Life is difficult. But it can be even more tough if you don’t take the time to reflect on the positive things in life. We’re always chasing something, in hopes of living a better life. Often, we don’t even pause to celebrate our achievements, to be grateful for what we have. This is why offering gratitude is on everybody’s list these days. Every successful person will tell you how important it is to practice gratitude, to take some time, and to be thankful for all the good things you have in your life.
Undoubtedly, it heals your mind, brings about a more positive outlook, and generally makes you feel happier. So, if you’ve been struggling to form a gratitude habit, here are some of the best gratitude apps that can help you!
What Are Gratitude Apps?
Studies have shown that practicing gratitude daily leads to increased happiness and reduces stress and anxiety. Moreover, according to research, it also lowers blood pressure, improves sleep quality, and has other physical health benefits. So, the benefits of practicing gratitude on physical and mental health are obvious.
But in the modern era, just like everything else, mental health has also gotten a tech makeover. Yes, you can still sit down for a gratitude meditation in the traditional way.
But be honest, who has the time? And unless you’re a seasoned meditator, your legs are going to get numb after 10 minutes of sitting in the lotus pose! Not to mention, how difficult it is to block out mental noise long enough to feel clarity and gratitude for anything.
That’s where gratitude apps come in. They’re digital tools easily available on your smartphone, so you can practice gratitude anywhere, anytime with just a few clicks. The internet could be good or bad, but gratitude apps are one of the best ways to use technology positively.
Are Gratitude Apps Worth It? [Best Features]
Do you really need an app to practice something as simple as gratitude? The answer is obviously yes! Of course, you can simply open your notepad and make a list of things you’re grateful for but gratitude apps make it so much easier because of these features!
- Automatic Prompts: The best gratitude apps come with automatic prompts to help you be grateful for various things. These applications help you to guide your thinking in case you can’t think about good things from the top of your head.
- Quick Mood Trackers: They also have quick mood trackers in emoji form so you can reflect on how you’re feeling and identify your emotions.
- Daily Notifications: Gratitude apps also have the useful feature of pop-up notifications. In case you forget to be thankful, you’ll receive a mental health reminder daily.
- Guided Affirmations: Affirmations are powerful tools especially when it comes to gratitude and manifestation meditations. It allows you to feel; feel the positive emotions and elevate your vibrations. These apps usually come with guided gamified affirmations so you can reinforce your daily practice.
- Beautiful User Interface: One of the biggest plus points of gratitude apps is that they have stunning visual aesthetics that instantly calm your mind and relax you.
- Gamification: If you find it difficult to sit down and meditate, the gamification of gratitude apps is for you! You can play mini-games and score points for offering gratefulness every day.
- In-depth Analysis: Another reason you need to download a gratitude app is that it offers in-depth analysis and reflection of your entries at the end of the month. So you can look back and identify thought and behavioral patterns.
12 Best Gratitude Apps in 2024 to Build a Positive Mindset
Following are some of the best gratitude apps for positive thinking!
1. Gratitude: Self-Care Journal
This is one of the best free gratitude apps on the market. It is all-inclusive, featuring daily gratitude journal prompts, affirmations, a vision board, gratitude worksheets, and more. Plus, the app can also serve as a digital gratitude tree, where you can visualize and grow your gratitude over time.
Cost: The standard plan is free, but the pro plan only has a 7-day free trial. The Monthly pro plan charges $4.99, Quarterly $9.99, and Annually $29.99. The paid version offers unlimited gratitude entries + Photo attachments, and cloud backup options.
Ratings: The app enjoys stellar ratings of 4.8/5 on Google Play Store and 4.9/5 on Apple Store, reflecting widespread user satisfaction with its intuitive design and effective journaling prompts, though a few users have mentioned minor technical issues, including glitches.
Best Features:
- Simple and user-friendly interface.
- Quick journaling on the go with gratitude prompts.
- Guided gratitude reflection daily.
- Listen to daily gratitude affirmations.
- Create a vision board.
- Password protection for privacy.
2. Reflectly: A Journal and Diary for Happiness
Reflectly is a simple gratitude app and a diary that you can use to write a gratitude list. It uses artificial intelligence to personalize your gratitude practice and track your mood daily. Whether you’re feeling thankful vs grateful, this app helps you explore those feelings deeply, giving you prompts to reflect on both aspects of gratitude.
Cost: Basic plan is free, but users can pay between $4.99-$5.99 to access premium features like personalized challenges, gratitude meditations, affirmations, and in-depth analysis.
Ratings: The app has positive reviews across Android and iOS, with ratings of 4.5/5 on Google Play and 4.6/5 on Apple Store. Reflectly is lauded by many users as a helpful tool that has made them improve their mood and mental health, rarely garnering bad reviews.
Best Features:
- AI-powered.
- Personalized prompts and daily challenges.
- Active mood tracking.
- Visual data insights into your thinking and mood patterns.
- Premium features like guided meditations and Apple Health Integration.
3. 365 Gratitude Journal: Science Based Journal
This is one of the best gratitude apps in 2024. It is AI-powered and offers comprehensive features to make gratitude meditation more fun and guided. The only negative point is that it is fully paid. Nevertheless, it would make a wonderful mindfulness gift to give to a loved one or even yourself!
Cost: It does not offer a free plan but offers a 7-day free trial. After that, users are required to pay $9.99 monthly, or alternatively, they can choose an annual plan that cuts costs to $2.99 monthly.
Ratings: 4.6/5 on Google Play, 4.8/5 on Apple Store. The app is highly acclaimed for its uniqueness and thought-provoking opinions, although some users have criticized the lack of a free plan.
Best Features:
- AI-Powered.
- 2500+ journal topics for daily gratitude practice.
- Mood tracker and mood-based affirmations.
- Daily uplifting stories to make you smile.
- Build vision boards to manifest your dreams.
- Mini games and community.
4. Happyfeed: Gratitude Journal Application
Happyfeed is unique because it allows you to add photos and videos to your daily gratitude entries. It can be described as a gratitude jar with a visual experience, offering a more personal experience than other gratitude apps.
Cost: No free plan, charges $3.99 monthly and $39.99 annually.
Ratings: The app has a commendable 4.6/5 rating on Google Play and 4.8/5 on the Apple Store, praised for its unique approach and engaging prompts. However, a few complaints have been raised about how it limits the customization of photos.
Best Features:
- Photo and video support so you can have a visual record of all the things you’re grateful for.
- Daily prompts for inspiration.
- “The Happiness Jar” features for days you’re feeling down and can look back on things to be grateful for.
- “Happy Calendar’ view to easily track down your moods and gratitude entries.
5. Gratitude Garden: Best Gamified Application
This is one of the best gamified gratitude apps. You can cultivate an attitude of gratitude and be thankful through daily challenges, making it a more engaging and rewarding experience.
Free or Paid: FREE with In-App Purchase for an Ad-free experience.
Ratings: It has fairly good ratings of 4/5 on Google Play and 4.5/5 on the Apple Store, praised for its visually appealing design and motivational features. A few users have noted the app crashes at times.
Best Features:
- Beautiful aesthetics with garden themes and virtual flowers.
- Gamified gratitude model to make regular entries more engaging.
- Inspirational quotes and affirmations for a positive mindset.
- Simple and clean design.
6. Presently App: Daily Gratitude Journal
Presently is completely FREE and private gratitude journaling app that gives users mindfulness gratitude quotes. It is simple, easy to use, and convenient.
Available on: Android Only
Free or Paid: Completely FREE
Ratings: Rated 4.8/5 Stars on Google Play for its customizable features, helpful reminders, and daily inspirational quotes.
Best Features:
- Simple, clean design and user interface.
- Daily gratitude prompts.
- 27+ themes to choose from.
- Daily inspirational quotes to keep you motivated.
7. Three Good Things Gratitude Diary
Another free mindfulness app that’s best for teens who find it difficult to meditate and take part in gratitude activities. Simply write 3 things you’re thankful for daily to get started and form a healthy mental peace and well-being habit.
Cost: Completely FREE, with In-app purchases ranging from $0.99-$19.99 for a better experience.
Ratings: Among gratitude apps, Three Good Things—Gratitude is among the highest-rated, with a 4.8/5 rating on the Google Play Store and a 4.9/5 rating on the Apple Store.
Best Features:
- Prompts to write just 3 good things you’re grateful for every day.
- Simple, clean, clutter-free design.
- Easy to get into and form a habit.
- FREE with no ads.
- Daily reminders and notifications to help you stay on track.
- Personalization available.
- Turn your entries into PDFs for later review.
8. The Five Minute Journal: Guided Gratitude Diary
Similarly, this app only takes five minutes to complete the journal entry. It is quick and has plenty of affirmations and guided prompts.
Cost: The core features are FREE, but users can pay $4.99-$99.99 to unlock premium features like more prompt categories, habit tracking, mood tracking, cloud back-up, ad-free experience, etc.
Ratings: Rated 4.8/5 Stars on both Google Play and Apple Store, users describe this app as a convenient journal for all, although some would want the In-app costs to be a bit lower for students.
Best Features:
- Quick gratitude app for busy people. Just takes 5 minutes to fill in your gratitude entry.
- Guided gratitude practice through prompts and positive affirmations.
- Daily reminders and notifications.
- Habit and mood tracking to help you better understand yourself and your patterns.
9. Spark: Daily Gratitude Journal App
If you’re looking for a gratitude app that offers gratitude entries, mood tracking, habits tracking, guided affirmations, and mediation videos, but is also free, then Spark is your best choice. It offers the best, most comprehensive features. Plus, the guided meditation videos are so good you’ll feel like you’re using a VR meditation app!
Cost: Free to use, but has In-App Purchases and monthly subscriptions ranging from $8-$25.50.
Ratings: 4.2 /5 Stars on Apple Store, ratings unavailable on Google Play Store version.
Best Features:
- Beautiful and calming user interface.
- Simple, clean, and elegant design for daily gratitude journaling.
- Gamified positive affirmations for deep healing.
- Track your progress and habits.
- Guided Meditations for more focus and mental health.
10. Daylio: Self-Care Bullet Journal
A comprehensive gratitude app that helps you perform focused meditation and be thankful every day. You can choose from multiple topics, prompts, detailed journal entries, mood trackers, etc. to be thorough in your gratitude practice.
Cost: Core features are Free, but you must purchase the premium version for an ad-free experience and additional features. Prices of premium features range from $4.99-$5.99.
Ratings: Has a 4.8/ 5 rating on Apple Store and a 4.7/5 rating on Google Play.
Best Features:
- Fun and easy gratitude journaling app with mood tracking using icons.
- Daily gratitude prompts and entries.
- Track your daily moods, habits, and activities for an in-depth pattern analysis.
- Various customization options and cloud backup are available with the paid version.
11. ThinkUp – Daily Affirmations
ThinkUp is a powerful affirmation and gratitude app designed to boost mental well-being through positive self-talk and reflection. It offers a unique blend of audio affirmations and a gratitude exercise option to help users cultivate a more positive mindset.
ThinkUp stands out for its audio component, allowing users to listen to affirmations while multitasking. The gratitude questions prompt deeper reflection, while the gratitude challenge feature gamifies the experience to build a lasting habit.
Cost: The app is free with in-app purchases (premium features start at $3.99/month). Its core functionality is free, but premium features unlock additional content and remove ads.
Ratings: 4.8/5 on Apple App Store, 4.7/5 on Google Play Store
Best Features:
- Customizable audio affirmations with your voice or choice of background music
- Daily gratitude questions to promote mindfulness and appreciation
- Gratitude challenge feature to encourage consistent practice
- Mood tracking and progress insights
- Library of pre-written affirmations across various life areas
12. Day One Journal
Day One Journal is a versatile journaling app that can be tailored for gratitude practice, among other uses. It offers a clean, intuitive interface for capturing your thoughts, experiences, and moments of thankfulness.
While not exclusively focused on gratitude, Day One’s flexibility allows users to create a dedicated gratitude journal within the app. The gratitude challenge feature can be replicated using tags or separate journals. The app’s cross-platform sync ensures your gratitude practice remains consistent across devices.
Available on: Android | iOS | macOS |
Cost: Basic version is free, Premium is $34.99/year or $2.92/month
Ratings: 4.8/5 on Apple App Store, 4.4/5 on Google Play Store
Best Features:
- Multiple journal support for separating gratitude entries from other topics
- Rich media integration (photos, audio, location data)
- Daily prompts, including gratitude questions to inspire reflection
- Customizable reminders to maintain a consistent gratitude practice
- Robust search and tagging system for easy review of past entries
- End-to-end encryption for privacy
The Bottom Line
All in all, gratitude has immense benefits for your mental health. It reduces stress and anxiety, lowers blood pressure, improves sleep, and also helps you build a positive outlook on life. Life isn’t just about lamenting the loss or always chasing the next thing. If you don’t take some time to reflect on all that you have, you’ll miss out on living a joyful life. And that’s where gratitude apps can help you! Let us know which app you use for your daily gratitude practice in the comments below.
About the Author: Muhammad Moazzan
