MARLVEL

Friends Journal vs its rivals

Side-by-side comparison against Friends Journal's closest competitors — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel.

Friends Journal
This App
Daylio Journal - Mood Tracker
Nemesis
Minimal Diary - Life timeline
Contender
Lifely: timeline maker journal
Contender
Finding My Happy
Contender
Holoholo: Daily Memories
Contender
My AI Journal
Peer
DrawMyToday - AI Picture Diary
Peer
Legacy Lab - Auto Book Creator
Peer
4rabet
Peer
Core Identity
Developer婷婷 乔Relaxio s.r.o.Chaoyang Minimal Software StudioSheep Apps IncGopher Apps LLCFor Pedestrians LLC.Kento UmekiCHANHO LEEAutoBiographer, LLCJake Biele
CategoryLifestyleLifestyleLifestyleLifestyleLifestyleHealth & FitnessLifestyleLifestyleLifestyleSports
PlatformiOSAndroid, iOSiOSiOSiOSAndroid, iOSiOSiOSiOSAndroid
Store Metrics
Rating3.0 / 54.8 / 54.7 / 53.8 / 53.8 / 54.4 / 55.0 / 54.3 / 53.0 / 53.2 / 5
Ratings Count259,277286111216210
PriceFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFree
Release DateMay 30, 2024Jan 25, 2017Jul 7, 2021Aug 12, 2021May 22, 2017Jun 13, 2024Apr 30, 2025Aug 16, 2023Aug 16, 2023Feb 23, 2026
Last UpdatedSep 22, 2024May 4, 2026Apr 26, 2026Jul 16, 2025May 22, 2017Feb 5, 2025Jun 25, 2026Jun 7, 2026Nov 21, 2024Feb 24, 2026
Sentiment & Reviews
Sentimentexcellentpositive-mixed---terribleexcellent-
Score90/10078/100-60/100---10/10090/100-
Praises
  • Personal CRM functionality provides a structured way to manage individual relationships effectively
  • Highly flexible mood and habit tracking tools allow for personalized mental health monitoring over long periods
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  • Daily event logging provides a simple way to track significant life milestones over long periods
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  • The core application experience provides immediate satisfaction for users upon their first interaction with the interface
-
Complaints-
  • Aggressive subscription prompts and paywalling of core features frustrate long-term users and new adopters
-
  • Aggressive advertising for third-party services creates friction for users seeking a clean experience
  • High monthly subscription costs for premium features discourage casual users from upgrading
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  • Aggressive advertisement frequency prevents users from accessing the core daily journaling and illustration features
  • Lack of creative drawing tools forces reliance on automated illustration features for daily entries
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Requests
  • Expansion of core feature set requested to provide deeper utility for long-term users
  • Expanded media support including video uploads and improved photo selection workflows for daily entries
-
  • Clearer information regarding data export options and physical book creation is requested by users
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Strategic Intel
Strengths
  • Personal CRM fields enable structured relationship tracking
  • iCloud sync ensures cross-device data persistence
  • Manual location tagging adds context to memories
  • One-tap entry mechanism reduces user friction, sustaining high DAU/MAU ratios.
  • Local-first data storage functions as a trust-based moat for sensitive mental health data.
  • Highly customizable tracking categories allow for personalized long-term progress documentation.
-
  • Client-side encryption functions as a privacy-focused distribution moat
  • Linear timeline aesthetic provides a distinct, low-clutter diary experience
-
  • Automated background tracking functions as a core retention loop.
  • On-device privacy acts as a primary B2B-style trust barrier.
  • Conversational AI interface lowers the barrier to daily entry
  • Generative AI visual output provides a personalized creative record
  • AI-driven narrative generation justifies the transition to paid physical output
  • Voice-to-text recording lowers the barrier to entry for content creation
-
Weaknesses
  • Zero monetization strategy limits long-term development
  • Manual entry friction reduces daily habit formation
  • Lack of social-sharing features isolates the user experience
  • Automatic backups locked behind subscription tier, causing 1★ churn.
  • Recent UI regressions in calendar view disrupt established user workflows.
  • Limited free-tier icon customization restricts personalization for non-paying users.
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  • Five-dollar monthly subscription barrier discourages casual users
  • Lack of data export options creates churn risk for power users
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  • Zero cloud-sync options frustrate users expecting cross-device continuity.
  • Lack of social sharing features limits organic growth potential.
  • No data export functionality limits long-term user trust
  • Aggressive ad frequency blocks core utility
  • Lack of manual drawing tools limits creative expression
  • 3.0-star rating indicates early-stage volatility
  • Monetization relies on a high-friction physical goods transaction
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Pricingfreefreemiumfreesubscriptionfreefreefreefreefreemiumfree
MomentumZombieActive-Zombie--MaintenanceMaintenanceZombie-
Update Cadence1 versions, 1 majors/6mo5 versions, 5 majors/6mo, ~10d avg-1 versions, 1 majors/6mo--1 versions1 versions1 versions-

Compare Friends Journal head-to-head

Disclosure: Independent intel to help mobile builders succeed.

AI-powered analysis with editorial review, built from publicly available sources. Marlvel.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Friends Journal, its developer, the app publisher, Apple, or Google Play. All trademarks, logos, and screenshots referenced remain the property of their respective owners.

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Data licensed under CC-BY-NC 4.0