Write or dictate an entry
FreeNot every thought needs a conversation. Tap New entry to write, or Speak to dictate. Speech recognition runs on your device by default.
Journal by conversation
A private AI journal you keep by talking
Merrin is a private personal intelligence you talk to and journal with. Say what's on your mind, out loud or typed, and the conversation is saved as a journal entry. Weeks later you can find it by what it was about, even if you've forgotten how you put it.
The AI runs on your phone. No account needed.
No blank page
How conversational journaling works
Most journals wait for you to sit down and write. With Merrin you talk, and the journal keeps up.
Step 1
Talk or type about your day
Start a chat and say what's on your mind, by voice or by typing. Merrin asks follow-up questions as you go.
Step 2
Your conversation becomes a journal entry
There's nothing to write up. Once you've said something worth keeping, the conversation is saved to your Journal with a title, the transcript, and topic tags. Small talk doesn't make an entry, and chats in Incognito are never saved.
Step 3
Find old entries by meaning
Look Back searches your entries, memories, and threads by what they're about. Search for "the argument about moving" and it can find the entry even if you never used the word argument. Add "in March" to search one month.
In the Journal tab
AI journaling features in Merrin
Conversations are only one way in. Here's what else the journal does, and what each plan includes.
Pick an old entry back up
FreeOpen an entry and tap Reflect on this to talk it through again, starting from what you wrote.
Browse by date, type, or favorite
FreeFilter the Journal by day, week, or month, by how an entry was made (written, voice, or conversation), and by favorites. Its search also shows related entries by meaning.
Threads that follow one subject
FreeEntries about the same thing gather into a thread, with its own timeline of what you said and decided.
Memories you can see and edit
FreeThe people, plans, and decisions you mention become memories that make later conversations more relevant. Read every one in the You tab, and edit or forget any of them.
Insights that show their sources
ProMerrin points out what keeps coming back and how your views change, and writes a weekly reflection from your entries. Each insight lists the entries behind it, and you can mark it Accurate or Not quite.
Journaling, memories, search, and threads are free, with no message limits. Insights and weekly reflections are part of Pro.
Where your entries live
Is an AI journal private?
It depends on where the AI runs. Cloud assistants process what you write on their servers, under settings that differ by company; our review of the ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Copilot, and Grok policies quotes each one. Merrin's AI runs on your phone, so saving, tagging, searching, and reflecting on your entries all happen there.
On your phone
- Journal entries
- Transcripts
- Memories
- Merrin's AI
Uses the internet
- Downloading AI models
- Processing purchases
On your phone, no account
Entries, transcripts, and memories are designed to stay on your device during normal use. You never create an account.
Works without a connection
Once the AI models are downloaded, talking, journaling, and search are designed to work offline.
Encrypted backup & restore
Back up everything to an encrypted file protected by your recovery key, save it wherever you choose, and restore it in Merrin. You can also copy any entry as text.
Delete what you want gone
Delete an entry from its menu, or erase all your data from Settings at any time.
Some features use the internet, such as downloading AI models and processing purchases. The Privacy Policy lists them.
Comparing apps? We looked at Merrin, Day One, Rosebud, Apple Journal, and Obsidian in the best private AI journaling apps.
Do I have to write anything?
No. Talk or type in a chat, and the conversation is saved as a journal entry on its own, with a title, the transcript, and topic tags. If you would rather write or dictate an entry directly, tap New entry in the Journal tab.
Can I keep a conversation out of my journal?
Yes. Chats in Incognito aren't saved and never become an entry. A conversation with nothing to keep, like a quick greeting, doesn't make one either.
Can I journal by voice?
Yes, two ways. Talk to Merrin in a voice conversation, which is saved like a typed one, or tap Speak in a new entry to dictate it. Speech recognition runs on your device by default, and voice conversations are free.
How do I find an old entry?
Open Look Back from the Insights tab and describe what you're looking for. It searches your entries, memories, and threads by meaning, and you can narrow it to entries only, or to today, this week, or this month. The Journal tab has its own search and filters too.
Is journaling in Merrin free?
Yes. Journal entries, text and voice conversations, memories, search by meaning, and threads are free, with no message limits. Pro adds insights into what keeps coming back and how your views change, weekly reflections, more perspectives, and a larger AI model.
Talk freely. Remember what matters. Understand yourself better.
Start with one conversation about your day, and it's in your journal when you're done. Join the waitlist and we'll email you when Merrin launches.
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