The Document That Isn't a Diary
The Sealed Journal vs journaling in Google Docs.
Free, familiar, and never quite private-feeling.
Plenty of people keep a diary as one long Google Doc, and it mostly works: free, autosaving, reachable from any device, familiar as furniture. If that's you, you're in good company.
But notice where the diary lives: in an account built for sharing, one dropdown away from an audience, in the same Drive as your CV, your tax spreadsheet, your shared project folders. The document is private the way a conversation in an open-plan office is private — probably no one is listening, and you write accordingly. Something in the sentences stays presentable.
The Sealed Journal cannot share. There is no collaborator field, no link to copy, no "anyone with the link." Your vulnerability is not content, and the writing changes when the walls are real.
The Facts, Side by Side
| Google Docs | The Sealed Journal | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free with a Google account | One-time purchase |
| Current price | Consumer: Free | One purchase: $24 (rising to $29) once |
| Free tier | — | No — a live demo, then one price |
| Platforms | Any platform, via browser | Any modern browser, any operating system |
| Account required | Yes — Google account required | No — no account, ever |
| Cloud sync | Required | No sync, no server — a single offline HTML file |
| Encryption | Encrypted in transit and at rest with Google-held keys for consumer accounts; no client-side passphrase encryption | AES-256-GCM client-side, PBKDF2 at 600,000 iterations |
Google Docs prices checked 11 August 2026. Source: docs.google.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 If you find a figure out of date, tell us and we'll correct it.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
Google encrypts my data, doesn't it?
In transit and at rest — with keys Google holds for consumer accounts, which is what lets them index, sync, and serve it. Ours is encrypted with a key derived from your passphrase, held by no one, including us.
Docs lets me write on any device. Doesn't that beat a file?
For convenience, yes. Your license covers three devices, and the file or its encrypted export goes where you put it. The inconvenience is deliberate; it's the shape of the wall.
Docs is free. Why pay $24?
A diary kept in the middle of an office is also free. The twenty-four dollars is for the walls.
More in Comparisons
See all →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 Evernote.
An archive of everything is a home for nothing.
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 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.
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Start Writing