MysticLab publishes this comparison. Competitor features, pricing, platforms and ratings are checked against public first-party websites and current store listings on the date shown. MysticLab's own product is evaluated using the same criteria.
Checked on
MysticLab, Awoken, Dream Journal Ultimate, DreamApp, Dreamly, DreamStream, Hypnos, Lucidity and Oniri, row by row, on what matters when you write every morning: capturing a dream fast, finding it again, getting it out, writing offline, reminders, locks, privacy, price and platforms. There is no single best journal; the right one depends on how you keep yours.
Fourteen rows chosen for someone who writes in a dream journal every morning, and seven rules applied to all nine apps, MysticLab included.
What each row covers, and why it matters
Capture: voice or text
Dreams fade fast after waking. Speaking an entry with your eyes half-closed, or typing a few words quickly, makes a morning habit easier to keep.
Search, filter & tags
After a few months a journal holds hundreds of entries. Search, filters and tags are how you find one dream again, or every dream with the same person in it.
Export & backup
A journal kept for years should survive a lost phone and move with you if you switch apps: an export file, or a copy kept somewhere other than the phone.
Offline writing
You may be writing in bed with flight mode on, or somewhere without signal. Saving offline means the entry is not lost while you wait for a connection.
Reminders
A morning nudge to write can help the habit stick. Reality-check reminders serve lucid-dreaming practice.
App lock
A dream journal holds private things. A passcode or biometric lock keeps it from whoever picks up your unlocked phone.
Patterns over time
A journal gets more useful the longer you keep it, because you can see which symbols, people and feelings come back.
AI reading & conversation
Some apps read each dream with AI and let you answer back; others leave interpretation to you. This row says which, not how good the readings are.
Lucid-dreaming tools
If lucid dreaming is the goal, courses, reality checks and sleep cues matter more than interpretation.
Images & video
Some people journal visually, with drawings, AI images or video of a dream.
Privacy & where data lives
Where the journal is stored (on the phone or on a server, and in which country), which AI provider reads it, and what the store privacy labels declare.
Price (US; varies by country)
Most journals are free to download and charge for AI or extras. Prices are US prices; they vary by country and billing period.
Platforms & latest update
Whether the app runs on your phone, and whether it is still being updated.
Ratings (29 Sep 2026)
Store ratings and downloads on the check date, as a rough signal of how many people use an app. They change daily.
The rules
First-party sources only
Each app's App Store listing (also read through Apple's iTunes Lookup API), its Google Play listing and data-safety page, and the publisher's own website, support pages and privacy policy. No review sites, forums or third-party rankings, and nothing one publisher says about another's app.
“Not described” is not “missing”
It means we did not find the feature in those sources on 29 September 2026. The app may still have it. “(their claim)” marks something only the publisher says.
When sources disagree, we show both
Where an app's store privacy label and its privacy policy, or two of its own pages, say different things, the cell gives each statement with its link and leaves the judgement to you.
Listings, not test drives
We read listings, websites and policies. We did not install the other apps, so their paywalls, their sync and the quality of their readings are not judged here.
Prices are US prices
From the US App Store, Google Play or the publisher's own pages. They vary by country and billing period, and some store items show no period at all.
Ratings change daily
Ratings, download counts and version dates are what the US App Store and Google Play showed on 29 September 2026.
Same rows for MysticLab
MysticLab, the publisher of this page, is described by the same rows as everyone else. Where it lacks a journal feature, its cell says so plainly.
How we write, source and correct pages is set out in our editorial policy. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will re-check it against the source.
The comparison table
Fourteen rows, nine apps, checked on 29 September 2026. The small links under each entry go to its first-party source. After MysticLab, the apps are in alphabetical order.
Described or offered
Partly
Not offered (MysticLab)
Not described in first-party sources
Swipe the table sideways to see every app.
Dream journal apps compared, checked on 29 September 2026
No PDF or JSON export today, on any plan (support page). Dreams stay on the iPhone, with no Hypnos cloud copy and no sync.
Its app page lists journal export as Premium. Dreams are included in normal iCloud or computer backups. You can share one dream's insight card as an image, and request a copy of your data in the app.
Dream Insights: symbols, figures, emotions and settings that recur in two or more dreams; a Stats screen with themes, dream length and streaks
Free users see their top symbols; Premium unlocks the full lists and written reflections. On iPhone, Apple Health sleep data can appear next to dreams.
Servers in Helsinki, Finland (EU). AI by OpenAI, only after in-app consent; your email address and your account ID are never sent to it. Not used to train AI models. Account deletion is immediate.
Data location not stated; the optional cloud backup runs on Google's App Engine. No AI described.
Google Play: app interactions and device IDs may be shared, for analytics and advertising or marketing. The privacy policy (4 Jul 2024) names Google Analytics, Google Play and Firebase, and describes aggregated, anonymized research on journal entries.
Data processed in the United States (their policy). AI provider not named. The policy says only aggregated, anonymized data goes to external services.
App Store label: no tracking and no data linked to you. Google Play: app activity, including other user-generated content, and device IDs may be shared, for analytics. An optional public Dream Wall shows only the dreams you share.
Policy allows using dream content to train models; de-identified dream datasets may be licensed or sold, only with opt-in consent. Providers include OpenAI.
App Store label: “Other Data” used to track you. Google Play: deletion can be requested.
Journal kept on your iPhone (support page); server location not stated. AI: Google, via the Gemini API, when you ask for a reading.
App Store label: “Data Not Collected”. The privacy policy (20 Sep 2026) describes collecting account, usage and device data, and sending dream text to Google's Gemini API for readings.
Servers in the United States (their policy). AI: its policy names OpenAI and Google Cloud AI in one section, Microsoft Azure AI and Google Cloud AI in another.
App Store label: Device ID used to track you, and advertising data used for third-party advertising. The privacy policy says the app has no advertising trackers. Google Play says no data is shared with third parties and shows “Contains ads”.
Policy: does not sell personal information; anonymous data may be used for research. Processors include OpenAI and Replicate (images). Storage location not stated. In-app account deletion.
App Store label: no tracking declared. Google Play: device IDs shared.
Free download with unlimited entries. One in-app item: “Support Dream Journal Ultimate”, $2.99.
Its description calls support a monthly subscription; the item name shows no period. The paid features it describes are the full Dream Insights and ongoing Dream Companion chat. No “Contains ads” label on Google Play; no trial stated.
Journal and most of the app free (their listing). Lucidity Pro: $4.99 a week, $12.99 a month, $48–$59.99 a year, or $89.99–$119.99 for lifetime access.
US App Store item names. Google Play items $4.99–$134.99. Google Play shows “Contains ads”. No trial stated.
iPhone 1.3.0 (29 Dec 2025) · no Google Play listing found
Its own pages variously say iOS only, iOS and Android, or iOS and web; no Google Play listing or web app was found. The iPhone app is in EU App Stores (Germany checked).
Lucidity here is the app by Christopher Benz (App Store id6505020545, Google Play ch.b3nz.lucidity). An iPhone app by Shane Curtis has the same name and is not covered.
For Hypnos and Lucidity, the store privacy labels and the privacy policies say different things. The privacy row gives both, each with its link.
Best for…
Picks by need, not an overall winner. Each pick names the table rows it rests on, and every line links to its sources. Within a pick, the order is not a ranking.
Keeping the journal on your phone
Two publishers say the journal stays on the phone: Hypnos keeps no cloud copy, and Lucidity syncs only if you turn it on. Both are the publishers' own statements, and for both apps the store labels and the privacy policy read differently, so we show each side.
Based on: Offline writing · Export & backup · Privacy & where data lives
Its support page says dreams are stored on the iPhone, with no Hypnos cloud copy and no sync, and recording works offline. Dream text goes to Google's Gemini API when you ask for a reading. Its App Store label says “Data Not Collected”; its privacy policy describes account, usage and device data.
Its App Store description calls it offline-first, and its site says dreams are not read or synced by default. Its App Store label declares a device ID used to track you, its policy says the app has no advertising trackers, and Google Play shows “Contains ads”.
Dreamly, Oniri and DreamStream also save entries offline and sync them later. MysticLab does not fit this need: it keeps your journal on its server in Helsinki, Finland (EU), tied to your account, and has no offline journal.
Lucid-dreaming practice
Five apps pair the journal with lucid-dreaming training, each in a different format.
Dream Companion, a chat that searches your journal and cites the entries it used. The greeting is free; ongoing conversation needs the supporter subscription.
Luna, one AI character, reads each dream, asks a follow-up question and keeps talking. Free, up to 100 replies a day, and only after you agree in the app.
Dream Journal Ultimate has tags and search, but export is not described in its sources. MysticLab has search, but no manual tags and no export yet.
Free, with nothing to buy
Most of these journals are free to download and sell extras. If you want nothing to buy at all, there is one option; if optional extras are fine, three others keep the journal itself free.
Dreamly and DreamApp also make AI dream images, and Lucidity lets you attach your own. MysticLab has no image generation.
App by app
What each app is best for, what it does well for a journal, what its public sources do not describe, and what it costs. MysticLab first, then the others in alphabetical order.
Best fit: A free, ad-free journal where one AI character interprets each dream, asks you back and tracks what recurs; EU-hosted, with consent before AI.
What it does well
Voice or text capture. Your phone turns speech into text, so no audio is uploaded.
Luna, one AI character, reads each dream, asks a follow-up question and keeps the conversation going.
Picks out the symbols, people, places and emotions in each dream by itself and tracks what recurs, with a weekly insight and a Deep Analysis after 15 dreams.
A searchable journal, stored on MysticLab's server in Helsinki, Finland (EU) and tied to your account.
Free, with no subscription, no in-app purchases and no ads.
AI only after you consent in the app; your email address and your account ID are never sent to it, and your dreams are not used to train AI models.
Gaps today
No offline journal: dreams are saved to MysticLab's server.
No app lock (passcode or biometrics).
No reminders.
No manual tags; symbols, people, places and emotions are picked out automatically.
No export yet (email us for a copy of your data).
No lucid-dreaming tools and no image generation.
It is new: on Google Play since 4 September 2026 and on the App Store since 27 September 2026, with no ratings yet.
The iPhone app is English-only and not in EU App Stores yet.
Price
Free: no subscription, no in-app purchases, no ads
Daily caps prevent abuse (100 Luna replies a day).
Servers in Helsinki, Finland (EU). AI by OpenAI, only after in-app consent; your email address and your account ID are never sent to it. Not used to train AI models. Account deletion is immediate.
Data location not stated; the optional cloud backup runs on Google's App Engine. No AI described.
Google Play: app interactions and device IDs may be shared, for analytics and advertising or marketing. The privacy policy (4 Jul 2024) names Google Analytics, Google Play and Firebase, and describes aggregated, anonymized research on journal entries.
Best fit: A long-running iPhone and Android journal with tags, a PIN or biometric lock, sync, reminders and lucid-dreaming lessons, plus AI readings, a journal chat and an optional public Dream Wall.
What it does well
Tag dreams and search them later, behind a PIN, Face ID or Touch ID lock (PIN or fingerprint on Android).
Morning reminders to write and random reality-check reminders, plus a Lucid Dreaming Academy with lessons on Reality Testing, MILD, WBTB, SSILD and FILD.
Voice recording with transcription on iPhone, which a home-screen widget can start.
Dream Insights and a Stats screen show recurring symbols, figures, emotions, settings and streaks.
AI readings, AI dream images and Dream Companion, a chat that searches your journal and cites the entries it used.
Unlimited entries for free, synced across devices through an optional account.
On the App Store since 2014, with 562 US ratings and 100K+ Google Play downloads.
Not described or not verified
Export of your journal.
Offline writing, and voice capture on Android.
A web journal: the site says sync covers the web, but none was found.
Which AI provider it uses. None is named in its privacy policy, terms or feature pages.
The billing period of its $2.99 supporter item (its description says monthly), and free-tier AI limits.
Which “other user-generated content” Google Play says may be shared for analytics, and with whom.
Price
Free download with unlimited entries. One in-app item: “Support Dream Journal Ultimate”, $2.99.
Its description calls support a monthly subscription; the item name shows no period. The paid features it describes are the full Dream Insights and ongoing Dream Companion chat. No “Contains ads” label on Google Play; no trial stated.
Data processed in the United States (their policy). AI provider not named. The policy says only aggregated, anonymized data goes to external services.
App Store label: no tracking and no data linked to you. Google Play: app activity, including other user-generated content, and device IDs may be shared, for analytics. An optional public Dream Wall shows only the dreams you share.
Policy allows using dream content to train models; de-identified dream datasets may be licensed or sold, only with opt-in consent. Providers include OpenAI.
App Store label: “Other Data” used to track you. Google Play: deletion can be requested.
By Ron Junior van Cenn (App Store seller; Germany) · usehypnos.com
Best fit: An iPhone journal that keeps dreams on the device, with four-lens AI readings through Google's Gemini; per its support page, no sync or file export today.
What it does well
Dreams stay on the iPhone with no Hypnos cloud copy (their support page), and recording and saving work offline.
Voice or text capture, with voice notes transcribed.
Each dream read through four lenses, plus Shadow Chat reflection prompts.
Insights on recurring symbols, moods and trends, with streaks and a Morning Reflection routine.
Premium at $5.99 a month or $49.99 a year, with 3 free analyses a month (home-page FAQ).
Not described or not verified
A lock or passcode (the site points to iOS device encryption), reminders and lucid-dreaming tools.
Export. The support page says there is none today; the app page lists it as Premium.
Sync between devices, which the support page puts on its roadmap.
An Android or web app: none found, though some of its pages mention them.
How the App Store label (“Data Not Collected”) fits the privacy policy, which describes data collection and sending dream text to Google.
Any update since 29 December 2025 (version 1.3.0), and US ratings (none yet).
Price
Free tier: 3 analyses a month (home-page FAQ). Premium: $5.99 a month or $49.99 a year.
US App Store. Other Hypnos pages describe a different free and Premium split. The site says it shows no ads (their claim). No trial stated.
Journal kept on your iPhone (support page); server location not stated. AI: Google, via the Gemini API, when you ask for a reading.
App Store label: “Data Not Collected”. The privacy policy (20 Sep 2026) describes collecting account, usage and device data, and sending dream text to Google's Gemini API for readings.
Best fit: A structured 7-night lucid-dreaming course plus an offline-first journal (their claim) with AI analysis, export and a PIN lock.
What it does well
A structured 7-night lucid-dreaming course with morning and evening lessons, practice screens for MILD, WILD, SSILD and WBTB, and reality-check reminders.
Search and filter by symbol or mood, with tags for people, places and feelings.
Export to PDF and other formats; cloud sync is optional and off by default (their site).
Works without an internet connection (their claim).
A PIN lock, with biometric unlock mentioned in iOS release notes.
AI analysis of each dream, with emotions mapped on a Plutchik wheel.
4.8 from 8.04K Google Play reviews; on Google Play since 2014.
Not described or not verified
Voice capture.
Which AI provider it uses. The policy's two lists differ: OpenAI in one, Microsoft Azure AI in the other, Google Cloud AI in both.
How its privacy statements fit together: the App Store label declares tracking, the policy says the app has no advertising trackers, and Google Play says no data is shared while showing “Contains ads”.
What Pro adds beyond unlimited analysis, and whether there is a trial.
Its site's figure of 500,000+ downloads; Google Play shows 100K+.
Price
Journal and most of the app free (their listing). Lucidity Pro: $4.99 a week, $12.99 a month, $48–$59.99 a year, or $89.99–$119.99 for lifetime access.
US App Store item names. Google Play items $4.99–$134.99. Google Play shows “Contains ads”. No trial stated.
Servers in the United States (their policy). AI: its policy names OpenAI and Google Cloud AI in one section, Microsoft Azure AI and Google Cloud AI in another.
App Store label: Device ID used to track you, and advertising data used for third-party advertising. The privacy policy says the app has no advertising trackers. Google Play says no data is shared with third parties and shows “Contains ads”.
Policy: does not sell personal information; anonymous data may be used for research. Processors include OpenAI and Replicate (images). Storage location not stated. In-app account deletion.
App Store label: no tracking declared. Google Play: device IDs shared.
Record a dream by voice or text, talk it through with Luna, and see what keeps coming back. Free on iPhone and Android, with no subscription, no in-app purchases and no ads.