Comparison

Personal Diary (Journal) App vs Secure Daily Diary

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Personal Diary (Journal) App

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
Read full description

"When all you want is the digital equivalent of a paper diary, this is the perfect one." - goyyboy "Loving the lighthearted feel of this deceptively powerful app." - plinkplok "Good and accessible with VoiceOver" - Allan.summers Need a simple, free, and easy-to-use journalling app? Meet Personal Diary! With no advertisements, limitations, nor any upfront cost, Personal Diary is your simplest and best journalling tool yet. Easily access all your entries in all your devices with iCloud Sync. Write diary entries without worrying that someone will peek at what you wrote, with passcode & biometric protection. Forgot about your diary? The app can 'summon' you back with a friendly nudge. You can also import as many photos as you wish into your entries. As an optional addition, you can set your mood, and add weather and tags to an entry. Notable Features: - Numeric passcode lock (any number of digits). - Unlock using Touch ID or Face ID on supported devices. - Auto-saves as you type. - Simple & easy to use. - Sync data between devices via iCloud Drive. - Ability to pick a mood and weather of the day. - Mood & weather can be automatically chosen. - Import photos to your entries. - Select a theme to suit your style. - Dark Mode for better night use. - VoiceOver fully supported. - Simple Rich Text editing supported. - Optimized for multitasking on iPad. - Full support for physical keyboards, trackpad, and mice. - watchOS keyboard support on Series 7+, and FlickType keyboard support for legacy watch models. - Fully compatible with all modern iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch* models. - Daily notifications for writing in your diary. - No advertisements & absolutely FREE! :D *Some features may not be available on the Apple Watch. Primary editing and viewing functions, such as the Timeline interface and entry editor, are available on the watch. Don't forget to let me know what you think of Personal Diary by leaving a review on the App Store! Reviews and ratings help and let other users find this app. If you have any problems or questions, feel free to send a feedback; I might be able to help! :) Warning: - Please do not forget your password. If you forget your password and your identity cannot be verified, you may not be able to access your data. This app allows you to tip/donate to directly support the development of this app through in-app purchases. No new features will be provided when you tip, it's just to support the app's development if you would like to. Selecting a Small/Medium/Large Tip will initiate a one-time payment for tipping. A Continuous Tip is an automatic-renewal subscription to tip every month, and will renew automatically every month unless it's turned off or cancelled (through your account settings) at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. For this, your Apple account will be charged when payment is confirmed, and charged for auto-renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period at the selected price. You may locate our terms at https://legal.wern.cc/app/terms and privacy policy at https://legal.wern.cc/app/privacy.

About

Secure Daily Diary

Capture your thoughts and memories securely with a private journal. Protect your entries with a passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID. Enjoy a customizable experience with various themes and icons, all stored locally and synced via iCloud.

Highlights
  • Passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID protection
  • Local storage and iCloud sync
  • No third-party servers or sign-ups
  • 20+ color themes
  • Multiple app icons
Features
Read full description

Secure Daily Diary is a simple, elegant, and secure way to capture your thoughts, memories, and daily moments. Your privacy comes first: your entries are protected by a passcode, Face ID, or Touch ID. Everything is stored on your device and synced via your personal iCloud — no third-party servers, no sign-ups. Only you have access to your diary. Customize your experience with 20+ thoughtfully designed color themes and multiple app icons. Make it feel truly yours. With Secure Daily Diary, the important moments of your life are always safe — and always just a tap away.

Screenshots

Personal Diary (Journal) App4 screens
Secure Daily Diary4 screens

Verdict

The call

Personal Diary (Journal) App and Secure Daily Diary both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 87% of Personal Diary (Journal) App's written reviews are positive against 71% of Secure Daily Diary's. Personal Diary (Journal) App also leads on device support (5 vs 3) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). Secure Daily Diary's advantage is ratings volume (456 vs 106). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Personal Diary (Journal) App sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Secure Daily Diary sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Personal Diary (Journal) App against 4.6 for Secure Daily Diary. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 106 and 456 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of Personal Diary (Journal) App's written reviews are positive against 71% of Secure Daily Diary's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Personal Diary (Journal) App ships an update every 5 weeks, Secure Daily Diary every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Personal Diary (Journal) App versus Secure Daily Diary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPersonal Diary (Journal) AppSecure Daily Diary
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (106 ratings)4.6 (456 ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.4% of reviews — better71.2% of reviews
Number of ratings106456 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWern Jie LimDmytro Vynokurov

Customer experience

Personal Diary (Journal) App

All ratings104 ratings
Positive82.7%
Neutral9.6%
Negative7.7%
Written reviews183 reviews
Positive87.4%
Neutral4.9%
Negative7.7%

Secure Daily Diary

All ratings452 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral4.2%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive71.2%
Neutral4.5%
Negative24.2%

User reviews

Personal Diary (Journal) App

From 106 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Secure Daily Diary

From 456 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🔒 Password protection keeps entries secure
  • 👍 Simple and intuitive user interface
  • ✍️ Allows long, detailed diary entries
  • 🎨 Customizable background colors
  • 📋 Clean, condensed entry list view

Room to improve

  • 💰 Severely limited free storage (only 5 entries)
  • 💸 Expensive paid upgrade ($4.99-$7.99)
  • 🐛 Entries not saving or disappearing after updates
  • 🔐 Password protection fails to work on app restart
  • 🆘 Poor developer communication and support

Bugs and requests

Personal Diary (Journal) App

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

Secure Daily Diary

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Entries disappear after app update or reinstall
  • Entries fail to save properly
  • Password protection bypassed when reopening app
  • Search function causes app to freeze/lock up
  • Paid upgrade not registering - asks to repay
Show 4 more
  • Storage limit notification appears too early
  • Partial entry saving (only portion of text saved)
  • All entries deleted unexpectedly
  • Password reset not working after reinstall

Requested features

7 requests
  • Photo/image upload and attachment capability
  • Touch ID or biometric authentication
  • Better background customization and decoration options
  • Ability to write entries for past dates
  • More creative design and styling options
Show 2 more
  • Free or unlimited storage without paywall
  • Improved search functionality

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Personal Diary (Journal) App

Subscriptions1
  • Continuous Tip$1.991 Month
One-time3
  • Small Tip$0.99
  • Medium Tip$2.99
  • Large Tip$9.99
1 purchases

Secure Daily Diary

One-time1
  • Unlimited Diary$9.99

Questions

Is Personal Diary (Journal) App free?
Personal Diary (Journal) App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Secure Daily Diary free?
Secure Daily Diary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Personal Diary (Journal) App or Secure Daily Diary?
Secure Daily Diary is rated higher. Personal Diary (Journal) App averages 4.4 out of 5 from 106 ratings, while Secure Daily Diary averages 4.6 from 456 ratings.
Do Personal Diary (Journal) App or Secure Daily Diary have ads?
Neither Personal Diary (Journal) App nor Secure Daily Diary shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Personal Diary (Journal) App or Secure Daily Diary?
Personal Diary (Journal) App ships an update every 5 weeks, and Secure Daily Diary every 3 weeks. Most recently, Personal Diary (Journal) App was updated on November 2, 2026 and Secure Daily Diary on November 6, 2026.

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