Your life's story,
beautifully preserved
Capture your moments effortlessly and securely with Opal. A minimalist diary app that keeps your memories private and accessible.
Simple by design
No account. No subscription. No data collection.
Download the app
Free on the App Store. No sign-up required — open it and you're ready to go.
Write your first entry
Tap any day, add your mood, weather, and thoughts. Done in seconds.
Your data, your rules
Entries are saved as Markdown files in your iCloud or on-device. Always yours.
What makes Opal different
A closer look at the features that matter most
Your week, reflected back to you
Opal reviews your diary entries and generates a thoughtful weekly summary — helping you spot patterns, celebrate wins, and reflect on how far you've come. Or write your own if you prefer.
More than words on a page
Capture the full picture of your day — your mood, the weather, your thoughts, and photos. Every entry becomes a vivid snapshot you'll love revisiting.
Your data, plain and simple
Every entry is saved as a standard Markdown file right in your iCloud. Browse them in the Files app, open them in any text editor, or back them up however you like. No lock-in, no proprietary formats — just your words, always accessible.
Everything under the hood
The full list of features built into Opal
Privacy First
All your data stays local or in your iCloud. We never see your entries — not even a single word.
Everything in Markdown
Entries are stored as Markdown files — read them anywhere, export them anytime, and never get locked in.
Mood & Weather Tracking
Log how you feel and what the weather was like each day — build a richer picture of your life over time.
Calendar View
See your entire journaling history at a glance. Tap any day to revisit memories from the past.
iCloud Sync
Your diary syncs seamlessly across all your Apple devices via iCloud — no extra setup needed.
Minimalist Design
Clean, distraction-free interface designed to get out of your way so you can focus on writing.
A familiar idea, for your diary
The Obsidian of diary apps.
A to-do list from 3 years ago doesn't matter. A diary entry does. Unlike notes or tasks, a diary is data for life — you want to read it in 20, 30 years. Opal is built around that reality: your entries are plain .md files on your own device or iCloud, readable in any text editor, by any app, forever. Even if Opal stops existing, your diary won't.
I built Opal because I realised diary apps have a problem nobody talks about: vendor lock-in over a lifetime. A diary isn't like a to-do list — it's data you want to read in 20 or 30 years. But no company is guaranteed to last that long. When they close, your entries go with them.
So I built something different. Every entry is a plain Markdown file on your own device or iCloud. No proprietary format, no servers I control. Even if Opal stops existing one day, your diary lives on — readable in any text editor, on any system, forever.
Opal is new and I'm still building it. If that resonates with you, I'd love for you to be among the first.
Read the full story →Start writing today
Opal is free, new, and growing. Be one of the first — your feedback shapes what it becomes.
Available on iPhone & iPad · iOS 16+