Plimm vs Apple Journal

Last checked September 28, 2026

Apple Journal is free on iPhone, iPad and Mac, with suggestions drawn from your photos, workouts and places and processed on the device. Apple's Journal guides do not describe an AI you can talk to about your entries. Plimm is a journal that answers: an AI on your phone reads your entries and talks them through with you, on iPhone and on Android.

Plimm and Apple Journal, side by side. Sources for every Journal fact are listed below.
	Plimm	Apple Journal
Where the AI runs	On your phone: Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct through llama.cpp for reflection, Whisper through whisper.cpp for speech	On the device, for Journaling Suggestions. Apple Intelligence writing prompts need an iPhone 15 Pro or later; where they run is not stated
Account required	No	No separate account. iCloud sync uses your Apple Account
Where entries are stored	On your phone. There is no Plimm server and no sync	On the device, and in iCloud when sync is on; end-to-end encrypted there if you have two-factor authentication and a passcode set
Works offline	Yes, AI included, after a one-time 437 MB download	Not stated by Apple. Entries are stored on the device
Platforms	iPhone and Android	iPhone, iPad and Mac
Voice journaling	Yes, transcribed on the phone, in English	Yes: audio recordings with an automatic transcript, in English, except the Singapore and India locales
AI conversation about your entries	Yes, with a companion that has read your journal: one a day free, as often as you need with Pro	None described in Journal's own guides. Siri AI (beta, iOS 27, iPhone 15 Pro or later) is a conversational assistant you can ask about what's on your screen; Apple does not say whether that includes Journal entries
Patterns and insights	Yes, as plain sentences about emotions, themes and energy across weeks	An Insights view with your current streak and other tiles, a calendar and a map of places; no AI summaries described
US price	Free; Pro is $4.99 a month with a 7-day free trial, or $39.99 a year	Free, with no in-app purchases
Free plan	Unlimited writing, one AI conversation a day, voice takes up to 0:30, the latest insight	The whole app is free
Entries used to train AI models	No. Entries are never sent to Plimm or any AI service	Apple says it does not use private personal data or interactions to train its foundation models unless you opt in
Crisis support	Shows crisis resources, such as 988 in the US, if an entry suggests you may be struggling; never contacts anyone	Not stated

When Apple Journal is the better choice

You want a free journal for your iPhone, iPad and Mac, with iCloud sync that is end-to-end encrypted when two-factor authentication and a passcode are set.
You want suggestions drawn from your photos, workouts, places and music, processed on the device.
You log your state of mind in your entries, added to the Health app, or like to draw in your entries.

When Plimm is the better choice

You use Android.
You want an AI to talk things through with, one that has read your journal.
You want patterns written out in sentences.
You want crisis resources shown if an entry suggests you may be struggling.

Sources

Every fact about Apple Journal comes from Apple's own pages, checked on September 28, 2026. Facts about Plimm come from this site: how Plimm's AI works, the privacy policy and the prices.

Journaling Suggestions and privacy: suggestions processed on the device, drawn from photos, workouts, places and media, and end-to-end encryption in iCloud
Write in your journal: writing prompts and the iPhones they need
Get started with Siri AI and Ask Siri about what's on your screen: Siri AI: a conversational assistant, questions about what is on screen, requirements
Protect your journal entries and Back up, export and print Journal entries: Apple Account, iCloud, storage on the device
Add formatting, photos, and more: audio recordings and transcripts, drawings
Journal for your wellbeing: logging your state of mind, added to the Health app
Build a journaling habit: Insights, your current streak and other tiles
View and search your journal entries: the calendar and map views
Journal on the App Store: price, platforms
Apple Intelligence training data: training

Apple and Journal are trademarks of Apple Inc., and Plimm is not affiliated with Apple. If something here is out of date, write to diasjakupov04@gmail.com and it will be corrected.