---
title: "The Sealed Journal vs Penzu"
description: "Penzu is the classic online diary — an account, a cloud, a lock icon. The Sealed Journal has no server to lock. A comparison."
canonical: "https://sealedjournal.com/j/vs-penzu"
updatedAt: "2026-08-11"
category: "Comparisons"
---

# The Sealed Journal vs Penzu.

_A lock on their server, or no server at all._

Penzu is the classic online diary, and it has earned its longevity: sign in from anywhere, write, and your entries follow you. Its pitch has always been privacy — locks, passwords, and on higher tiers, encryption.

But Penzu's privacy is a promise kept by infrastructure: your diary lives on their servers, behind your account, protected by their implementation of their policy. That can be done well, and perhaps it is. You are still trusting a company with the most unguarded text you produce.

The Sealed Journal makes a different offer: there is no server to trust. Entries are encrypted in your browser with AES-256-GCM and stored on your machine. Nothing is uploaded, so nothing can be breached, subpoenaed, or quietly mined. Not "military-grade" — no target at all.

## The facts, side by side

| | Penzu | The Sealed Journal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pricing model | Freemium with paid tiers | One-time purchase |
| Current price | Pro: $4.99 / month · Pro (annual): $19.99 / year · Pro+: ~$49.99 / year | One purchase: $24 (rising to $29) once |
| Free tier | Free online diary with limited features | No — a live demo, then one price |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Any modern browser, any operating system |
| Account required | Yes — Account required | No — no account, ever |
| Cloud sync | Required — Entries live on Penzu's servers | 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 |

Checkout shows current prices; tiers verified via app-store listing.

Penzu prices verified 11 August 2026. Source: https://penzu.com/pro

## Questions

### Penzu says my entries are encrypted. Isn't that the same?

Encryption on their servers still means your diary lives on their servers, reachable through your login. Ours never leaves your machine, and the key is derived from a passphrase that never leaves it either.

### Can I write from any device, like Penzu?

Your license covers three personal devices, and the file goes wherever you copy it. What you give up is automatic anywhere-access; that convenience is precisely the cloud we removed.

### Is there a free tier?

No — there is a live demo, and then one price. Free hosted diaries are paid for somehow; we'd rather charge you $24 than wonder.

## Price

The Sealed Journal is a one-time purchase of $24 (introductory price, rising to $29). No subscription, no account, lifetime updates, 30-day refund. Buy at https://sealedjournal.com/#pricing

## Elsewhere

- Hub: Comparisons — https://sealedjournal.com/journals/comparisons
- All journals — https://sealedjournal.com/journals
- HTML version of this page — https://sealedjournal.com/j/vs-penzu