If you want to start a journal without the pressure of filling a blank page or you’re interested in chronicling a part of your life without facing the scrutiny of social media followers, Birdy offers a fresh take on the classic photo grid.

What we love: Curating a special space for our photos and videos without worrying about likes, algorithms or privacy. You can set up a visual gratitude journal where you post images of things that made you smile, create a place you can go to revisit all your favourite moments with your child or document a medical journey without having to share any personal pictures or details with the world. What you post is up to you, and you’re the only one who will ever see it.

Quick tip: If you’re hoping to make journaling a habit, turn on notifications to get regular reminders to check in. There are also prompts aligned to a variety of topics and thought-starters to help you reflect. But if you’re just collecting sweet memories to scroll through later, you can turn those features off.

Meet the creator: Birdy originally launched as Pink Papaya, a photo and video editing app with body-positive filters. When the idea arose to create a photo journal, founder Sarah Nicole Landry was embarking on her own journaling endeavour. After spending years in the spotlight as an influencer online, she says, “My whole life was being viewed through this lens of social media. My therapist suggested that, throughout the day, I document three things that were just glimmers, things that made me happy,” she tells the App Store. Now, she’s passing on that experience for others.