# Personal Diary (Journal) App vs Journal!

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Personal Diary (Journal) App at 87% against Journal!'s 43%. Personal Diary (Journal) App also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.0) and device support (5 vs 3). Journal!'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Personal Diary (Journal) App sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Journal! asks for nothing beyond the download.

Personal Diary (Journal) App holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 106 and 51 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Personal Diary (Journal) App's written reviews are positive against 43% of Journal!'s.

Personal Diary (Journal) App ships an update every 5 weeks, Journal! every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 2, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Personal Diary (Journal) App | Journal! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (106 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/personal-diary-journal-app/id1052570257/reviews)** | [4.0 (51 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal/id1185496673/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **106** | 51 |
| Positive reviews | **87.4% of reviews** | 42.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 26 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wern Jie Lim](https://appshunter.io/developer/1032934247) | [Jacob Hanna](https://appshunter.io/developer/1294610911) |

## What reviewers say

### Personal Diary (Journal) App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/personal-diary-journal-app/id1052570257)

This app provides a simple and secure digital space for journaling. It offers passcode and biometric protection, iCloud sync across devices, and the ability to add photos, moods, and weather to your entries. It's designed to be an accessible and ad-free journalling experience.

**Highlights:** Passcode & biometric protection, iCloud sync across devices, Import photos into entries, Set mood and weather, Daily writing reminders, VoiceOver support, Dark Mode

**Features:** Siri integration

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Continuous Tip | $1.99 | per month |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💻 Simple and easy to use
- 🔒 Secure with passcode/Touch ID
- 🌤️ Ability to track mood and weather
- 📸 Option to add photos
- 🔍 Useful search functionality

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🗓️ Lack of calendar view to easily navigate entries
- 🔍 Search functionality could be improved
- 📁 Issues with syncing and backing up data
- 🤖 Automatic mood/weather detection not always accurate

**Reported bugs**

- Entries sometimes disappear or fail to load
- Passcode/Touch ID not working reliably
- Syncing issues between devices
- Unexpected crashes when opening the app

**Requested features**

- Add ability to password protect individual entries
- Implement calendar view for better navigation
- Allow adding videos and other media types
- Improve search capabilities with advanced filters
- Provide better data backup and export options


### Journal!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal/id1185496673)

This app allows users to create a digital journal with daily notifications and custom hours. You can add titles and full text entries, ensure every day has a title, and set reminders for future dates. Entries can be shared with friends or transferred to other devices.

**Highlights:** Daily notifications with custom hours, Add titles and full text entries, Ensure daily title entries, Reminders for future dates, Share entries with friends, Transfer data to other devices

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Personal Diary (Journal) App free?

Personal Diary (Journal) App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Journal! free?

Journal! is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Personal Diary (Journal) App or Journal!?

Personal Diary (Journal) App is rated higher. Personal Diary (Journal) App averages 4.4 out of 5 from 106 ratings, while Journal! averages 4.0 from 51 ratings.

### Do Personal Diary (Journal) App or Journal! have ads?

Neither Personal Diary (Journal) App nor Journal! shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Personal Diary (Journal) App or Journal!?

Personal Diary (Journal) App ships an update every 5 weeks, and Journal! every 3 weeks. Most recently, Personal Diary (Journal) App was updated on November 2, 2026 and Journal! on November 2, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*