A journal, not a subscription

A journal you pay for once. Nothing reads it.

Today asks one question every morning. You write for two minutes, or you skip it — either way, that’s the whole app. No feed, no streak to defend, and nobody reading over your shoulder, human or otherwise.

Checked August 2026. Prices and policies change — sources are at the bottom of this page.

What this actually is

The short version.

Before anything about other apps — here’s what you’re actually getting.

One question a day
A single prompt each morning. Answer it, or tap “Skip today” — that option is always right there.
$9.99 once, after a 14-day trial
Try it free for two weeks. After that, one payment — not a monthly or yearly charge.
No AI, ever
Nothing reads what you write — not now, and not in some later update.
No servers of ours
Entries live on your device, and in your own iCloud if you use it. There’s no server here for your words to pass through.
Apple’s privacy label: Data Not Collected
Not our claim — Apple’s own App Store label, the same one every app fills out.
Why this is rare

Most journaling apps need a monthly bill.

A one-time price with no AI is an unusual combination in 2026. Running an app costs money on an ongoing basis, and the two most common ways to cover that are a subscription, or an AI feature — which itself usually needs a subscription to pay for the model calls behind it.

Plenty of good journaling apps have gone one of those routes, or both. Today doesn’t have that ongoing cost to cover, because there’s no server doing anything after you buy it — so there’s nothing to bill you for, month after month.

For context

A few other apps, briefly.

Not a full comparison — just what’s publicly documented about four apps people often weigh alongside Today.

Day One

Subscription, no lifetime plan. Staff have said on their own forums that one-time pricing may not be feasible, citing hosting, AI, and integration costs.

stoic.

AI Mentors run through OpenAI. Its privacy policy names OpenAI, Anthropic, and Gemini as the partners that process what you share with those features.

DailyBean

Subscription only — there’s no one-time purchase option.

Daylio

Has a real $59.99 lifetime option, which is close to Today’s model — but it isn’t “no AI ever.” Recent versions added Apple Intelligence writing help.

Where a price or policy is stated above, it came from the app’s own store listing, site, or policy page. Sources are below.

$9.99 once, because there’s no server bill to pass on to you.

Start where you are.

Tomorrow morning there’ll be a question waiting. Two quiet minutes. Nothing reading over your shoulder.

Download on theApp Store

Made for iPhone · One question a day · Free of noise

Where these claims were checked