Journaling should feel intimate, not like filling out a form, so privacy and simplicity win every time. A local-only tool keeps it yours. I found
https://onlinenotepad.tech perfect—free browser notepad with auto-save to your storage, no servers involved. It counts characters and lines as you type, offers subtle themes like lavender, and handles basic bold/italic for emphasis. Shortcuts make editing fluid, and it's mobile-ready for on-the-go entries. Notes stick around until you clear cache, giving that personal space without any hassle.