The Honest Cousin
The Sealed Journal vs Diarium.
Two one-time purchases. Two ideas of what a journal is.
Let's say the kind thing first: Diarium may be the app we'd point you to if we didn't exist and you wanted features. Buy once per platform, no account, no subscription, sync through your own cloud if you choose. It even pulls in your calendar, your fitness data, your social feeds, so the day documents itself.
That last sentence is where we part ways. The Sealed Journal doesn't pull in anything. No feeds, no ratings, no integrations, no map view — the day does not document itself, because the point is what happens when you have to.
Diarium documents the day. The Sealed Journal empties the head. Both of us refuse the subscription model; the kinship ends at the feature list.
The Facts, Side by Side
| Diarium | The Sealed Journal | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | One-time purchase, per platform | One-time purchase |
| Current price | Windows (incl. Pro): $9.99 once · macOS (in-app purchase): $9.99 once · iOS / Android (in-app purchase): ~$4.99 once | One purchase: $24 (rising to $29) once |
| Free tier | Free tier on non-Windows platforms | No — a live demo, then one price |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | Any modern browser, any operating system |
| Account required | No — No account required | No — no account, ever |
| Cloud sync | Optional — Optional sync through your own cloud (OneDrive, Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, WebDAV) | No sync, no server — a single offline HTML file |
| Encryption | Not a client-side passphrase model | AES-256-GCM client-side, PBKDF2 at 600,000 iterations |
Diarium prices checked 11 August 2026. Source: diariumapp.com. If you find a figure out of date, tell us and we'll correct it.
The Typewriter Experience
The cursor stays. The text moves.
In Write mode, your cursor remains exactly at the centre of the screen. The page rises up to meet it. Past words fade into soft shadow at the edges, leaving the present sentence in clear focus. Switch to Read mode and the entry flattens into an evenly lit document — the fade is for writing; the flat light is for returning.
Radical Privacy & Encryption
AES-256-GCM, in your browser, with a key only you derive.
- ·PBKDF2 key derivation at 600,000 iterations — the OWASP 2024 recommendation. Existing journals upgrade transparently on first unlock.
- ·No accounts, no telemetry, no analytics, no cookies, no third-party scripts.
- ·IndexedDB storage with a localStorage fallback. Encrypted before it touches the disk.
- ·The file is not minified. You can read the source. We'd rather you trust it than us.
What It Does Not Do
- ✕No word counts chasing you across the screen.
- ✕No formatting toolbar wrestling your thoughts into neatness.
- ✕No cloud sync. No distant servers. Your words stay yours.
- ✕No social sharing. Your vulnerability is not content.
- ✕No AI assistant finishing your sentences.
- ✕No streak counters. No guilt. No gamification.
- ✕No subscriptions. No mood trackers. No noise.
Licensing & Gift Copy
One purchase covers up to three of your personal devices. It also includes a second untouched copy of the file — meant to be given to one person you trust. Lifetime updates. 30-day, no-questions refund. If you run a clinic, school, or workplace and want a copy for everyone, ask us about a site licence.
One Purchase. Yours Forever.
The price is $24 today. It will become $29.
One-time payment
Get The Sealed JournalQuestions
Which one should I actually buy?
If you want a record of what happened — where you went, what you did, synced across platforms — buy Diarium; it's excellent at that. If you want a place to think that asks nothing of you, that's what we make.
Diarium syncs through my own cloud. Isn't that private enough?
It's a reasonable arrangement — your data, your cloud account. It is still a copy of your diary resting on someone's servers. Ours never syncs; the only copies are ciphertext exports you place yourself.
How do the licenses differ?
Diarium is purchased per platform. The Sealed Journal is one purchase covering up to three of your personal devices, because it's one file, not four apps.
More in Comparisons
See all →The Sealed Journal vs Day One.
Both are journals. They're built on opposite assumptions about where your writing should live.
The Sealed Journal vs journaling in Notion.
Notion is a brilliant tool for organising work. It is a strange place to put your inner life.
The Sealed Journal vs Apple Notes.
Apple Notes is the path of least resistance. The Sealed Journal is the path that takes the journaling seriously.
The Sealed Journal vs Obsidian for journaling.
Obsidian is for building a second brain. The Sealed Journal is for emptying the first one for a moment.
The Sealed Journal vs a paper notebook.
Paper is excellent. It also can't be locked, searched, or carried in the pocket of a thousand future devices.
The Sealed Journal vs Apple Journal.
One comes free with the phone. The other comes free of the phone.
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Use Cases
A journal you buy once and keep forever.
No subscriptions. No recurring charges. No premium tier. No upsell.
Use Cases
A journal that's just an HTML file.
Open it in any modern browser. That's the whole installation.
Core
A private, offline journal that asks nothing of you.
One file. One password. Yours forever. No accounts, no cloud, no algorithms reading your three-in-the-morning thoughts.
Answers
Are journaling apps actually private?
A bedroom with the door ajar.
The cursor will be there when you return.
Centered. Blinking. Patient.
Start Writing