Gratitude: Self-Care Journal

What it does

Gratitude is a digital companion for mental well-being, centered on the practice of gratitude. The app provides tools for users to build positive habits through a structured journaling experience with daily prompts, a library of affirmations that can be personalized with custom audio and visuals, and a vision board creator to help manifest goals. It also includes guided challenges to encourage consistent practice.

Where it shines

Gratitude stands out by transforming standard self-care features into highly personal and engaging experiences. The affirmation tool is a prime example. Instead of just providing text, it allows users to record their own voice (03:45) and add meaningful photos (03:12), creating a powerful multi-sensory tool for self-talk. Similarly, the vision board feature doesn't just create a static collage; it generates a dynamic video reel of the user's goals (06:08), making visualization more active and modern. The app also excels at creating smart loops between its features, like prompting a journal entry immediately after an affirmation session (02:30), which encourages deeper reflection.

UX highlights

Thoughtful Onboarding: The app starts with a privacy-first message (00:05) and a quick personalization quiz (00:15) to tailor the experience before asking for any commitment.
Calendar-Based Journal: The main journal screen uses a calendar view (08:10), which provides a clear visual of the user's consistency and makes it easy to review past entries.
Multi-Modal Content Creation: Users aren't limited to text. They can add photos, record audio, and change backgrounds for affirmations, giving them a strong sense of ownership.
Content Variety: The 'Daily Zen' feed (04:37) offers a mix of content types, from simple quotes to longer articles, catering to different levels of user engagement.
Gamified Challenges: The app uses structured challenges, like the '7-Day Gratitude Challenge' (07:18), to guide new users and help them build a habit, complete with fun success animations (07:37).
Clear Success States: The app provides positive feedback with confetti and celebratory modals after key actions like starting a trial (00:48) or finishing the first entry (01:26).

Monetization & growth

The app employs a soft paywall with a 7-day free trial, presented after the initial personalization flow. The paywall screen itself is noteworthy for its transparency. At 00:34, it displays a clear visual timeline of the trial, including when the user will be reminded and when the subscription begins. This approach builds trust and likely reduces churn from users who forget about the trial ending. An 'Invite a Friend' option is also present in the settings menu, suggesting a word-of-mouth growth loop.

Who it’s for

Gratitude is for individuals seeking a structured way to incorporate mindfulness and positive psychology into their daily routine. It's well-suited for beginners in gratitude journaling, thanks to its guided prompts and challenges. It also appeals to those who are more advanced in their self-care journey, offering powerful personalization tools like the custom affirmations and vision boards. The app is ideal for anyone looking to improve their mental outlook, build self-esteem, and reduce stress.

Notes & opportunities

While the app is feature-rich, the sheer number of affirmation categories could feel overwhelming for a new user. Curating or recommending a starting set might improve initial engagement. Additionally, linking out to a web view for widget setup (06:25) introduces some friction; keeping this experience native to the app could be smoother. The journal entries are presented as a list on the main screen, but a more visually distinct design for each entry card could improve scannability.