ZenJournal V5 now exports timelines in Paper, Ink, and Warm styles as images, PDFs, TextBundle packages, or text, alongside iCloud sync and multiple timelines.
ZenJournal is a fast, private journal built around calm, frictionless writing.
Open the app and start logging. Search with ?, organize with #hashtags, and switch between multiple timelines for life, work, travel, ideas, or anything else you want to keep separate.
ZenJournal keeps journaling simple:
- Fast timeline-first writing
- Multiple timeline pickers for separate journals in one app
- iCloud sync across your devices
- Discreet Mode to blur your logs in public
- Face ID and Touch ID lock
- #hashtags and ? search built into the same input
- Backup and restore
- Dark mode and light mode support
Use ZenJournal for stream-of-consciousness writing, morning pages, private notes, ideas, memories, travel logs, work reflections, or a calmer alternative to noisy feeds.
ZenJournal is free to use with unlimited logs. Support development with Zen Pro and unlock extra customization.
Privacy Policy:
https://thezenjournal.com/posts/privacy-policy
Terms of Service:
https://thezenjournal.com/posts/terms
I’ll be using this app for a bit, I like having one unified space for my brain vomit and being able to tag it logs with things like #thankful or #remember or #todo to quickly recall them later if the timeline gets filled. I also love that you can double-tap to hide the entire timeline except what you’re currently writing for privacy if you’re in public. I do wish that there was some sort of auto-spacing between entries; right now I’m adding a break after every log to get around this but sometimes I forget and my entries end up all clumped together when they shouldn’t be, because the option to edit also seems to be missing (unless I’m missing it).Update: updating my review because I’ve been using this app for three days and I completely understand the spacing now. My thoughts are grouped by time of day and spaced sort of like discord; if enough time has passed a new timestamp will create a line break. I know the editing feature is coming so I’ll proactively add a star for that lol
Developer Response
Thanks for the review! Yes I use the manual spacing occasionally as well. I didn’t add different block spacing because I want to keep the blocks flowing as sometimes a session can last for a few blocks. I’ll prioritize the editing feature. 🙏 Update: thanks for the added one star. Happy new year!
Best minimal writing app
User83930
This app is pure perfection. Open and type thoughts with no distractions, no need to enter titles or navigate somewhere. By the time I open another app and get to writing, I’ll have forgotten what I was going to write. This app makes it so easy to write thoughts down more often.My only request is to display photos in discreet mode as gray blocks. I haven’t purchased the subscription because the preview shows a sunset photo as a bright blurred orange square and I’d find that incredibly distracting to the otherwise elegant mostly monochromatic design of the app.Also, looking forward to the edit feature! Would love to correct small typos or add a tag to a previous thought. One suggestion is the ability to reply to previous thoughts. “Hindsight” or “reflection” essentially. Editing previous thoughts to add tags somewhat resolves this but replying to your own thoughts would be awesome for retrospectives!
Developer Response
Thanks for the 5 stars! Will definitely looking to add the edit feature. Also thank you for the idea for replying to previous thoughts, I was thinking about nested threads vs quoting previous logs. Definitely prefer the linear nature of the latter.
Couldn’t Be Easier
Lady Estellise
Really love this app, I’ve downloaded so many journal apps in the past and this is the only one I’ve ever been able to use consistently. Whenever I have a thought pop into my head I just open this app and start typing. It’s just so simple to use, and I know my thoughts will be organized thanks to hashtags. My only complaint is that I wish you could edit your entries after posting them—sometimes I notice spelling or grammar errors in hindsight. It would also be fantastic if we could post pictures to our entries—sometimes a photo is worth a thousand words. Finally, it would be cool if we could customize just a little bit, such as background color or font style. In any case, I’m in love with this app and use it multiple times a day, so thank you for creating it! 🙏
Developer Response
Thank you so much! All the items you’ve suggested are on my list already! With font size/customization coming soon. Happy journaling! Update: Hello again! Font size/style adjusting is now added. Enjoy!
Great Daily Journaling App.
Blah blah blah djshakaxhsvaka
I love this app. It’s so streamlined and pretty. I like having a constant flow of entries, and not breaking everything up into individual notes. Great idea. I will absolutely continue to use. Some features that I would love to see added are: A per-entry word count. Basic formatting (italics, and bold) The ability to search by date. That’s really it. Highly recommend this app. Cheers
Timeline export is here.
You can now turn a day, session, or single entry into something polished enough to save, send, print, or keep outside the app.
New in this version:
- Export timeline moments in three styles: Paper, Ink, and Warm.
- Share as a beautiful image for quick sending.
- Export as PDF for archiving or printing.
- Export as TextBundle to keep Markdown and attached images together.
- Copy or share text with image-aware rich formatting when your logs include photos.
Also included from recent V5 updates: iCloud sync, multiple timelines, the refreshed Liquid Glass interface, broader localization coverage, and editable logs for the typo that refuses to let anyone achieve inner peace.
Version 5.3.0
The developer, Shaomeng Zhang, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
The developer indicated that this app supports the following accessibility features. Learn More
Supported Features
VoiceOver
Voice Control
Larger Text
Dark Interface
Differentiate Without Color Alone
Sufficient Contrast
Information
Seller
Shaomeng Zhang
Size
14.4 MB
Category
Health & Fitness
Compatibility
Requires iOS 26.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 26.0 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 26.0 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 26.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
Apple Vision Requires visionOS 26.0 or later.
Languages
English and 8 more
English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese
