[HN Gopher] Show HN: Journelly for iOS: like tweeting but for yo...
___________________________________________________________________
Show HN: Journelly for iOS: like tweeting but for your eyes only
(in plain text)
On iOS, I've flip-flopped back and forth between a bunch of note-
taking and journaling apps. None would stick. My initial attempts
at building such an app faded just the same, until I realized I
wanted the same level of low-friction posting and browsing offered
by social media apps, but for my quick notes. Not social, just easy
posting, search, and a familiar feed. This is how Journelly came
to be. I like to describe it as: tweeting, but for your eyes only
(fully offline and in plain text). If you're an Org markup user,
you'll be delighted to know it's powered by unicorns under the
hood. If you're a Markdown fan, please get in touch! I'm recording
interest for journelly + markdown at xenodium.com. The more
requests I get, the sooner I'll get Markdown support out the door.
Hope you like the app!
Author : xenodium
Score : 56 points
Date : 2025-05-04 11:05 UTC (1 days ago)
(HTM) web link (xenodium.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (xenodium.com)
| fattybob wrote:
| Wish it were cheaper - but I bit already - I think at a lower
| price you would move multiple times more
| xenodium wrote:
| I appreciate that. Will also be monitoring price. Thanks!
| asadm wrote:
| This looks very nice but $15 oof. I use logseq ios + mac app
| (with db in icloud) and it has been serving me well and is free.
| xenodium wrote:
| I really struggled to settle on pricing, but landed on this as
| one-off payments are far more desireable than where apps are
| gravitating to (subscriptions).
|
| ps. I've now gone full-time indie and hoping to make a living
| off my projects.
|
| edit: typo
| criddell wrote:
| $15 is cheap. Probably unsustainably cheap being a one-time
| purchase.
|
| It always surprises me when people who know how hard it is to
| make and support great software, complain about a price like
| $15.
| tarboreus wrote:
| I'm interested. But I think the sync story outside of iCloud
| needs to be fleshed out.
| xenodium wrote:
| Journelly uses standard iOS file access and relies on iCloud
| (or third parties) to handle syncing via related
| infrastructure.
|
| Theoretially, any third party app that is a file provider
| https://developer.apple.com/documentation/fileprovider should
| be able available to Journelly.
|
| The reality is that reliability and provider completeness by
| third parties varies drastially. For example, many of them
| don't offer directory access to other apps (Nextcloud as an
| example https://github.com/nextcloud/ios/issues/3283#issuecomme
| nt-27...), which is a show-stopper for Journelly. It needs a
| directory to save images.
|
| Here's a thread with some third party options some folks are
| using with Journelly
| https://framapiaf.org/@marczz/114369575100101184
|
| Working Copy, SyncTrain, and Mobius Sync are amongst the ones
| I've heard working from users. For v1, I'm officially
| supporting iCloud (but still leaving it open for folks to try
| other providers). I'm just not able to do what's necessary to
| implement or fix what's needed in those providers (their
| app/codebase).
| criddell wrote:
| Is this solving a different problem than Apple's Journal app?
| xenodium wrote:
| The UX itself is a unique strength. It feels more like a
| microblogging app. Easy to post, search, and browse your
| private feed.
|
| Also, it feels much less like a journaling app and more of
| whatever you want it to be. Or as jcs from irreal puts it
| https://irreal.org/blog/?p=12908:
|
| "As more and more users have started using the beta, I've come
| to realize that Journelly is a bit of a shape shifter that
| adapts itself to your needs."
|
| Unlike Apple, Journelly is entirely offline by default (with
| optional iCloud syncing). It stores your data to a single plain
| text file (much friendlier for data preservation).
|
| You can see it all in more detail at the blog post
| https://xenodium.com/journelly-like-tweeting-but-for-your-ey...
|
| Hope that answers your question.
| freeone3000 wrote:
| $20? Just _once_? This is the best pricing scheme I've been for
| an app this year!
| xenodium wrote:
| Not sure what country you're visiting from, but it's USD
| $14.99. One time only.
|
| edit: typo
| dlehman wrote:
| It is indeed $19.99 here in Canada.
|
| While a one-time fee _seems_ preferable from a customer-
| standpoint, I personally prefer annual subscription fees. It
| allows for a potentially lower initial cost, making it more
| accessible to potential customers, but--more importantly--
| provides an obvious recurring revenue model for the author,
| hopefully implying on-going development. Ideally you would
| retain access to the app if your annual subscription lapses,
| but could receive upgrades after reviving your subscription.
| Whenever there is a one-time fee for an "average" app (no
| offense intended), I always wonder how the author can afford
| to keep updating it in the future.
| xenodium wrote:
| Thank you. This is encouraging to hear from a potential
| user. There may be a middle ground where new features are
| sold separately (specially feature requests). Having said
| that, everything you get today with v1 will remain covered
| by what you paid for the app. No rug-pulling ever to force
| folks into a subscription.
| barnabee wrote:
| Thank you for not going down the subscription route!
|
| I'm much more willing to buy a $15 app if it feels like it
| has legs even if I may give up with it after a month or two
| than to possibly lock myself into a much smaller amount
| forever.
|
| The amount I'm willing to pay on the app store only goes up
| if the app is _also_ open source.
| Eric_WVGG wrote:
| This is very intriguing... I'd love to see some integration with
| the built-in Reminders app, as I think I would mostly be jotting
| down ideas or tasks that I'd want to pursue later.
| xenodium wrote:
| Nice idea! I keep hearing the app is versatile, with folks
| using it in all sorts of different ways.
|
| Adding Reminders to the backlog and think about.
| Apocryphon wrote:
| There's something heartwarming that despite journal apps being
| such a huge category on the App Store, people are still trying to
| come up with better experiences. Gives hope for the platform.
| xenodium wrote:
| Glad to hear it. I was also in two minds about how to position
| my app. Journaling as a concept may not sound very appealing to
| many (sometimes associated with keeping a diary).
|
| Having said all that, Journelly can be used in all sorts of
| ways, including quick-note taking, shopping list, or even
| sending things to the app for me to save (a link to web, music,
| movie, etc).
| allenu wrote:
| Congratulations on the launch! It looks very polished and easy to
| use.
|
| Coincidentally, I've come up with same idea independently with my
| own journaling app with a social media interface (Minders). I've
| seen at least a couple of other apps that go for this kind user
| experience, which is fun, as there's lots of ways to tackle this
| type of app. For me, I put in some ideas consistent with social
| media that may or may not work (still figuring it out), like
| being able to "retweet" earlier posts, quote them, and reply to
| them, so it's kind of like having a conversation with yourself
| across time.
|
| I've found that the social media-like UI really does help with
| recording quick notes to myself. It seems to promote more
| browsing than, say, a list of notes, and hashtags make it fun to
| jump around and see related notes, etc.
|
| Best of luck on your app!
| xenodium wrote:
| Thank you! Minders looks lovely! Been thinking about the space
| for a little while https://xenodium.com/an-ios-journaling-app-
| powered-by-org-pl... Amazing to see how we both arrived to a
| similar approach cross-pollinating social with
| notes/journaling. Nice work!
| oulipo wrote:
| Nice! what would be the main differences compared to DayOne?
| xenodium wrote:
| I would say:
|
| - No account needed for anything.
|
| - Usability (feels more lightweight yet familiar to posting on
| social media).
|
| - Share anything from other apps (Safari, Google Maps, Twitter,
| Reddit...) and have it rendered in app. I use this a lot to
| save things like places I want to eat, music (share from
| Shazam), movies (share from letterboxd), etc.
|
| - YouTube video links are rendered (and playable from
| Journelly).
|
| - Simplicity of where your data is stored (single plain text
| file). Easily accessible and friendly to data preservation.
| roxolotl wrote:
| This looks amazing and fills a niche that I'd love to have
| filled. Also totally willing to pay the cost. I appreciate that
| good software is worth money.
|
| One question I do have though is how freely available is your
| data? The post makes it sound like it's accessible but how does
| that work?
| xenodium wrote:
| A couple of ways:
|
| 1. Change the storage location to some place outside the app
| (pick a directory or use iCloud Drive). You can peek at this
| directory at any time and open the plain text file
| (Journelly.org).
|
| 2. Export a backup archive (zip), which includes both plain
| text file and all assets (images).
| roxolotl wrote:
| Awesome thanks for the response. Maybe this is what finally
| gets me to use org mode haha.
| kleinishere wrote:
| Nice to see this on HN from the app creator. Intrigued to try it
| (vs BeOrg) after seeing coverage at irreal, one of my usual emacs
| oriented blogs.
|
| https://irreal.org/blog/?p=12894
| xenodium wrote:
| > Nice to see this on HN from the app creator
|
| Glad to hear!
|
| > Intrigued to try it (vs BeOrg)
|
| Both apps speak org on iOS. It just so happens the apps offer
| different targeted experiences. While Beorg is perhaps more
| geared toward task lists and calendars, Journelly focuses on
| short and quick notes.
|
| I use it a lot for saving links for all sort of things like
| movies, music, videos, restaurants. You can share from
| letterboxd, shazam, youtube, google maps, etc. into Journelly.
| You get link previews in the app and in the case of youtube,
| play from app.
| jameskeim wrote:
| Like the idea of the app. However, the upper part of the
| interface (text entry page) seems to be a hair too big for the
| screen on my iPhone 14 Pro. I can't see the First letter of the
| Month or the last half of the Cancel button. Not sure what the
| first button is below the text box. Can only see the last half of
| it.
| xenodium wrote:
| Please get in touch through the app feedback menu. Happy to
| investigate and fix.
| lycopodiopsida wrote:
| Nice, congrats! I am still thinking about how to implement
| encryption, maybe by storing in a cryptomator volume? But happy
| to deal with org!
| xenodium wrote:
| Not tried cryptomator. Please report back on how well the two
| work together.
|
| Edit: thanks for congrats!
| Arubis wrote:
| @xenodium is almost single-handedly creating the possibility of
| org-mode being as cross-app usable as markdown, and I _heartily_
| appreciate it.
| reaperducer wrote:
| Sounds like something similar to one of my pet projects.
|
| I made a Twitter clone, but I'm the only user, and the only
| person able to see the feed.
|
| It satisfies the itch to broadcast my thoughts, without the
| negative consequences of those thoughts being public. (Trolls,
| ugly responses, griefers, etc.)
|
| It is also a good coding exercise, as I add more capabilities
| over time.
|
| In pre-computer days, people would do this all the time. They'd
| write letters and then either burn them, or mail them to
| impossible addresses so they'd land in the Dead Letter Office.
|
| Catharsis through dev/null.
___________________________________________________________________
(page generated 2025-05-05 23:01 UTC)