Ditch the Notes App Vibe! Build a Journal App That Users Actually Want

So, building a top journaling app... There are two main questions:

 

1. Why build a journal app?
2. How to create a journal app?

 

And, if to the first question, then we can answer briefly:

 

There is no doubt about the potential of this idea. Diaries are no longer kept in notebooks. Now, people do it on the screens of smartphones, tablets, and computers. And the proof is that the digital diary app market is expected to grow significantly, reaching billions in revenue over the next decade.

 

As for the second question, there are a lot of details:

 

• where to start
• resources needed to develop a journaling app
• what to focus on
• how to choose reliable technologies

 

In this article, we’ll break down all these details and, based on our recent experience, guide you through the whole development process.

 

Don’t Miss These Key Insights:

 

• People write approximately 500+ words daily in a journal. How can your app make their experience seamless?
• Apple’s journal app has set a new standard. How can you compete?
• AI-powered journaling apps have higher retention rates. What AI-driven features can you integrate?
• The Onix team built a mobile app to capture and organize inspiring ideas within 9 months. How can we help you with your idea?

So, by the end of this guide, you will have no questions or hesitations about journal app development.

 

Why Develop a Journal App?

We decided to return to this question and give you a broader picture.

The importance of journaling apps is growing as more people seek digital solutions for self-reflection, emotional well-being, and productivity. This makes them:

 

• highly popular,
• in demand,
• and a promising opportunity in the market.

 

Sounds interesting. But let's dig deeper.

 

Is the demand for journaling apps growing? – Yes!

Journaling has always been a popular tool for recording thoughts. But today, it is going digital, and demand is growing rapidly.

 

What is driving this boom?

 

• Digitalization. The era of technology has arrived. It's no secret that today people are looking for a smart, convenient, multifunctional digital solution in most areas, and keeping a diary is no exception.

 

• Mental health. Close to 1 billion people are living with a mental disorder. Today, we are seeing a rise in awareness about mental health. This opinion is confirmed by the fact that the mental health apps industry worldwide is expected to reach around $17.5 billion by 2030. Journal apps can help people to manage stress, track emotions, and improve well-being.

 

• Productivity is trending. We live in a time when we feel totally overwhelmed since we have access to so much information. Digital solutions that help us record vital information and stay on top of everything are needed more than ever.

 

Can a journal app be profitable? – Absolutely!

By creating a diary app, you open the door to different ways to monetize your idea:

 

• Offer premium features
• Sync your journal app with popular mental health apps, habit trackers, or productivity tools
• One-time fee for lifetime premium access
• In-app advertisement

 

It looks like the usual monetization method for any mobile app. But let's look at real examples with real numbers.

 

Is it difficult to launch and scale a journal app? – Not at all.

 

In fact, a journal app is one of the most startup-friendly digital products you can build.

 

You don't need to develop a fully-featured platform from day one. Instead, you can start with a lean MVP that includes only the bare essentials: text notes, mood tracking, and cloud storage.

 

Once you validate your idea and attract users, you can gradually expand with advanced features such as:

 

• AI-powered writing suggestions
• Sentiment analysis
• Wearable integrations

 

This phased approach makes the development process manageable, cost-effective, and scalable.

We hope that now you are convinced of the importance of journaling apps and the prominent idea of making a guided journal app.

 

Onix Experience in Building a Journal App

Our client approached us with the idea of ​​building a creativity app that would meet the needs of creative people who are constantly finding inspiration but have difficulty organizing and managing their ideas.

 

The creativity management app addresses this challenge by enabling users to record, explore, and reflect on their thoughts, ensuring no idea is lost.

 

The Onix team was tasked with developing an app from scratch. We needed to:

 

• Define the core features that would best serve the app's user base
• Build an iOS app that allows creatives to capture and organize their ideas in various formats (text, voice, and images)
• Implement reliable technologies to ensure smooth and efficient idea-capturing app performance.

 

The Onix team provided the following solutions:

 

Effortless idea capture

This feature lets users quickly capture their thoughts in various formats, such as text, voice, or images.

An app built by Onix that allows users to capture their thoughts in various formats

 

Organizational tools

To streamline the creative process and facilitate finding and managing ideas, we developed customizable organization features like folders, tags, and keyword-based searches.

 

Emotional reflection

We include tools for reflecting on the emotional context of each idea to allow users to track their moods and understand how emotions influence their creative patterns.

Creativity management app built by Onix

 

Dashboard metrics

To help users better understand their creative process and optimize productivity, we built a dashboard that provides valuable insights, such as note count, activity trends, top keywords, and emotional trends.

Dashboard metrics built by Onix

 

Here is our client's statement about their experience with the Onix services:

 

“I've had the pleasure of partnering with ONIX for many years, and they have always been responsive, creative, and efficient. They always aim to work within a budget, while also providing honest feedback. For our project, they not only helped design numerous prototypes and design ideas but completed the initial MVP on our budget and timeline.”

Joshua Murphy, Founder and CEO at WeCreatives

 

Want to know more?

Be sure to check out our detailed case study to delve deeper into this project and learn more about the development.

 

More Than Just Notes: Best Use Cases for Your App

Let's take a look at some of the most popular ways people use journaling apps today:

 

Personal journal

Journal apps are the go-to spaces for daily reflections, thoughts, and life experiences. Whether users want to unwind after a long day or document personal development, they make it easy to keep everything in one place.

 

Mental health and mood journal 

A journal app can be a convenient way to track emotions and mental health characteristics. Integrating AI features like sentiment analysis can help people better understand their moods.

 

Creative writing journal

Such a solution helps creative individuals (artists, writers, entrepreneurs, and dreamers) to organize and manage their ideas in a single convenient place.

 

Productivity and goal-tracking journal

By using such type of a journal app, people can easily track their professional goals or develop a habit.

 

Fitness and wellness journal

Records workouts, diet plans, and overall health. Some apps even sync with wearable devices to track activity levels and provide statistics.

 

Travel journal

It is the perfect companion for travel enthusiasts, allowing them to document their journeys with photos, location tags, and notes.

 

Parenting and baby journal

Most parents want to record their children's skills and memories, such as their first words or school achievements.

 

As you can see, there are various use cases for your journal app, and the market is full of opportunities. It all depends on your ideas, creativity, and business goals.

 

Must-Have Features for a Journal App: Start With an MVP

As we said before, we recommend starting with an MVP. This approach lets you quickly validate your app concept and gather user feedback.

 

“Building an MVP enables you to test the viability of your app idea while minimizing development costs and risks.”

Denys Senichkin, Head of the iOS department at Onix

 

 

By testing your concept and getting user feedback, you can iterate and refine your program based on real-world data, ultimately creating a more robust product.

 

To build an MVP of a journal app, we recommend to include the following features:

 

Simple and intuitive writing experience

The foundation of any journaling app is writing. Your app should have a clear and distraction-free interface that allows users to easily capture their thoughts. Adding options like text formatting, stickers, and the ability to insert images, videos, or audio notes can improve your users' experience.

Daily reminders and streaks

Such customizable reminders can help users stay on track, while bands and progress tracking add a motivational boost.

 

Cloud sync and access across devices

Let your users access their notes from anywhere (smartphone, tablet, or computer). Cloud syncing ensures that recordings are never lost and are always accessible.

 

Search and organization tools

Over time, the diary entries accumulate. Help your users easily find past thoughts with search features, tags, categories, and filters.

 

Customization options

Give users the ability to personalize their space! By using themes, font styles, and customizable backgrounds, you can provide a more personal and enjoyable journaling experience.

 

Privacy and security

Security is key for any app. Features like password protection, biometric login (fingerprint/Face ID), and end-to-end encryption will help your users feel secure while keeping their thoughts private.

 

Extra Features to Stand Out and Avoid Being Just Another Notes

We’ve covered the basic functionality, but to stand out in the market, you should offer more.

 

It’s all about adding something unique. Namely, advanced technologies that improve the diary-keeping experience, help monitor progress more effectively, or make other relevant tasks easier and more enjoyable.

 

Below, our experts will share some examples of innovative features you can add:

 

AI-powered features

An app that just stores users' thoughts doesn't impress. Agree? 

But with AI technology, your app can become a true personal companion that better understands, guides, and even inspires your users.

 

Here are some AI-powered features we can integrate into your journal app:

 

 

Take journaling to the next level with AR and VR

Immersive, interactive, and visually engaging journaling experience. Yes, it’s absolutely real!

 

Let us show you how we can help you create a deeper emotional connection, making journaling more engaging, therapeutic, and futuristic by integrating AR and VR.

 

Augmented reality:

 

 

Virtual reality:

 

 

By implementing advanced features, you will definitely attract more users, provide an enhanced experience, and go beyond the ordinary, leaving the competition behind:

 

Building a Journal App: Onix’s Development Process

Creating any mobile app requires a well-structured development process. At Onix, we follow a step-by-step approach that allows us to balance user needs, innovative features, and technical feasibility.

Let us give you a clear idea of ​​how it all works.

 

Below we share some details that help you understand what we do and what to expect at each stage when developing a journal mobile app:

 

Idea conceptualization and market research

Before starting development, our experts:

 

• Brainstorm users' pain points
• Analyze competitors
• Define the core features.

Planning and strategy

During this stage, our specialists:

 

• Determine the project's scope
• select platforms (iOS/Android, or both) and third-party integrations 
• set project milestones and deliverables
• determine the timeline and budget.

 

Choosing the right development approach

You have several ways to build your own journal app:

 

• Native development. This approach requires separate codebases for iOS and Android, but it provides the best performance and user experience.
• Cross-platform development. This approach requires a single codebase for both platforms. It offers faster development and cost efficiency.

 

Onix's specialists will help you make the right choice based on the project’s scope, budget, and performance needs. 

 

Selecting an appropriate technology stack

The Onix team will help you choose the right tech stack for your journal app, ensuring:

 

• Ability to adapt to new features and updates
• Intuitive interaction without glitches
• Compatibility with third-party tools and services
• Readiness to handle high traffic without slowdowns

 

Here are the most popular technologies we recommend:

 

 

UI/UX design

To provide an intuitive, visually appealing, and clutter-free experience, our design team:

 

• Map out the user journey
• Create wireframes to define the structure of the future app
• Develop interactive prototypes to test and improve the design before development.

 

Read also: How to Move From Idea to Prototype [A Step-By-Step Guide]

 

Feature implementation

Mobile application development involves the smooth and uninterrupted operation of frontend and backend systems.

 

At this stage, our developers start coding the app. The key development steps include:

 

Front-end development:

 

• Create user interfaces and animations that are responsive and consistent across devices
• Implement key functions

 

Back-end development:

 

• Set up servers
• Build a robust database to store necessary information
• Configure APIs for data storage and synchronization
• Implement security measures

 

Read also: The Best Tech Stack for Mobile App Development in 2025

 

Testing and quality assurance

Before launch, our quality assurance engineers:

 

• Identify and fix any bugs
• Help to deliver a high-quality product that is polished, bug-free, and ready for release.

 

Ongoing support and scaling

After launching your app, we:

 

• Provide technical support and implement updates to keep the app running smoothly
• Adding new features as needed (AI, integrations, VR and AR, community features, etc.)

 

At first glance, this is all a complicated process. But with a reliable and experienced technical partner, everything will be clear and smooth.

 

As you can see, our process is transparent and robustly built over the years. So, if you need help with developing your journal application, our experts will be happy to assist you.

 

How Much Will It Cost to Develop a Journal App?

The cost of creating a mobile journal app depends on several factors, including:

 

• the app's complexity,
• the number of features,
• the platforms (iOS, Android, or both),
• the location and experience of the development team.

 

To help you better understand the specific costs, below, our experts provide a breakdown of the costs of developing a journal app:

 

Note: This table provides a rough estimate, but actual costs can vary based on your needs. Please, contact us for a detailed proposal.

 

What’s Next?

Well, we’ve come to the end. Now you know how to make a journal app and how the development process works.

 

We understand that all this may seem too complicated, and you may still have questions.

 

So please feel free to contact us with any questions. If you need:

 

• help with journal app development from scratch
• assistance in improving an existing solution
• consultation

 

Our experts are here to help!

 

FAQs

 

How long does it take to build a journal app?

A basic MVP can take 3-6 months, while a fully-featured app with AI, cloud sync, and analytics may take longer. Onix follows an agile approach to speed up development without compromising quality.

 

Can Onix integrate AI-powered features into my journal app?

Yes! To enhance user experience, we can implement AI-driven writing prompts, sentiment analysis, speech-to-text, smart search, and more.

 

How does Onix ensure data privacy in a journal app?

We implement end-to-end encryption, secure authentication, and GDPR-compliant data storage to protect users' sensitive journal entries.

 

Can you customize the journal app?

Yes! A journal app can be fully customized to match your vision. You can personalize the design, features, and functionality, whether AI-driven mood tracking, voice-to-text, habit tracking, or customizable themes. At Onix, we tailor journal apps to your specific goals, ensuring a unique and engaging user experience.

 

How can I get started with Onix for my journal app project?

Simply book a free consultation with our team! We’ll discuss your vision, suggest the best approach, and provide an estimate for development.