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УкраїнськаThe story of a bulky microwave
A story about how a microwave became a cumbersome burden, and about why we are often our own worst enemies.
"A journal that gives back what you put into it."
Everything in one folder on your computer: no account, no server. And what you write comes back to you.
Coming soonSee how it works
Good evening, Sofia.
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Search the pages…
New pageOn this day
A year ago
The house with the wisteria
We stopped in front of the gate for a few minutes. I am not quite sure why, perhaps neither of us really felt like going in.
19 August 2025
August 2026
19
August
The four o'clock storm
It arrived while I was hanging out the washing. I stayed on the balcony watching it go past, with the clothes still to bring in. Then that smell of wet earth stayed until the evening.
17
August
First week on the new floor
By now I recognise almost every face on the stairs, even if I keep mixing up the names. Maria, on the other hand, I would recognise anywhere.
This may sound familiar
A journal is usually lost because you stop reading it back.
Because of an app that wanted an account..
An email address and a password, asked for before you could even write the first line.
And the ones you never read again
Two hundred pages in an archive you never opened again. At that point writing stops being of any use.
Where your words end up
The journal is a file, not a service.
This is the way the application is made: the journal is a file on your computer, not a service that lives somewhere else.
01
No account, because it serves no purpose
No email, password or profile to recover. Open the app and write. There is not even a promise of confidentiality: your data is nowhere else.
02
The journal is a folder, and the folder is yours
The pages, the attachments and the settings sit in a folder you can open, copy, move to another disk or slip onto a USB stick. Wattle picks up where you left off.
03
We collect nothing of what you write
Wattle collects no usage statistics and sends no error reports. It does not even need a wifi network to work. We do not know how many pages you have written, and there is no way for us to find out.
04
And you can take it away whenever you like
Exporting turns the journal into Markdown or into an HTML archive that reads in any browser. Ten years from now your words open anyway. Even without Wattle.
Letters
A letter you cannot open until the day you chose.
A letter is not a page with a date on it, and it speaks to a person who does not exist yet: you, a few years from now.
01
Choose what to write
Write something you would like to find again: a dream you have right now, a difficult moment you are going through, or simply how you feel today.
02
Choose the date
Choose the date on which you would like to be able to read it again. In six months, in a year or in ten.
03
The letter is sealed
Once sealed, the letter cannot be opened until the day you chose. Not even by you.
04
You will find it again that day
It will appear on the home page, exactly as you left it.
Letters
Write a letterWords you entrust to your future self. Choose a day and leave there what you want to remember, tell or rediscover. Until then, the letter stays sealed and out of reach.
Arrived
Its day has come
Written on 3 March 2023 · 640 words
In progress
A letter begun - 128 words so far
Waiting
Opens on 14 March 2029
Written on 2 January 2024 · 412 words
Coming soon
What comes back
Your words come back to find you.
A journal is not only something you write. It is something you find again over time. Words that come back to you, just when you need them, to keep you company in the present. And you do not have to be the one looking for them.
On this day
A thought that resurfaces
A period read back
And all the rest, when you look for it
What you put into it
Two ways of writing with Wattle.
Each has a different name, because each one is there to tell something different.
Pages
- Choose a title or have the AI assistant suggest one (if enabled!). Write whatever you want, and Wattle saves it in a dated page. You can attach images, PDFs or any other file, and Wattle keeps them together with the journal.
Sparks
- A line or two, caught before they get away. No title and fewer characters available: sparks are simply a different way of writing before that thought flies off.
The application
How it looks.
Make the experience your own with Wattle's free themes
Good evening, Sofia.
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Search the pages…
New pageOn this day
A year ago
The house with the wisteria
We stopped in front of the gate for a few minutes. I am not quite sure why, perhaps neither of us really felt like going in.
19 August 2025
August 2026
19
August
The four o'clock storm
It arrived while I was hanging out the washing. I stayed on the balcony watching it go past, with the clothes still to bring in. Then that smell of wet earth stayed until the evening.
17
August
First week on the new floor
By now I recognise almost every face on the stairs, even if I keep mixing up the names. Maria, on the other hand, I would recognise anywhere.
19 August 2026
The four o'clock storm
It arrived while I was hanging out the washing. Instead of bringing the clothes in I watched it from the balcony until the end: first the wind, then that strange two-second silence, then everything at once.
The smell of wet earth all afternoon, even afterwards, even with the windows shut.
BI
Then the sun came out, as though nothing had happened.
Tomorrow I will put everything back in order. Not tonight.
Sparks
Clarity of the moment
A line or two, caught before they get away. Nothing here needs a title, and nothing has to become something else.
Wednesday 19 August
Catch a passing thought…
Ctrl + Enter to saveSave thought
Earlier sparks
All the sparks18 Aug
The sound of the lift stopping one floor below mine.
17 Aug
Remember to ask my mother what the guesthouse in Numana was called.
15 Aug
The cicadas all stop at once, as though someone switched them off.
14 Aug
The seven o'clock tram always runs two minutes late, and nobody ever complains.
Written on this day
You left yourself this thought
When it rains hard, the city changes sound for twenty minutes.
Forty-two days ago
Letters
Write a letterWords you entrust to your future self. Choose a day and leave there what you want to remember, tell or rediscover. Until then, the letter stays sealed and out of reach.
Arrived
Its day has come
Written on 3 March 2023 · 640 words
In progress
A letter begun - 128 words so far
Waiting
Opens on 14 March 2029
Written on 2 January 2024 · 412 words
Calendar
August 2026
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Wednesday 19 August
Two pages and one spark
PagesSparks
Optional AI assistant
The journal works exactly the same way without it.
It works only on what you have already written: it corrects the grammar, shortens a passage or makes it clearer, and suggests a title for the journal page you have just written.
Off until you turn it on
As long as the switch is off there is no request at all; you can try it from the settings page inside Wattle.
It does not need the internet to work
The models run on your computer. What you write is not sent anywhere, and Wattle contacts no external service.
It describes the writing, not the writer
Every AI instruction, present and future, is optional, and avoids diagnosing, advising, judging and collecting information of any kind about you.
We would rather tell you first
What Wattle does not do.
Three things Wattle does not do and will not do in future either.
01
No phone, no sync
There is no phone app and there is no sync across devices. It is the direct consequence of a journal that sits in a folder of yours instead of on a server: you write at the computer, and it stays there.
02
The backup is your business
There is no copy of your data anywhere else, so the backup is up to you. Wattle makes it simple: export a single .wattle file and keep your copy however you prefer.
03
The journal file is not encrypted
The pages are in the clear on your disk: anyone who can use your unlocked computer can read them. The only things encrypted are the sealed letters. Wattle keeps your writing out of somebody else's services; it does not defend it from whoever is sitting at your desk.
How you pay
You pay once and once only.
One product, one purchase. There are no cut-down versions, features locked behind a higher tier or renewals coming round every year. You pay once and the application is yours (we hate subscriptions too).
It is not a subscription
No renewal, no expiry, no increase announced by email two years from now.
There is no login to lose
There is no Wattle account that can be suspended, forgotten or closed for inactivity.
The competitive price
Practically half of what competing apps ask for in a single annual subscription, with the advantage of genuine digital ownership. The app becomes yours with no renewals.
Coming soon
Before you decide
Frequently asked questions about Wattle
How can I back up my journal?
Open Wattle, go to Settings ➜ Backup and choose where to save the .wattle file. Your profile will be exported, along with your preferences, your journal and the attachments you have uploaded. Remember to keep the .wattle file somewhere safe and make sure you have at least one copy on a device other than the one you use every day, such as a second computer or a USB stick.
How many languages is Wattle available in?
Wattle is available in 16 languages and we want to keep extending support to others. If you notice that your language is missing, get in touch through the dedicated page: we will do everything we can to help!
Can I disable the AI features?
Of course! The AI features are switched off by default and are only turned on if you want them. Wattle is enriched by the AI assistant's features, but it does not depend on them: the heart of the application is letting you keep your journal even without using them.
What are sparks for in Wattle?
Sparks are a way of catching a thought without having to give it a title. A journal page is often meant to be tidier and, in some cases, more crafted. Sparks, on the other hand, exist to be shorter and more spontaneous, with no set pattern to follow other than the one you decide on.
I have a question that is not on this list
Do have a look at the contact page. We will be in touch with you soon with an answer!
From the blog
Latest articles
The value of reflective writing for psychological well-being
How journaling helps us better understand thoughts and emotions, reduce stress and recognise personal patterns, increasing self-awareness and personal gratitude.
To begin
Your journal opens on a blank page.
Start now, even with a single line.
Coming soon