# A Penzu alternative: a journal you keep by replying to an email If you use Penzu, or are looking for an alternative to Penzu, this page sets it beside ohmylife, a journal you keep by replying to an email. Penzu's own headline reads "Your private 100% customizable online journal." The page states the facts on each side and draws no conclusion: that is yours to draw. What is said of Penzu is quoted from its own pages, [penzu.com](https://penzu.com/) and [its Pro page](https://penzu.com/pro), as they stood on 13 November 2026. Prices and plans change, so Penzu's own page is the one to trust. ohmylife is not connected with Penzu. ## What Penzu says it offers From [penzu.com](https://penzu.com/) and [its Pro page](https://penzu.com/pro): - On its plans: "Penzu is always free but our Pro plans offer more flexibility, customization, and features to maximize your journaling experience." - Its free plan is named "Basic": "Get started with our free plan. No credit card required." It lists "Unlimited entries", "Mobile apps", "Basic journal covers and fonts" and "Simple writing reminders". - "Penzu Pro" says "Everything in Basic, plus:" and lists "Encryption locking", "Custom journal covers, fonts & colors", "Entry tagging", "PDF export", "Writing prompts" and "Write via email (Penzu Post)". - "Penzu Pro+" says "Everything in Pro, plus:" and lists "Premium handwritten fonts", "Fullscreen zen-mode", "Versions & entry recovery", "Premium support" and "Military grade encryption locking". - "Penzu Pro+ Lifetime" lists "One-time payment" and "No need to renew". - On apps: "You can write in any web browser or use our custom built apps for iOS and Android." - On reminders: "Set daily, weekly or custom reminders to ensure that you never forget to write in your journal." ## What ohmylife is ohmylife asks you each evening how your day went, keeps your answer, and hands these days back to you years from now. Your reply to the email becomes that day's page, and there is a journal on the web as well. The pricing page lists what is free: - An email on the days and at the hour you choose, asking how your day went. Your reply becomes that day's page. - A journal on the web as well: write or change any day, mark how it felt, and tag a day with a word to find it again. - As many journals as you like, each with its own days and its own email. - Photos kept with your days: up to ten a day, 10 MB each, 1 GB in all. - The earlier versions of every day, each showing when it was written and by whom. - A day from your past in the email, if you turn that on. - Your own AI assistant reading your journal and writing in it for you, within what you allow. - Everything you wrote as plain files, whenever you ask, and a copy by email once a year. There is no app to open and nothing to remember. [How it works](/journal-by-email/) goes through each part, and [the privacy page](/privacy/) says exactly what happens to what you write. The same service is described as a diary on [the online diary page](/online-diary/), and other journals kept by email are set side by side on [journals kept by email, compared](/email-journals-compared/). [Start your journal](/app/). Sign in with Google and write your first day tonight. ## The differences to weigh Each point gives what Penzu says, in its words, and what ohmylife is. Neither side is ranked. - Where you write. Penzu: "You can write in any web browser or use our custom built apps for iOS and Android." ohmylife: each evening an email arrives, and your reply becomes the day's page. There is also a journal on the web, where you can write or change any day. There is no app to open and nothing to remember. - Reminders and emails. Penzu: "Set daily, weekly or custom reminders to ensure that you never forget to write in your journal." ohmylife: an email on the days and at the hour you choose, asking how your day went. Each one has a link that stops them for that journal. - Writing by email. Penzu lists "Write via email (Penzu Post)" under "Penzu Pro". ohmylife: you reply to the evening email, and your reply becomes that day's page. It is on the list of what is free. - The question each day. Penzu lists "Writing prompts" under "Penzu Pro". ohmylife: the email asks one question and says how to answer it. - Locking and privacy. Penzu lists "Encryption locking" under "Penzu Pro" and "Military grade encryption locking" under "Penzu Pro+". ohmylife is not end-to-end encrypted: the service has to be able to open the text, to send you a day from years ago and to take your reply by email. What we promise instead is that we do not read it. There are no ads, nothing is sold, and no AI is trained on what you write. Everything between your browser and ohmylife travels over an encrypted connection. - Tags. Penzu lists "Entry tagging" under "Penzu Pro". ohmylife: tag a day with a word to find it again. - Earlier versions. Penzu lists "Versions & entry recovery" under "Penzu Pro+". ohmylife: the earlier versions of every day are kept, each showing when it was written and by whom, and any earlier version can be brought back. - Looks and support. Penzu lists "Basic journal covers and fonts" under "Basic", "Custom journal covers, fonts & colors" under "Penzu Pro", and "Premium handwritten fonts", "Fullscreen zen-mode" and "Premium support" under "Penzu Pro+". [The privacy page](/privacy/) says exactly what we can and cannot promise. ## Moving your writing Penzu lists "PDF export" under "Penzu Pro". On ohmylife: - You can download all of it at any time, from Settings. You get a folder for each journal with one plain text file for each day, which any computer can open, your photos beside the days they belong to, and one file holding the earlier versions of every day, who wrote them, and how each day felt if you recorded that. - Once a year a copy arrives by email without your asking. - If ohmylife ever closes, you will be told well beforehand and sent your journal first. ## What it costs As Penzu's own page shows its plans on 13 November 2026: - "Basic" is priced "Free": "Get started with our free plan. No credit card required." - "Penzu Pro" is shown as "$29.99 / year" when paid yearly. - "Penzu Pro+" is shown as "$49.99 / year" when paid yearly. - "Penzu Pro+ Lifetime" is shown as "$199.99", with "One-time payment" and "No need to renew". ohmylife is free: nothing is charged, and no card is asked for. [The pricing page](/pricing/) lists what is included. ## Questions people ask ### Is ohmylife connected with Penzu? No. ohmylife is not connected with Penzu. ### Is ohmylife one of the apps like Penzu? Penzu's page says: "You can write in any web browser or use our custom built apps for iOS and Android." ohmylife works by email: an email arrives and you reply to it. There is no app to open, and there is a journal on the web when you want one. ### Is ohmylife free? Yes. Nothing is charged, and no card is asked for. [The pricing page](/pricing/) lists what is included. ### Penzu free vs Pro: what does Penzu say is in each? Of its free plan, "Basic", Penzu says "Get started with our free plan. No credit card required." and lists "Unlimited entries", "Mobile apps", "Basic journal covers and fonts" and "Simple writing reminders". "Penzu Pro" says "Everything in Basic, plus:" and lists "Encryption locking", "Custom journal covers, fonts & colors", "Entry tagging", "PDF export", "Writing prompts" and "Write via email (Penzu Post)". [Penzu's own page](https://penzu.com/pro) is the one to trust. ### Who can read my journal? You. ohmylife is not end-to-end encrypted, because the service has to open the text to send you a day from years ago and to take your reply by email. What we promise instead is that we do not read it. There are no ads, nothing is sold, and no AI is trained on what you write. Penzu lists "Encryption locking" under "Penzu Pro". [The privacy page](/privacy/) says exactly what we can and cannot promise. ### Can I get everything out again? On ohmylife, yes. Download the whole journal whenever you like, as a folder of plain text files with your photos beside the days they belong to. Once a year the same download is emailed to you. Penzu lists "PDF export" under "Penzu Pro". ### Something on this page is out of date. Who do I tell? Write to hello@ohmylife.app. Penzu's own page is the one to trust on its prices and plans. Last changed 13 November 2026. [Start your journal](/app/). Sign in with Google and write your first day tonight. --- Contact: hello@ohmylife.app