JournaLock vs the field
JournaLock seals a life of work on a private chain you hold, then optionally ladders it to counsel without merging diaries. Bernstein certifies a version of a project.
They overlap on proof-of-time. They are not substitutes. A serious inventor can use both. Most U.S. patent files live or die on contemporaneous story and who thought of what — that is JournaLock’s case, not a public-ledger certificate.
At a glance
★ = JournaLock-only in this comparison (not Forensic Notes, Bernstein, OriginStamp / Woleet, or typical ELNs). RFC 3161 is a Time-Stamp Authority signing a hash. Bitcoin anchoring is a different clock — do not mix them in one cell.
| Capability | Forensic Notes | Bernstein | OriginStamp / Woleet | Typical ELNs | JournaLock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit of work | Investigation note | Project version / credit | File hash | Lab experiment | Sealed journal entry |
| Where it lives | Cloud SaaS | Browser + their cloud (ciphertext) | API / dashboard | Enterprise cloud | Device vault. Offline. Phone can work alone. |
| RFC 3161 timestamps (TSA) | Yes — every save | EU/China TSA on paid plans. Bitcoin is a different clock. | No — blockchain instead | Some | Yes — DigiCert, when online |
| Daily sealed diary | Notes, not a life journal | No | No | Lab notebook | Core product |
| ★ Patent / TM / CR workspace | No | Projects, not USPTO intake | No | R&D, not boutique counsel | Same vault as the journal |
| ★ Blockchain Ladder / ChainMail | No | Share a project — merged portal | No | No | Independent private chains. Rungs. No merged ledger. |
| ★ Counsel packet + AT A GLANCE print | Court PDFs for investigators | Certificate PDF | Receipt | Reports | Free Certified PDF. Paid production packet. Clerk-first print. |
| ★ Coordinator, not custodian | They host notes | Their site runs the product | Their API | IT department | Emergency Kit, Continuity ZIP, your bucket. You hold the keys. |
| Public Bitcoin certificate | No | Default SKU ($64 one-off; subs from $54/mo) | Their product | No | We do not sell this. OpenTimestamps is not our default. |
Same invention, 14 months — Bernstein vs JournaLock
Fictional matter “RailClip”: two inventors, failed tests, counsel at month 6, provisional, then “the spring was mine.” What each product actually does:
| Beat | Bernstein | JournaLock |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 — napkin | Spend a credit. Certificate that this file set existed at T. Silence until the next credit. | Phone is a full journal. Photo + dictation sealed. Hash + previous hash. No credit. Emergency Kit already printed. |
| Month 4 — Inventor B | Invite B into the project. One certificate trail. Not a daily diary of who said what. | B gets their own vault. Ladder: two private chains, rungs, no full-file dump. |
| Month 6 — attorney | Forward certificate PDFs. Counsel still reconstructs the matter from email. | Fill the patent page before you talk. Workspace + AT A GLANCE print + free Certified PDF. Counsel packet priced before pay. |
| Month 14 — inventorship fight | Certificates prove specific drawings existed. Human timeline may still be memory. | Reverify Chain OK or Chain BAD. Journal dates. Ladder match or mismatch. Still not automatic admission — you are not starting from Gmail. |
Price (software only)
Bernstein USD from bernstein.io/pricing. JournaLock from the shipping app. Confirm this week before a meeting.
| Path | What you buy | Cash |
|---|---|---|
| Bernstein one-off | 1 registration. Bitcoin only. No EU/China TSA. 1-year credit validity. | $64 |
| Bernstein Starter | 1 credit / month. Extra credits from $39. | $54 / mo · ~$540 / year |
| Bernstein Scale | 5 credits / month. “We document regularly.” | $119 / mo · ~$1,190 / year |
| JournaLock Starter | Local vault, hash chain, free Certified PDF, $0 court integrity prints. | $0 |
| JournaLock Personal | Voice, media, patents, Ladder-ready. Packets still pay-per-use. | $4.95 / mo or $49 / year |
| JournaLock Professional | Higher storage, multi-device, full Ladder / ChainMail. | $19.95 / mo or $199 / year |
| Counsel production packet | Base + size + optional RFC 3161 packaging. Not the free Certified PDF. | $4.95 + $0.08 / MB + optional $9.95 |
On a typical living file, Bernstein Scale is thousands over a year and still does not give counsel a filled patent page. JournaLock Starter is free for sealing. Nobody beats a free sealed journal by mixing Bernstein SKUs. Bernstein looks cheaper only if you needed their certificate SKU — which we do not sell — or if you over-bought every JournaLock add-on to stamp three PDFs.
Rest of the field
- Forensic Notes — investigator notes and court PDFs. Wrong buyer for a garage + boutique firm.
- OriginStamp / Woleet / OpenTimestamps — hash receipts. Infrastructure. Not a diary.
- SciNote / Labii — enterprise lab notebooks.
- Drive / Notion / Day One — where most inventors already live. No legal chain. The real budget competitor, not Bernstein.
Get JournaLock How firms save money →
Competitor facts from public pages (including bernstein.io). JournaLock numbers from the shipping app. This page is a product-shape comparison, not a court opinion.