jrnl

Windows · Mac · Linux

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Freedom report

Three barsScore 6.3

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

jrnl is ranked #112 of 219 in note-taking apps on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows. There is a free plan.

jrnl plans and pricing

All plans

Free and open source Free Command-line journal application jrnl.sh · 5 Oct 2026

Compared on note-taking apps

Free plan: Yes
Offline access: Yes
Privacy lock: Yes
Export formats: multiple
Platform coverage: desktop
Search and filters: Yes

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The record

Purpose: jrnl is a command-line journal application for creating, searching, and viewing journal entries.
Natural-language entry: Entries can be created with natural-language timestamps such as “yesterday.”
Plain-text storage: Journals are stored as human-readable plain-text files that can be placed in shared folders to synchronize between devices.
Tags and journals: jrnl supports inline tags for searching and filtering, and multiple journals stored as one file or a set of files.
Encryption: The application supports AES encryption, and its documentation says encrypted journals use the jrnl v3 format for new encrypted writes.
Password recovery: The documentation states that jrnl passwords cannot be recovered or reset, and losing one makes the data inaccessible.
Keychain: When encrypting a journal, jrnl asks whether to store its password in the system keychain.
Editors: jrnl can pass entries to a configured external editor, including Visual Studio Code, Vim, and Notepad++.
Sync and integrations: The homepage suggests syncing journal files with tools such as Dropbox; the documentation also describes external editors and data formats for piping or exporting journal data.
Import and export: jrnl supports importing entries and exporting them in formats including JSON, Markdown, plain text, XML, and YAML.
Installation requirement: The installation guide recommends pipx with Python 3.11 or later.
Support: The project directs users who need help to submit an issue on GitHub.
Open source: The project says it is free and open source, and its GitHub repository identifies the license as GPL-3.0.
Who it is for: The homepage presents jrnl as a tool for keeping separate journals for different parts of life, including work and personal use.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Note-Taking Apps in 2026#112 of 219
Best Journaling Software in 2026#14 of 37
Best Journal Apps in 2026#11 of 34

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Sources

jrnl.sh/en/stable/overview/· checked 5 Oct 2026
jrnl.sh/en/stable/installation/· checked 5 Oct 2026
jrnl.sh/en/stable/encryption/· checked 5 Oct 2026
jrnl.sh/en/stable/external-editors/· checked 5 Oct 2026
jrnl.sh/en/stable/· checked 5 Oct 2026
jrnl.sh/en/stable/formats/· checked 5 Oct 2026
github.com/jrnl-org/jrnl· checked 5 Oct 2026