Off and on over the years I’ve researched available journaling programs. I tried a couple but was disappointed with them. More than just a daily diary application, what I really wanted was a program that would allow me to keep a daily journal on my computer, as well as help me organize and manage ideas (all those notes jotted on napkins and scrap paper), articles and other pieces in progress, and other writing tasks all in one place, and all in one easy-to-back-up database.

A few weeks ago, I hit the Internet again in search of that perfect journal / writing / idea management program. What I was able to find after searching for a few hours were 13 programs ranging in price from free to $39.95. I downloaded and tried out the twelve that offered free trials and read all of the features and claims on each web site.

Since I’ve already done the work, I thought I’d share with you the results. Below are my assessments of each program. Each day over a period of a few weeks, I opened the programs and used them, eliminating one at a time those the didn't fit my needs.

A biggie for me was how user friendly the program was. The quicker I could get the program up and running and figure out the various features, the more pleased I was. My second major criteria was flexibility. How easy was it to make the program suit my needs? Most didn’t come close.

Several of these programs look cool and offer cute features and add-ins. Some programs are very narrowly targeted to a specific purpose, namely tracking dreams. Some just aren’t intuitive or flexible enough. A couple weren't what I was looking for, but offered solid and fun features that you might actually appreciate.

If you’re interested in a program strictly for keeping a basic daily journal, you’ll definitely find one among these choices that will meet your needs. The great thing is that you can try out all but one of these programs to find which works best for you. And the entries you create in one program can be easily be copied and pasted into another program.

Common features that I found nearly all of these programs include: They all require Windows 95 or higher; you can export text as RTF (Rich Text Format) which retains formatting and can be opened by Word and other word processing applications; they all have some level of password protection with the contents saved encrypted; all are searchable; most will support importing graphics.

Which one gets my rave review and two thumbs up? Read on to find out.

The Journal 3

www.davidrm.com/thejournal

Cost: $39.95

Trial: 45 days

Download size: 3.02MB

This is my personal favorite of all the journal programs I tried. It’s designed well and loaded with useful features that are intuitive and easy to use. You can create unlimited dated journals that will allow you to create one entry per day. You can also create undated loose leaf notebooks where each entry is just like adding a page to a binder. The notebook feature is great for organizing projects. For example, you can create a notebook titled “Articles” with each entry an article in progress. Navigating the journals and notebooks is very easy by way of tabs and file trees. You can rename the tabs at any time. Each notebook and journal can be set up with their own default font, color scheme, and passwords.

Entries use formatting features similar to what you will find in Word (bold, italics, font, styles, etc.). You can cut and paste or insert text and graphics from other sources. You can search a single notebook or every journal and notebook for a word or phrase, and you can export the text (individual entries or batches) as RTF files. Other features include spell check, thesaurus, and auto-replace.

Privacy features include encryption and password protection and a hot-key for quickly minimizing and locking the program. A version of the program with advanced security features is also available. Free technical support is included via e-mail.

A missing feature is the ability to add buttons that would replace hot-key functions such as for inserting the date and time, and minimizing.

Life Journal

www.lifejournal.com

Cost: $39.95

Trial: 15 journal entries only, 15 Daily Pulse entries only, 1 journal writer

Download size: 14MB

If you’re looking for a fun diary experience, Life Journal is for you. There are a variety of “toys” to play with including a Daily Pulse mood recorder, inspirational quotes you can insert into your journal entries, separate dream journal entries, categorized prompts to help you get going on writing, and a life history section that generates a timeline starting with your birth date and allows you to enter Landmarks and text along the timeline. This program not only looks pretty, but it has solid features that make it worth the price.

Vista Write

www.digitalwriting.com

Cost: $39.95

Trial: 30 days

Download size: 2.38MB

This one includes a series of forms for recording dreams, movie reviews, etc. However, the scripts used to execute the forms invoked warnings from my antivirus programs and were a bit complex. The interface would take some time to understand well and offers features that don’t seem particularly valuable. The interface is similar to Outlook but not as intuitive. Mood icons and other cute features are included. It is clumsy to use and definitely overpriced.

It's My Diary

www.journaltek.com

CD-ROM $39.95

Not available for download or trial.

All  I could do was peruse the web site. My conclusion is that this is definitely a diary program targeted specifically to pre-teen and young teen girls. Not for adults!

The Alchera Suite 3.7

www.mythwell.com

Cost: $39.50

Trial: Limited to 8 dreams

Download size: 3.39MB

If you’re really into tracking and analyzing your dreams (which I am not), this may be the program for you. It can be used as a general purpose journal / diary, but it’s reason for being is to record the details of your dreams. For the price, Life Journal offers a much better choice with a lot more features.

ActiveDiary 3.5

www.winedine.com

Cost: $25

Trial: 30 days

Download size: 11MB

The interface is similar to Microsoft Outlook, but is not as intuitive or feature rich as The Journal 3. You can create dated journals or free-form notebooks. There is a start page that provides overview information about your journaling, and a Quick Vault button which offers a one click minimizing of your journal. Also included are mini-apps for storing passwords, credit card information, and contacts. Also included is a “sticky note” feature as well as templates for creating a “memoir,” goals, and scrapbook. Limited formatting is available for text and graphics can be inserted. You can search your entire database or individual journals or notebooks. There is a button for inserting the date and time. You can also create headings that can be inserted from a drop down menu. If The Journal 3 is a tad too pricey for you, ActiveDiary is an okay alternative.

Paraben’s Daily Journal / My Personal Diary 8.0

www.paraben.com/html/pdj.html / www.camdevelopment.com

Cost: $24.95

Trial: 15 days

Download size: 1.53MB

Two names, two web sites, two different companies, but the journal programs are identical. This journal / diary has a spiral bound graphic that gives this program the feel of a paper journal. Most of the features are straightforward but the navigation through entries is a little clumsy. It’s difficult to get a clear view of your completed entries. Included mini-apps are an address book, reminder notes, and a to-do list. There is a built-in thesaurus and spell-checker.

It’s Personal 2.9

www.rkssoftware.com

Cost: $19.95

Download size: 1.03 MB

Another journal that looks like a journal page. Similar features and similar functionality to Parabens. The drawbacks are similar as well. Includes icons that can be inserted to match your mood or represent a topic. This is strictly a journal / diary.

Forever Journal

www.wmhsoft.com/foreverjournal/

Cost: $19.95

Trial: Restricted to limited pages

Download size: 2.37 MB

This one takes about three steps to open up, which is a bit clumsy. While you can create more than one journal, you can only open one at a time. It’s an okay program but limited. Closing involves a couple of steps. You can change the color of the pages and more.

Daily Journal 3.0

www.broderbund.com/ParsonsTech/index.asp (Look under Web Specials)

Cost: $9.95 (or $19.95)

Trial: None

Download size: 2MB

I used this journal for awhile a few years ago and tired of it because of the lack of flexibility. However, if you can obtain it for the $9.95 price (the regular price is $19.95) it’s as good as or better than the Forever Journal and is more intuitive to use and has more features than the two freebies below.

Diary Holder

www.mjoya.com

Cost: Free

Trial: Unlimited

Download size: 2MB

This one is free and it is bare bones. It includes the ability to e-mail an entry, which seems odd. Why would you want to e-mail a page of your journal to someone? Offered are a Journal view which is dated and a Note view that is not, otherwise the interfaces are identical. You get what you “pay” for.

Digital Diary

www.ajebe.com

Cost: Free

Trial: Unlimited

Download size: 3.12MB

Another very basic free journal, but a little more user friendly than Diary Holder.