llms.txt
# Reflection
> Reflection is a private, AI-enhanced journaling app for iOS, Android, macOS and the web. It pairs a clean, quiet journal with an AI coach that can talk with you in real time, guide you through structured journeys, and answer questions drawn from your own past entries.
This file is self-contained. It carries the complete text of Reflection's feature documentation and customer FAQ, so an assistant can answer questions about the product without fetching individual pages. Source of truth is the live site; where the two differ, the site wins.
Reflection is built on two ideas. The first is that writing regularly is one of the most dependable ways to understand yourself, and that most people stop because they run out of things to say — so Reflection offers prompts, templates, guided journeys, and an AI coach that asks the follow-up questions a good listener would. The second is that a journal only works if it feels safe. Entries are encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS in transit, they are never used to train AI models, and the company is funded by the people who use it rather than by advertising. Infrastructure runs on Google Cloud; Reflection is ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 1 and SOC 2 certified, and GDPR compliant. Reflection is made by Journal Better Inc.
## Start here
- [Reflection](https://www.reflection.app/): What Reflection is, who it is for, and how the journal and the AI coach work together.
- [All features](https://www.reflection.app/features): Index of everything the app does, grouped by theme.
- [Premium](https://www.reflection.app/premium): What is free, what is paid, and what a Premium plan includes.
- [FAQ](https://www.reflection.app/faq): Common questions about features, billing, privacy, and account settings.
- [Reviews](https://www.reflection.app/reviews): 4.8 stars from 3,000+ App Store and Play Store reviews, quoted at length — including from therapists and counsellors who use Reflection with their own clients.
- [Terms of Service and Privacy Policy](https://www.reflection.app/terms-privacy-policy): How data is handled, stored, and protected.
## Features
### Voice Call
Talk through your day and Reflection talks back, out loud.
Voice Call turns journaling into a conversation. Tap to start and just talk — Reflection listens, responds out loud, asks a thoughtful follow-up, and saves the full transcript to your journal automatically.
It's the easiest way to journal when you don't feel like writing: talk through a stressful day on a walk, think out loud before a big decision, or wind down at night without touching the keyboard. Because it's a real back-and-forth, you often land somewhere you wouldn't have reached on the page alone.
Your conversations stay yours — entries are encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS in transit, and are never used to train AI models. Available on iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/voice-call
### AI Coach
Thoughtful follow-up questions that help you go a layer deeper.
The AI Coach is the part of Reflection that responds to what you write. You finish an entry and, instead of a blank page staring back, you get the follow-up question that moves you from what happened to why it landed that way.
The question comes from the entry you just wrote, not from a fixed list. So what you get after a hard day at work isn't what you get after an argument with your brother.
Most journaling stalls because you run out of things to say. A good next question keeps the thread going, and a two-line entry turns into something worth coming back to.
Nothing you write is used to train AI models, and every entry is encrypted at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.2 or greater). The AI Coach is available on iOS, Android, Mac, and web.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/depth-ai-companion
### Ask Your Journal
Ask a question and get answers drawn from your own entries.
Ask Your Journal lets you ask a question in plain language and get an answer drawn from everything you've written. Wondering how you felt about a job last spring, what keeps coming up with a relationship, or when a pattern started? Just ask.
Your journal remembers so you don't have to. Reflection searches across your history and answers conversationally, surfacing the entries, themes, and patterns — turning search into a meaningful conversation with rich responses.
It all stays private: your entries are encrypted at rest and in transit and are never used to train AI models. Ask Your Journal works on iOS, Android, Mac, and web.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/ask-your-journal
### Guided Journeys
100+ guided programs from wellness and personal growth experts.
Not sure what to write? Guided Journeys give you structure. Choose from 100+ programs on gratitude, anxiety, relationships, productivity, self-discovery, and more, and let each one lead you somewhere one prompt at a time.
Every journey is created with wellness and personal growth experts — coaches, therapists, writers, and creators who each bring a point of view — so you're following a real method, not a blank page. Start one in seconds and move at your own pace, a few minutes a day.
Guided Journeys live alongside the rest of your journal, encrypted and private, on iOS, Android, Mac, and web.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/guided-journeys
### Available Everywhere
iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, and web — always in sync.
Reflection is a cross-platform journaling app that stays perfectly in sync across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, and the web. Start an entry on your phone, add to it on your laptop, and it's all there instantly, wherever you pick up.
No more journal trapped on a single device. Whether you write at your desk, dictate on a walk, or jot a thought before bed, everything lands in one place and syncs automatically — securely encrypted in transit and at rest.
Download Reflection on iOS, Android, and Mac, or journal right in your browser.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/available-everywhere
### Voice Journaling
Speak your entry out loud — Reflection transcribes it for you.
Some of your best thinking happens out loud. Voice journaling lets you capture it without typing a word.
**What is voice journaling?** Voice journaling is the practice of speaking your journal entries instead of writing them. You talk; the app records and transcribes your words into text you can keep, search, and reflect on later. It's a natural fit for anyone who finds a blank page intimidating or simply thinks better out loud.
**Why voice journaling helps.** Speaking lowers the barrier to journaling. There's no keyboard and no perfect first sentence — you just say what's on your mind, the way you would to a friend. Because talking is faster and less self-conscious than writing, entries tend to be longer, more honest, and easier to keep up daily. It's ideal for journaling on the go — on a walk, in the car, or winding down in bed — and a more accessible way in for anyone who finds typing a chore.
**Voice journaling in Reflection.** Just tap the mic and start talking. We transcribe your voice into a clean, searchable entry automatically — no editing required — and your AI coach can pick up the conversation from there. Everything is encrypted in transit and at rest, never used to train AI models, and synced across iOS, Android, Mac, and web.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/voice-journaling
### Photos & Rich Text
Add photos and format your words however you like.
Add photos and format your words however you like. Reflection supports rich text — headings, lists, bold, and more — alongside the images that make an entry come alive, so looking back feels as vivid as living it.
Drop in the photo from a trip, a screenshot worth remembering, or a picture of someone you love, then shape the words around it. Your journal becomes a place you actually want to revisit, not just a wall of plain text.
Everything stays private and encrypted, and syncs across iOS, Android, Mac, and web.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/photos-and-rich-text-10314
### Advanced Privacy
Lock your journal with Face ID, biometrics, or a passcode.
Your journal holds your most honest thoughts, so Reflection is built to keep them yours. Lock the app behind Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode, and keep individual entries private.
**Encrypted everywhere.** Your entries are encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS in transit. Your data and journal entries are never used to train AI models — not even on the free plan. And because you own your data, you can export everything to PDF, JSON, or CSV at any time.
Reflection is a private journaling app available on iOS, Android, Mac, and web.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/advanced-privacy
### Journaling Templates
Start fast with a structure for gratitude, goals, and more.
Reflection's journaling templates give you a ready-made starting point for the kind of entry you want to write — gratitude, goal-setting, daily check-ins, morning pages, reflection on a hard moment, and more. Or build your own template for the routine that works for you.
Templates make journaling faster and more consistent, because the hardest part — knowing where to begin — is already handled. Open one, fill it in, done.
Your templates and entries sync privately across iOS, Android, Mac, and web.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/journaling-templates
### Daily Reminders
A gentle nudge at the right time keeps the habit alive.
A journaling habit sticks when something reminds you at the right moment. Set a daily reminder for the time that fits your life — morning coffee, lunch break, or just before bed — and Reflection will give you a gentle nudge, never a nag.
Consistency is where journaling pays off: small, regular entries add up to real self-awareness over time. Reminders keep the streak alive on the days motivation runs low.
Set reminders on iOS, Android, Mac, and web, and journal wherever you are.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/daily-reminders
### Scan Written Text
Snap a photo of your handwriting and AI turns it into an entry.
Pen and paper still have a magic that screens don't. Reflection lets you keep it — and still get everything a digital journal offers.
**Why handwrite a journal?** Writing by hand has real benefits. It's slower and more deliberate, which helps you process emotions and remember what you wrote. Many people find handwriting more calming and focused than typing, with fewer distractions and a stronger connection to the words — and for plenty of journalers, paper simply feels more personal.
**The catch with paper journals.** The downside of paper is that it's hard to search, easy to lose, and impossible to back up. Years of notebooks become a shelf you rarely revisit. Digitizing your handwritten entries keeps the ritual of writing by hand while making everything searchable, safely stored, and ready to reflect on.
**How Reflection turns handwriting into entries.** Snap a photo of a handwritten page and Reflection scans your handwriting and turns it into a typed, searchable journal entry — no retyping. Your paper notebooks and digital journal finally live in one place, where your AI coach can help you reflect on both. Scanned entries are encrypted, private, and never used to train AI models.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/scan-written-text
### Beautiful Themes
Light, dark, and a color theme that's truly yours.
Make Reflection yours with beautiful light and dark themes plus color options that suit your mood. Dark mode is easy on the eyes for late-night entries; lighter themes feel bright and calm in the morning.
Small touches make a difference: when an app feels like home, you're far more likely to come back to it every day. Switch themes any time, on any device.
Themes sync across iOS, Android, Mac, and web.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/beautiful-themes-4affb
### Import & Export
Import from Day One or CSV; export to PDF, JSON, or CSV.
Switching from another app? Reflection imports from Day One, a standard CSV, or a Reflection backup file, so your existing journal comes with you. And once Reflection's MCP is available, you'll be able to bring entries in from almost anywhere.
Just as easily, you can take your journal out: export everything to PDF, JSON, or CSV whenever you like. There's no lock-in — because you own your data, full stop.
Import and export are available across iOS, Android, Mac, and web.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/import-and-export
### Weekly & Monthly Reviews
Auto-magical recaps that surface what mattered most.
Reflection synthesizes your entries creating weekly and monthly reviews — recaps of the themes, wins, moods, and shifts you'd never spot day to day.
Day-to-day journaling captures the moment; reviews reveal the pattern. They're a simple way to notice what's actually changing in your life, celebrate progress, and decide what to focus on next.
Your entries stay private and are never used to train AI models. Reviews are available on iOS, Android, Mac, and web.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/weekly-and-monthly-reviews
### Private Share Links
Selectively share a secure link to any entry you choose.
Sometimes a single entry is worth sharing — with a partner, a therapist, or a friend. Private share links let you create a secure link to exactly the entry you choose, while everything else stays locked down.
You stay in control: share what you want, when you want, and nothing more. It's the rare journaling app that makes sharing possible without compromising your privacy.
Create private share links on iOS, Android, Mac, and web.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/private-share-links-803bf
### Reflection MCP
Read and write your journal through Claude, ChatGPT, and more.
Your journal shouldn't be locked inside one app. Reflection's MCP integration connects it to the AI tools you already use.
**What is an MCP?** MCP stands for Model Context Protocol — an open standard that lets AI assistants like Claude and ChatGPT securely connect to outside tools and data. Think of it as a universal adapter: instead of every app building a custom integration, MCP gives AI a common, permission-based way to read from and write to the services you use.
**Why an MCP matters for journaling.** A journal is most valuable when your reflections can travel with you. With an MCP connection you can add to your journal from inside an AI chat, ask an assistant to pull themes from past entries, or wire journaling into your own workflows and automations. It also makes your journal far more portable — your entries become something you can bring into almost any AI tool, instead of data stranded in a single app.
**How Reflection uses MCP.** Reflection's MCP server lets tools like Claude and ChatGPT both read and write your journal — capture a reflection from wherever you're working, or have your assistant surface insights from your history. You stay in control of what's connected, and your entries remain encrypted and private. Reflection MCP is in beta and available on Premium — generate a key in Settings › MCP Key Management to connect your first client.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/reflection-mcp
### Personalized Prompts
Fresh prompts tailored to what's actually on your mind.
Reflection offers personalized journaling prompts based on what you've actually been writing about — so there's always a meaningful next thing to say, instead of a generic question that doesn't fit.
The blank page is the number-one reason people stop journaling. Personalized prompts remove it, gently pointing you toward the thread worth pulling today. The more you write, the more relevant they become.
Personalized prompts are private to you and available on iOS, Android, Mac, and web.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/personalized-prompts
### Tags & Organization
Organize entries with tags and find anything in seconds.
Organize your journal with tags. Label entries by theme, person, place, or feeling, and Reflection keeps everything tidy without any extra effort. Months later, pull up every entry about a single topic in a tap.
Good organization is what turns a pile of entries into something you can actually learn from. Filter by tag to trace how a relationship evolved, how a goal progressed, or how your mood shifted over a season.
Tags sync privately across iOS, Android, Mac, and web.
Page: https://www.reflection.app/feature/tags-and-organization
## Frequently asked questions
### What is Reflection?
Reflection is an AI-powered journaling app and mental wellness coach designed to help you build a consistent self-reflection habit. Available on iOS, Android, Mac, and Web, our app combines guided prompts and AI insights to make journaling easy and impactful. Whether you need a gratitude journal, a therapy companion, or a tool for personal growth, Reflection adapts to you.
Source: https://www.reflection.app/faq
### Which journaling app should I start with?
Start with the kind, not the brand. Some journaling apps are structured, prompting you with a question each day; others hand you a blank page and stay out of the way. If you have never kept one, pick a free app that prompts you — the hardest part of journaling is knowing what to write.
Source: https://www.reflection.app/faq
### How is Reflection different from other journaling apps?
Reflection's primary difference is our AI Coach. While other apps are a blank page, Reflection interacts with you, offering real-time guidance and personalized insights based on your own writing. We combine this with a library of 100+ expert-led guides and a minimal, focused design to help you go deeper, not just write more.
Source: https://www.reflection.app/faq
### What's the best free journaling app in 2026?
Reflection offers one of the most generous free plans, including core features like AI-powered prompts and cross-device sync. Apple Journal is completely free with no paid tier at all, but it only runs on Apple devices. Day One and Daylio also offer free tiers with basic functionality. The best choice depends on your platform and whether you want AI-guided insights or simple entry logging.
Source: https://www.reflection.app/faq
### What's the best journaling app for iPad?
Apple Journal is the obvious starting point now that it runs on iPad, and it supports Apple Pencil handwriting — it is free and already there. It gives you no prompts and no structure, though, and it stops at Apple devices. For guided journaling that also syncs to Android or a browser, Reflection and Day One both run properly on iPad. For handwriting alone, GoodNotes is still the more capable notebook, but it is a note-taking app rather than a journal.
Source: https://www.reflection.app/faq
### Is there a good journal app for Android?
Fewer than on iPhone, but the good ones are genuinely good. Reflection, Day One, Journey and Daylio all ship real Android apps rather than web wrappers. Apple Journal is not available on Android and will not be. If you want a free Android journal, Reflection and Daylio have the most usable free tiers.
Source: https://www.reflection.app/faq
### Can I keep a diary online, in a browser?
Yes. An online diary needs no installation and works on a machine you do not control, like a work laptop. Reflection runs in the browser at web.reflection.app with the same entries as the mobile app; Penzu, Journey and Diarium also offer browser access. Check the encryption before writing anything sensitive on a shared computer.
Source: https://www.reflection.app/faq
### How does journaling improve mental health?
The science-backed benefits of journaling include reduced anxiety, improved mood, and greater self-awareness. Reflection is a tool for mental wellness that makes this practice easy. Our guided prompts for anxiety, self-love, and processing emotions h
