Shadow work apps, compared without the poetry.
Mindberg, Life Note, Rosebud, Stoic, Conviction. Conviction's line: analysis from your own entries, on-device, no account. Free / $3.99 one-time. iPhone 15 Pro or later.
Download FreeMost 'shadow work apps' are prompts, chat, or a different job.
Mindberg is a Jungian-leaning app people use for archetypes and shadow language. Life Note is an AI journal. Rosebud is cloud AI — entries go to model APIs. Stoic is a mental-health journal with check-ins and reflections. None of that is automatically on-device.
PDF prompt packs and 400 questions are not analysis. A chatbot that has never read last March is not pattern detection.
Conviction's line is narrower: analysis from your own entries, on-device, no account. People-pleasing and inner critic show up as patterns in what you already wrote. We do not ship separate landing URLs for those topics.
That's what Conviction was built for.
Analysis from your own entries. On-device. No account.
Conviction reads your journal history on the iPhone. It does not send shadow-work writing to a cloud model. It is not a replacement for therapy.
If you want Jungian education, look at Mindberg. If you want a cloud AI companion, look at Rosebud. If you want a daily mental-health check-in, look at Stoic. If you want on-device pattern spotting from your own entries, that is Conviction: iPhone 15 Pro+, Free / $3.99 one-time.
How it works
Write or talk about what's coming up
Voice or text. No account. On-device. Not a cloud shadow-work chatbot.
Conviction reads your entries — not a PDF
Pattern spotting from your words. Compare that to prompt lists, Mindberg-style education, or Rosebud cloud chat.
Use structured tools to work through them
CBT reframing, somatic grounding, chain analysis, and guided shadow work reflections. Structured tools for what Conviction surfaces.
Go deeper. With tools that hold the space.
Face the patterns you've been avoiding.
Guided reflections grounded in psychological principles, not 400 generic prompts from a PDF. Conviction finds recurring shadow patterns across your entries and turns them into goals you can track. Not pop psychology. Structured self-confrontation.
- Pattern detected Conviction reads across your full history to surface the loops and patterns you missed in the moment.
- Reflect deeper Guided prompts built from your actual entries. Not generic questions. Real patterns turned into focused self-inquiry.
- Track your progress Patterns become trackable goals. See which loops you are breaking and which ones still run beneath the surface.
Beyond "fine." Name what you actually feel.
Every entry gets analyzed across 27 emotion categories. Not just positive or negative, but specific: guilt vs. shame, nostalgia vs. grief. Mood Flow shows how your emotions shift over time.
- 27 emotions Every entry is read for specific emotional categories. Not generic mood sliders.
- Mood Flow See how your emotional patterns shift week over week. Spot what triggers what.
- Your patterns Conviction connects entries over months. What keeps showing up becomes visible.
Tools inspired by what works in therapy. For your own practice.
Four self-guided toolkits grounded in evidence-based approaches: The Mirror (thought reframing), Safe Harbor (somatic grounding), Pattern Lab (chain analysis), The Council (assertiveness and validation). Use them between sessions. Or when you want to go deeper on your own.
- Four toolkits The Mirror, Safe Harbor, Pattern Lab, and The Council. Pick the one that fits what surfaced.
- Safe Harbor Somatic grounding exercises for when the insight hits harder than expected. Paced breathing, body scan, sensory orienting.
- Sensory orienting Find something orange. Find something stable. Find something pleasant. Ground yourself in the room you're in.
- Notice what's solid A wall. A floor. A piece of furniture. Stability is already around you.
- Find something pleasant A plant. A window. A color you like. Simple tools that interrupt the nervous system spiral.
And so much more.
Totally private. You control everything.
Everything Conviction does happens on your phone. Your journal is encrypted and only you hold the key. Backups are locked before they leave your device. Take your data with you anytime. Your shadow work is sacred. It stays on your phone.
Talk it out. Then challenge what you hear.
You don't have to type. Just talk. Your voice becomes structured entries. Then The Mirror identifies cognitive distortions and walks you through reframing them.
Miss a day. Miss a week. Your progress doesn't reset.
Shadow work isn't linear. Some weeks you go deep. Some weeks you disappear. Conviction uses a Momentum System with four levels from Idle to Peak that cools gradually when you're away. It never snaps to zero. Because guilt has never helped anyone go deeper.
Open the app. Start writing. That's it.
No account creation. No email. No password. Conviction works from the first moment you open it, even in airplane mode. When something surfaces at 2am and you need to get it out, the last thing you need is a signup flow standing between you and the page.
Not a black box. Not a chatbot. Not your therapist.
Conviction runs on Apple Intelligence on your device. It helps you name 27 specific emotions, notice common thinking patterns, and find what keeps showing up across months of entries. It doesn't diagnose. It holds up a mirror.
Free / $3.99 one-time. Not a subscription.
Complementary choices for different needs
Best for acute needs, diagnosis, and deep clinical work
Great for accountability and structured goal-setting
Daily self-reflection practice that supports both
- Talk or type. Your voice becomes entries on your device.
- 27-emotion tracking with Mood Flow visualization.
- Safe Harbor: guided somatic grounding exercises.
- Structured CBT and DBT journaling frameworks.
- Momentum System that never resets your progress.
- Encrypted on-device storage. Everything stays on your phone.
Pro
- All from free tier without limits
- Automatic mood detection of your thoughts
- Shadow pattern detection with goal tracking (Shadow Work)
- Personalized shadow pattern journaling prompts based on your pattern
- One-click in-depth analysis of your entries to help you spot recurring themes (Magic Mirror)
- Native Apple integration for iCloud backup and Apple Health
On-device. No account. iPhone 15 Pro or later.
Frequently asked questions
How does Conviction compare to Mindberg, Life Note, Rosebud, or Stoic?
Mindberg is Jungian-leaning education. Life Note is an AI journal. Rosebud sends entries to cloud model APIs. Stoic is a mental-health journal with check-ins. Conviction's line: analysis from your own entries, on-device, no account. iPhone 15 Pro+. Free / $3.99 one-time.
Does Conviction send shadow-work entries to the cloud?
No. Pattern spotting runs on your iPhone. Entries are not uploaded for AI.
Does it work in airplane mode?
Yes. Open the app, radios off, record.
Do I need an account?
No.
How much does Conviction cost?
Free to start. Pro is $3.99 one-time, not a subscription.
Do I need iPhone 15 Pro or later?
Yes. Apple Intelligence is required.
Is this trying to replace my therapist?
No. Conviction is a self-reflection tool, not a therapist. It does not diagnose or prescribe.
What psychological principles is this based on?
CBT and DBT (The Mirror, Pattern Lab), somatic principles (Safe Harbor), Jungian shadow work (guided reflections, pattern detection), and DBT relational skills (The Council). Structured exercises adapted from evidence-based practice for self-guided use.
Is this trying to replace my therapist?
No. Conviction is a self-reflection tool, not a therapist. It doesn't diagnose or prescribe. The structured tools are exercises available for practice between sessions. If you're in crisis, please work with a licensed professional.
Is my journal data private?
Yes. Everything Conviction does happens on your phone. Your entries never touch a server. Your journal is encrypted and only you hold the key. iCloud backups are locked before they leave your phone.
Does the AI actually understand my patterns, or is it generic?
It works from your actual words. Every time you write, Conviction searches your full history to find what keeps showing up. It gets more useful the more you write.
What happens if I miss a few days?
Nothing bad. The Momentum System cools gradually. It doesn't reset to zero. There are no streaks to break, no guilt mechanics, no "you missed 3 days!" notifications. Shadow work isn't linear. Come back when you're ready. Your momentum rebuilds from wherever you are.
What's included in the free tier?
Everything except AI-powered features. Voice journaling, 27-emotion tracking, Mood Flow, Safe Harbor somatic exercises, structured CBT/DBT frameworks, Momentum System, encrypted storage, iCloud backup, and data export. No credit card. No time limit.
What does Pro unlock?
Pro is a one-time purchase of $3.99 that unlocks AI-powered features: Pattern Detection across your full history, Shadow Pattern Detection with goal tracking, Pattern Lab for chain analysis, AI-powered cognitive distortion detection (The Mirror), and AI-personalized prompts. Pay once. Keep forever.
Do I need the latest iPhone?
Conviction requires an iPhone with Apple Intelligence. That's iPhone 15 Pro or later. Apple Intelligence powers everything from pattern spotting to emotion recognition to voice journaling. It's not an add-on. It's how the app works.
Analysis from your entries. On-device.
Download on the App Store. Free / $3.99 one-time. No account.
Download FreeNot a replacement for therapy. iPhone 15 Pro or later.