# Personal Diary (Journal) App vs Simpler

The clearest difference is rating: Simpler at 4.8 against Personal Diary (Journal) App's 4.4. Simpler also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (100% vs 87%). Personal Diary (Journal) App's advantage is ratings volume (106 vs 16) and device support (5 vs 3). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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 and Simpler sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Simpler holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Personal Diary (Journal) App has 106 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 87% of Personal Diary (Journal) App's written reviews are positive against 100% of Simpler's.

Personal Diary (Journal) App ships an update every 5 weeks, Simpler every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Personal Diary (Journal) App | Simpler |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (106 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/personal-diary-journal-app/id1052570257/reviews) | **[4.8 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simpler-diary-journal/id1443625358/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **106** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | 87.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 26 MB | 70 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple Watch** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Wern Jie Lim](https://appshunter.io/developer/1032934247) | [Wayne Williams](https://appshunter.io/developer/1116831128) |

## 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


### Simpler

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simpler-diary-journal/id1443625358)

This prompt-based journal app makes reflection easy and fun. Capture moods, thoughts, and interests with guided questions, photos, videos, and voice-to-text entries. Personalize your diary and sync across devices.

**Highlights:** Prompt-based journaling, Add photos and videos, Voice-to-text entry, Customizable diary cover, Daily reminders, Touch/Face ID lock, Calendar view

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade to Pro | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

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

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

### Is Simpler free?

Simpler is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

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

Simpler is rated higher. Personal Diary (Journal) App averages 4.4 out of 5 from 106 ratings, while Simpler averages 4.8 from 16 ratings.

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

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

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

Personal Diary (Journal) App ships an update every 5 weeks, and Simpler every 3 weeks. Most recently, Personal Diary (Journal) App was updated on October 20, 2026 and Simpler on October 24, 2026.

---

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