---
title: "I built Souls — a privacy-first journaling app that actually makes you want to write"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/i-built-souls-a-privacy-first-journaling-app-that-actually-makes-you-want-to-write-madqzoizb
source_url: https://daily.dev/posts/i-built-souls-a-privacy-first-journaling-app-that-actually-makes-you-want-to-write-madqzoizb
type: freeform
source: "Rudra Singh"
author: "Rudra Singh"
published: 2026-05-22T13:46:51.429Z
updated: 2026-05-22T13:47:09.581Z
reading_time: 2
upvotes: 1
comments: 1
language: en
---

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# I built Souls — a privacy-first journaling app that actually makes you want to write

**[Rudra Singh](https://daily.dev/sources/twjjm8tkjdfjk3vxbtwbj)** · [@rudrasingh11](https://daily.dev/rudrasingh11) · 2 min read · 1 upvotes · 1 comments

## Summary

Souls is a newly launched privacy-first journaling and productivity app built by an indie developer frustrated with bloated, data-harvesting alternatives. It focuses on simplicity, a dark aesthetic, cross-platform support (web, mobile, desktop), and a minimal task layer. The creator shares that the hardest lesson was resisting feature creep — every removed feature improved the product.

## Content

**Most productivity apps are bloated, track everything, and still feel like a chore to use. I wanted something different — so I built Souls.**

Souls is a journaling and productivity app built around three things I couldn't find anywhere else: simplicity, privacy, and design that doesn't feel sterile.

Why I built it

I kept starting journals and dropping them after two weeks. The apps felt clinical. The interfaces were either too complex or too bare. I wanted something that felt like picking up a beautiful notebook — calm, focused, mine.

So I spent the last few months building exactly that.

**What makes it different**

→ **Privacy-first by design** — your entries stay yours, no data harvesting

→ Dark, moody aesthetic that actually feels good to open

→ **Cross-platform (web, mobile, desktop) **— write wherever you are

→ **Stripped-down productivity layer** — tasks without the noise

It's not trying to be Notion. It's not trying to be a habit tracker. It's a quiet space to think, write, and organise your mind.

What I learned building it

The hardest part wasn't the tech — it was resisting the urge to add more features. Every "nice to have" I removed made the app better. Simplicity is a product decision, not just a design one.

If you're someone who's tried journaling apps and given up, or if you're tired of productivity tools that make you feel more overwhelmed — give Souls a try.

It just launched. I'd love your feedback.

→ [soouls.in](http://soouls.in)

What's your journaling/productivity setup?

**#productivity#journaling#privacy#showdev#buildinpublic#design#sideproject#oss**

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