Best Journaling Apps for Musicians and Artists
Published · by Loopin
No single app is both a fast mood log and a good home for lyrics, beats and takes, so pair one of each. Here is which journaling app suits which musician, with prices at the time of writing (October 2026), and what to skip.
Decide what you're logging before you download anything
Musicians use a journal for two different jobs. One is logging: a mood word, an energy level, what you worked on. That has to take under a minute or you'll stop by week two. The other is material: half-lyrics, a hummed melody, a take over a beat. That needs audio and versions, which diary apps handle badly.
Quick pick: fastest mood log, Daylio. Long written entries across devices, Day One. Free and already on your iPhone, Apple Journal. Can't find the word for how you feel, How We Feel. For the songs themselves, a songwriting app. The rest of this post is the detail behind those picks.
Use Daylio when speed matters most
Daylio (iPhone and Android) is built around a tap-a-face mood scale plus activity icons you choose, so a full entry takes a few seconds. You can add a note and a photo, and create your own activities like “wrote lyrics”, “recorded” or “finished a song”. Its stats then show which activities tend to appear alongside which moods. The core app is free; at the time of writing, Premium is listed at about $4.99 a month or $35.99 a year, which adds advanced stats, unlimited goals and backups.
What it does well: habit-forming speed and the Year in Pixels overview. What it can't do: hold a beat, compare takes or tell you whether the song was any good. If you pick it, make one activity group just for songwriting so the stats have something to compare.
Pick Day One or Apple Journal for long entries
Day One is the most complete traditional journal: iPhone, Android and desktop, with photos, audio recordings and PDFs attached to entries. At the time of writing its Basic tier is free, Silver (renamed from Premium in 2026) is $49.99 a year and adds sync and more media per entry, and Gold at $74.99 a year adds AI features. Good if you write paragraphs about sessions and want them searchable for years.
Apple Journal is free on iPhone with no paid tier. It supports audio recordings with transcription, photos and a State of Mind log that feeds Apple Health, and it syncs to iPad and Mac through iCloud. The catch is that it is Apple-only. If you're all-iPhone and want zero cost, start here before paying for anything.
Try How We Feel if you can't name the feeling
How We Feel is a free app from a nonprofit, built with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Its mood meter asks for energy and pleasantness first, then offers a precise word, well over a hundred of them. It is on iPhone and Android.
For songwriters that vocabulary is the point. “Sad” gives you a cliché; “wistful” or “hollow” gives you a direction. Energy also matters for creative work: a 2008 meta-analysis found activating moods linked to more creative output than deactivating ones, a small effect but worth logging. Take the word it gives you and use it as the title of the next idea.
Keep the songs in Loopin, not in the journal
Loopin is a free iPhone app for the material side. You import a beat, write lyrics while it plays, record takes and keep every version of a song in one place. It is not a mood tracker and doesn't pretend to be one. Pair it with any app above: log the mood there, write the song in Loopin, and put the same date or mood word in the take name so the two records line up.
That split also fixes the biggest failure of music journals: voice memos buried in a diary entry you'll never scroll back to. Lyrics next to the beat and every take in one project means the idea you logged on a restless Tuesday is still playable in March.
Skip the extras and check three things before paying
Skip AI prompts, themed templates and streak badges until you've logged for a month; they add taps, not insight. Set one reminder for when you usually write, and log right after the session, not at bedtime when you've forgotten how it felt.
Before paying, check three things: export (can you get your entries out as a file?), backup (is it included or a paid extra?) and trial length. Prices and tiers change often, so confirm them in the App Store or Google Play listing before you subscribe.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best journaling app for musicians?
For a fast mood log, Daylio; for long entries, Day One or the free Apple Journal. Pair either with a songwriting app like Loopin for lyrics, beats and takes, because diary apps handle audio versions badly.
Is there a free journaling app for artists?
Yes. Apple Journal is free on iPhone with no paid tier, How We Feel is free on iPhone and Android, and Daylio and Day One both have free tiers at the time of writing (October 2026).
How much does Daylio Premium cost?
At the time of writing (October 2026) it is listed at about $4.99 a month or $35.99 a year. Check the store listing in your country, as prices vary.
Can I record voice memos in a journaling app?
Day One supports audio recordings on paid tiers and Apple Journal supports audio with transcription for free. For takes over a beat, a songwriting app is a better home.
Does Loopin track my mood?
No. Loopin is where the song lives: beat, lyrics, takes and versions. Log mood in a separate app and add the mood word to the take name.