that reality. Instead of asking you to make time, it fits into the day you already have — with a simple email and gentle reminders of moments you’d otherwise lose.

1,828,889

Total emails processed

Everything you need to keep journaling.

Simple, private, and designed to fit into real life.

Reply by Email

Get a daily prompt by email. Hit reply. Write your thoughts. No app needed. Works with any email provider.

Blasts from the Past

Past entries resurface automatically. Rediscover moments you didn’t realize you’d forgotten.

Always Private

No artitifial intelligence. No social features. No sharing. No algorithms. Your journal stays yours.

PRO

Custom Schedule

Choose when prompts arrive. Daily, weekly, or anywhere in between.

PRO

Photo Attachments

Attach up to five photos to any entry. Small moments, captured visually.

PRO

Calendar & Search

Browse entries by date, #hashtags, or search. Find what you’re looking for when it matters.

Start free. Upgrade when it feels right.

$0 /forever

Designed to help you get started.

  • Email prompts every other Sunday
  • Reply by email to journal
  • Read your entries online
  • Blasts from the past
  • Export your data anytime
Start journaling
Habit-forming

$4 /month or $40/year

Designed to help you stay journaling.

  • Custom email schedule
  • Edit and organize entries
  • Photo attachments (up to 5)
  • Calendar view & search
  • Tag your entries
  • Rich text formatting
  • Insights & Analytics
  • Blasts from the past
  • Export your data anytime
Upgrade to PRO

Questions & Answers

Yes, by design. Your entries can’t be shared, posted, fed into AI models, or made public in any way...and they're never at risk of being indexed by search engines. There's no social layer and no audience — just your journal, kept private and secure. If you want the details, our Privacy Policy spells this out clearly.
No — and that’s intentional. There’s no Dabble Me app in the App Store or Google Play. Most people write by replying to the daily email using the email app they already have on their phone. The website is fully mobile-friendly if you ever want to browse or edit entries.
Yes. The core experience is free, forever. You'll receive an email prompt every other Sunday and can reply by email to keep your journal. When you want daily prompts, photos, search, and other tools, you can upgrade to PRO for $4/month or $40/year.
  • The One Framework — if journaling feels overwhelming, start here. Every evening, write just three things: 1 win from the day, 1 point of tension or stress, and 1 bit of gratitude. That's it. Five minutes, no pressure, and you'll start to see patterns in what lifts you up and what weighs you down. Popularized by Sahil Bloom, this simple framework makes journaling finally stick.
  • Travel Log — capture the places you go while you're still there. The name of that tiny restaurant, the street performer who made you cry, the wrong turn that led to the best view of the trip. Use #Paris or #RoadTrip2025 to group your adventures, and when the daily email resurfaces that random Tuesday in Tokyo three years later, you'll be right back on that train platform.
  • Relationship Time Capsule — write about the people you love while the moments are fresh. The thing your partner said that made you laugh, the weird inside joke your best friend started, the look on your mom's face when you surprised her. Tag entries with #Sarah or #Dad and build a searchable archive of the people who matter most—one that will guarantee you future smiles.
  • Career Wins & Lessons — it's easy to forget what you've accomplished at work by the time performance reviews roll around. Jot down the projects you crushed, the feedback you received, the hard conversations you navigated. Tag with #Work or #Promotion, and when you need to update your resume or negotiate a raise, you'll have receipts.
  • Gratitude Before Bed — end each day with one thing you're thankful for and tag it with #Gratitude. Over time, you'll build a searchable database of hundreds of small joys. When a tough day hits, scroll back through your gratitude entries and remember: your life is fuller than it feels right now.

Start remembering the days you’d otherwise lose.

Join thousands of people who’ve been writing with Dabble Me for years.

439,590 entries and counting.